Nailed it!

[HopAlongBunny]

Curiosity has landed!!!

[a completely inoffensive name]

Watched it live at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, very close to JPL, which had a huge part in all of it obviously. I am never going to forget this night, and I am amazed and proud at the geniuses that designed, built, controlled and monitored Curiosity. Great success for all mankind.

[Strike For The South]

Is this thread about the Kardashians?

[Visor]

I love everything about Space and this is a good step into the future for humans. :2thumbsup:

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Somehow it was very exciting to watch even though all you could see was people sitting in front of computers saying a bunch of numbers and then cheering...

I just heard about this thing for the first time earlier today. What are their biggest hopes for it now that it's landed safely?

[HopAlongBunny]

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/index.html

The Fact Sheet on the linked page lists the scientific payload. More than just pretty pictures this time :)

[Hooahguy]

Man Im excited. Not even mad that they arent landing on the moon anymore.

[drone]

Friend on mine works for NASA, did a bit of work on the lander. I will have to congratulate him for littering on Mars again!

[HopAlongBunny]

I read a pile of stuff about this mission before the landing; I knew Curiosity was well equipped: a drill for soil samples, a lab to test them, a laser and spectrometer to analyze rocks; more cameras than I could hope to own...etc. What I missed was the purpose of all this gear.

All this, for the search for evidence of organic compounds or their remnants. The site is an impact crater with a 5km mountain in the middle; ready made for examining the geological history/layers of Mars.

Am I excited!? Yes! Yes I am!!!

[naut]

I just heard about this thing for the first time earlier today. What are their biggest hopes for it now that it's landed safely?
They are trying to establish whether life on Earth could be due to Panspermia, and that we might all be evolved from Martian organics. As Mars likely was able to support life a very long time ago.

[drone]

I will have to congratulate him for littering on Mars again!
Since we have a running joke about NASA polluting the universe, I asked him how big of a crater did the skycrane make after Curiosity was delivered. He said, "Not that big, but it had about 140 kg of highly toxic jet fuel left over." ~D

[Vladimir]

Since we have a running joke about NASA polluting the universe, I asked him how big of a crater did the skycrane make after Curiosity was delivered. He said, "Not that big, but it had about 140 kg of highly toxic jet fuel left over." ~D

Don't tell that to the Greens...err...Red party.

[Ronin]

6489


ohhh ****!

[Gregoshi]

Since we have a running joke about NASA polluting the universe, I asked him how big of a crater did the skycrane make after Curiosity was delivered. He said, "Not that big, but it had about 140 kg of highly toxic jet fuel left over." ~D
Headlines:

NASA Mars Mars
Curiosity Killed The Martians

[HopAlongBunny]

http://postimage.org/image/yzup7btjv/

Litter from Curiosity; expect a call from the EPA!

[HopAlongBunny]

6497

Nice beach, but where is the water?

[Vladimir]

Excellent question. What are these NASA geeks wasting our money on?

[HopAlongBunny]

Bah! 3 days of re-programming...how could they be soo negligent! I believe I have a right to continuous entertainment!!!

[Fragony]

Ohohoh you landed a robot, we are a little bit more ambitious than that here in Dutchiestan in 2023 we are going clog that bot http://mars-one.com/en/

[Fragony]

lol.. Clog...

:creep:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Dutchclogs.jpg/220px-Dutchclogs.jpg

It's all tears if you get one of those in your face

[HopAlongBunny]

6512

A small segment from the panorama taken by the MastCam; the full version (10MB) was rejected by the .org uploader.

I imagine the full version would be "dial-up" :furious3:

Link to day 4 mission update:
http://www.cbc.ca/video/watch/News/Technology and Science/ID=2265476908

[HopAlongBunny]

Summary of landing success

http://youtu.be/BArApRIjdTI

Update on brain transplant and what is next:

http://youtu.be/YyodK2g6aok

[HopAlongBunny]

Roadmap:

6557

Glenelg gives a short trip to make sure everything is working, and sets the rover at the intersection of 3 apparently different rock textures. I believe they will test the drill at this site.

and for those who missed it:

http://youtu.be/QFvNhsWMU0c

[HopAlongBunny]

Apparently they have unlimbered the laser; Rock N165 complains: "It used to be so peaceful here".

http://www.pcworld.com/article/261084/mars_rockzapping_laser_explained.html

[Gregoshi]

...Rock N165 complains: "It used to be so peaceful here".
:laugh4:

The Ugly American - not just for Earth anymore.

