The Mars Lander

Prince Of Dorkness
Prince Of Dorkness Posts: 3,763
edited August 2012 in A Moving Train
I'm having a blast watching all the stuff about it and the pictures from it.

One of my best friends in a rocket scientist for Nasa so I've been hearing about this for ages but it's exciting to see it all roll out.

Anyone else watching this?
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Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments

  • hedonist
    hedonist Posts: 24,524
    Ten years in the making! I caught an interesting pre-landing segment on the news over the weekend - the meticulousness of each step taken beforehand, and how everything is precisely controlled, except for the one thing uncontrollable - the weather.

    (I also find it kinda sweet that JPL has a tradition of eating peanuts during events like this)
  • unsung
    unsung I stopped by on March 7 2024. First time in many years, had to update payment info. Hope all is well. Politicians suck. Bye. Posts: 9,487
    The first image has been beamed back...



    526538_339783626106277_276543195_n.jpg
  • eeriepadave
    eeriepadave West Chester, PA Posts: 43,808
    unsung wrote:
    The first image has been beamed back...



    526538_339783626106277_276543195_n.jpg

    255240_504332439596214_1147023620_n.jpg
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  • lukin2006
    lukin2006 Posts: 9,087
    Nope...
    I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin

    "Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
  • whygohome
    whygohome Posts: 2,305
    Amazing stuff.
    It's too bad that people don't look up at the stars any more, instead we watch them dance on TV.....

    Also, it is strange to live in a country where science is ridiculed by some in power....strange
  • Godfather.
    Godfather. Posts: 12,504
    unsung wrote:
    The first image has been beamed back...



    526538_339783626106277_276543195_n.jpg


    http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/08/ ... ters-mars/


    Godfather.
  • Godfather.
    Godfather. Posts: 12,504
    I have wondered if this mars mobil space station could leave seeds of common plants or weeds behind just too see what happens ???

    Godfather.
  • Jason P
    Jason P Posts: 19,437
    Godfather. wrote:
    I have wondered if this mars mobil space station could leave seeds of common plants or weeds behind just too see what happens ???

    Godfather.
    Even if liquid water existed, Mar's lack of a proper magnetic field is not conducive of supporting life. It has no way of protecting itself from the Suns radiation and solar winds.
    Be Excellent To Each Other
    Party On, Dudes!
  • pandora
    pandora Posts: 21,855
    edited August 2012
    My daughter a science major went to the Mars landing party at GA Tech Sunday night ...
    she had great fun!

    I love it and am anxious to learn more of what it will send to us...
    the thought that perhaps we came from folks on Mars is all intriguing to me :mrgreen:
    Post edited by pandora on
  • Godfather.
    Godfather. Posts: 12,504
    Jason P wrote:
    Godfather. wrote:
    I have wondered if this mars mobil space station could leave seeds of common plants or weeds behind just too see what happens ???

    Godfather.
    Even if liquid water existed, Mar's lack of a proper magnetic field is not conducive of supporting life. It has no way of protecting itself from the Suns radiation and solar winds.

    wow ! thanks for that answer.

    Godfather.
  • Cliffy6745
    Cliffy6745 Posts: 34,075
    Man, I hate to be debbie downer and I get the benefit of science and space exploration but in a time like this with the unemployment rate over 8% and more importantly our educational system in the fucking dumps, does it make sense to spend $2.5 billion on this.

    Awesome stuff, I just wish our priorities were with fixing the inequality and issues with our school system.
  • JonnyPistachio
    JonnyPistachio Florida Posts: 10,218
    Prince Of Dorkness wrote:
    I'm having a blast watching all the stuff about it and the pictures from it.

    One of my best friends in a rocket scientist for Nasa so I've been hearing about this for ages but it's exciting to see it all roll out.

    Anyone else watching this?

    I love this stuff Prince. Its amazing to me the technology behind it and the possibilities.
    Every now and then I think this too though:
    Cliffy6745 wrote:
    Man, I hate to be debbie downer and I get the benefit of science and space exploration but in a time like this with the unemployment rate over 8% and more importantly our educational system in the fucking dumps, does it make sense to spend $2.5 billion on this.

    Awesome stuff, I just wish our priorities were with fixing the inequality and issues with our school system.
    Pick up my debut novel here on amazon: Jonny Bails Floatin (in paperback) (also available on Kindle for $2.99)
  • know1
    know1 Posts: 6,801
    I'd like to have seen the $2.6 billion dollars this thing cost go toward something like feeding the world's hungry.
    The only people we should try to get even with...
    ...are those who've helped us.

    Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
  • Jason P
    Jason P Posts: 19,437
    Cliffy6745 wrote:
    Man, I hate to be debbie downer and I get the benefit of science and space exploration but in a time like this with the unemployment rate over 8% and more importantly our educational system in the fucking dumps, does it make sense to spend $2.5 billion on this.

    Awesome stuff, I just wish our priorities were with fixing the inequality and issues with our school system.
    When I see $40B go to gas and oil subsidies ... fuck yes.

    This is an educational experiment as well.

    We also need to understand why the US spends $12K per student and Canada spends $5K per student and they rank ahead of the US in education.
    Be Excellent To Each Other
    Party On, Dudes!
  • know1
    know1 Posts: 6,801
    Jason P wrote:
    We also need to understand why the US spends $12K per student and Canada spends $5K per student and they rank ahead of the US in education.

    I'd say the answer is pretty obvious - our government oversees education and that drives up the cost and reduces the effectiveness and efficiency by a large margin.
    The only people we should try to get even with...
    ...are those who've helped us.

    Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
  • dimitrispearljam
    dimitrispearljam Posts: 139,747
    i just search for a thread,before i start a new one..
    that was so cool
    "...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
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  • Jason P
    Jason P Posts: 19,437
    know1 wrote:
    Jason P wrote:
    We also need to understand why the US spends $12K per student and Canada spends $5K per student and they rank ahead of the US in education.

    I'd say the answer is pretty obvious - our government oversees education and that drives up the cost and reduces the effectiveness and efficiency by a large margin.
    I think it's because we rely on the internet for information instead of this guy nowadays ..

    thumbnail.aspx?q=4587936290440096&id=2389db74ff32fa78fced206a6e620bab
    :mrgreen:
    Be Excellent To Each Other
    Party On, Dudes!
  • Cliffy6745
    Cliffy6745 Posts: 34,075
    Jason P wrote:
    Cliffy6745 wrote:
    Man, I hate to be debbie downer and I get the benefit of science and space exploration but in a time like this with the unemployment rate over 8% and more importantly our educational system in the fucking dumps, does it make sense to spend $2.5 billion on this.

    Awesome stuff, I just wish our priorities were with fixing the inequality and issues with our school system.
    When I see $40B go to gas and oil subsidies ... fuck yes.

    This is an educational experiment as well.

    We also need to understand why the US spends $12K per student and Canada spends $5K per student and they rank ahead of the US in education.

    Yeah, I hear you on that and I don't disagree. I just have mixed feelings, I mean, how are we going to fix the educational system if it isn't an absolute priority and from the educational cuts, it clearly isn't. I think these missions are great but I also think there is a time and place for them.
  • Jason P
    Jason P Posts: 19,437
    Cliffy6745 wrote:
    Yeah, I hear you on that and I don't disagree. I just have mixed feelings, I mean, how are we going to fix the educational system if it isn't an absolute priority and from the educational cuts, it clearly isn't. I think these missions are great but I also think there is a time and place for them.
    I hope that this would spur interest in a young person's mind, but kids today probably would give this a 15 second lookover and find it boring and go back to playing Angry Birds. Heck, most kids growing up in urban centers don't even know what it looks like looking up at the stars and the Milky Way on a dark night in the country. Most adults probably forget as well ... I remember hiking in the Sierra Nevada's a decade ago and being stunned when waking up at 2am and looking up at the sky.

    The days of kids dreaming of going to Space Camp may be over, but hopefully this project will inspire a few young minds.
    Be Excellent To Each Other
    Party On, Dudes!
  • Cliffy6745
    Cliffy6745 Posts: 34,075
    Jason P wrote:
    Cliffy6745 wrote:
    Yeah, I hear you on that and I don't disagree. I just have mixed feelings, I mean, how are we going to fix the educational system if it isn't an absolute priority and from the educational cuts, it clearly isn't. I think these missions are great but I also think there is a time and place for them.
    I hope that this would spur interest in a young person's mind, but kids today probably would give this a 15 second lookover and find it boring and go back to playing Angry Birds. Heck, most kids growing up in urban centers don't even know what it looks like looking up at the stars and the Milky Way on a dark night in the country. Most adults probably forget as well ... I remember hiking in the Sierra Nevada's a decade ago and being stunned when waking up at 2am and looking up at the sky.

    The days of kids dreaming of going to Space Camp may be over, but hopefully this project will inspire a few young minds.

    I agree. But in my mind this all comes back to education. Whether the kids don't have the opportunity, have piss poor teachers and are just uninterested or are raised that way because of a lack of education on their parents part. I just feel like this needs to be a priority right, especially with schools closing all over the country.

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