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  • Author Author: Catwell
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Curiosity Mars Rover lands flawlessly

Catwell

NASA sent $2.5 billion US Dollars 567 million kilometers (352 million miles) to Mars. The most advanced robotic exploration vehicle, dubbed Curiosity. Millions of people watched all over the world at NASA.gov for live streaming of the event. Get together, parties, dance parties to celebrate Curiosity's land peppered the globe. All were on edge, cheering every successful step in its complicated landing procedure. Flight control at NASA walked everyone through the "7 minutes of terror" as it set down on the red planet. (Watching with a communication delay of 16-20 minutes.) I felt like clapping at every successful stage.

 

It landed at 10:14:39 PDT on August 6th, 2012. 


"Let's see where curiosity will take us." - NASA flight control

 

I could not help but feel extreme pride in the successful landing. Even more so as the image stream started to flow. Two images sent before the data stream ended.

 

image

Curiosity's first images from Mars (via NASA live stream)

 

 

A few curious facts about the Curiosity rover:

 

imageimage

 

(Left) The landing proceedure (Right) The size of the rover, it's surprising (via NASA)

 

The rover is quite social. Follow Curiosity's twitter feed: https://twitter.com/MarsCuriosity

 

 

Cabe

http://twitter.com/Cabe_e14

 

Direct from the rover. The images are dusty and dirty due to the thrust of the landing vehicle:

 


image

  • I have heard people from India saying from a very early age they knew understanding science and technology was the only key to an affluent life.  Some people in highly developed regions think an affluent life is their birthright.  The more they expect this the more disappointed they'll be.  It's really good to see the US doing something cool with technology that might inspire kids to learn science. 

  • I watched the control room footage, as it successfully went through all of the seperate stages neccessary to land. I held my breath many times, and nearly cried at the end of it all. What a thrilling event!

     

    It reminded me that we as a species are capable of so much more, when we work together, and individually, towards a shared vision.

     

    Well done to all involved with the Curiosity project, I am sure that the best parts are yet to come.

  • You are right.

     

    The number of technical first implemented on this rover is astonishing.  The micro chemical analysis lab is a thing of beauty and is now portable to take into the field in remote areas in the planet Mars and Earth for advanced local support.

     

    Gervasi is also correct.  Mars colonization is long overdue.  Nearly all of the material we need to create a thriving colony have been found.  With the conformation of H2O, everything else is solvable.  All we need is a very efficient energy source to power everything.

    Zubrin has already shown us the way to get their and how to build a sustainable community on Mars.  All he needs is investors.

    Maybe United Nations grants for mineral and area exploitation rights just might start the movement.

     

    Just a thought,

    DAB

  • It's amazing such a complicated machine landed without humans being present along the way.  It looks much more complicated than the one that landed with inflated bumpers.  I'm eager to see pictures.  Maybe this will get people interested in the idea of sending people to Mars.  If we shipping supplies to them for a lifetime, I bet people would be willing to move there permanenty, which overcomes the hardest part- carrying fuel for the return trip.