[HopAlongBunny]

Laser, first shot

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/multimedia/pia16075.html

[HopAlongBunny]

Unlimbering more mayhem on the Martian surface:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/multimedia/pia15692.html

[HopAlongBunny]

6571

6572

Curiosity gets moving; baby steps.
Looking for a youtube of the press session; the UStream feed was choppy...but that might be because I'm re-d/l'ing Shogun2 :)

Initial results for laser:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/multimedia/pia16089.html

NASA goes gaga over geology:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=nasa-announces-new-robotic-mars-mission

[HopAlongBunny]

Pffft!

Just a flesh wound!

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/multimedia/pia16091.html

[HopAlongBunny]

NASA recap of the week that was:

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=151009731

[HopAlongBunny]

Agreed!

I found the above link following another link they were broadcasting in Times Square; its come a long since sitting in my elementary class watching the moon landing =D

[HopAlongBunny]

6763

Getting to Know Mount Sharp

This image taken by the Mast Camera (MastCam) on NASA's Curiosity rover highlights the interesting geology of Mount Sharp, a mountain inside Gale Crater, where the rover landed. Prior to the rover's landing on Mars, observations from orbiting satellites indicated that the lower reaches of Mount Sharp, below the line of white dots, are composed of relatively flat-lying strata that bear hydrated minerals. Those orbiter observations did not reveal hydrated minerals in the higher, overlying strata.

› Unannotated image

The MastCam data now reveal a strong discontinuity in the strata above and below the line of white dots, agreeing with the data from orbit. Strata overlying the line of white dots are highly inclined (dipping from left to right) relative to lower, underlying strata. The inclination of these strata above the line of white dots is not obvious from orbit. This provides independent evidence that the absence of hydrated minerals on the upper reaches of Mount Sharp may coincide with a very different formation environment than lower on the slopes. The train of white dots may represent an "unconformity," or an area where the process of sedimentation stopped.

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

[HopAlongBunny]

Curiosity begins to rove:

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2012/aug/HQ_12-301_Curiosity_Drive.html

[HopAlongBunny]

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=151444401

[HopAlongBunny]

A little something for those with 3d glasses (too big to upload):

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/multimedia/pia16140.html

[HopAlongBunny]

Talking heads with pictures:


http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/25004956

[Kadagar_AV]

Talking heads with pictures:


http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/25004956

Few secs in, when she start to present the guys...

I just watched The Big Bang Theory... And I just couldnt help but see the faces of Leonard, Sheldon and so on... I think it was how the nerds dealt with being at a press conference, the mimicry sooo close to how the actors would have actually acted it out.

[HopAlongBunny]

... I think it was how the nerds dealt with being at a press conference, the mimicry sooo close to how the actors would have actually acted it out.

That is quite an endorsement of the acting in Big Bang Theory :)

Shakedown for the arm and scientific instruments:

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/25224209

[drone]

Big Bang Theory is great. There's actually an episode about a Mars Rover, if I recall correctly.
Well, an episode where Howard crashes the Rover while trying to get in some girl's pants. ~D

[HopAlongBunny]

Self-portrait with Dustcover:

6977

Rover Takes Self Portrait

On Sol 32 (Sept. 7, 2012) the Curiosity rover used a camera located on its arm to obtain this self portrait. The image of the top of Curiosity's Remote Sensing Mast, showing the Mastcam and Chemcam cameras, was acquired by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI). The angle of the frame reflects the position of the MAHLI camera on the arm when the image was taken. The image was acquired while MAHLI's clear dust cover was closed.

The image was taken on a day when MAHLI and other instruments and tools on the turret were being inspected using the rover's Mastcams and Navcams. The MAHLI cover was in the closed position in order to inspect the dust cover to ensure that the cover, its hinge, and the volume it sweeps when it opens are clear of debris.

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems
When Drills go Bad:



http://youtu.be/Pb8riJ_mmio

[HopAlongBunny]

MAHLI unleashed:

7111

First Image From Curiosity's Arm Camera With Dust Cover Open

The reclosable dust cover on Curiosity's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) was opened for the first time during the 33rd Martian day, or sol, of the rover's mission on Mars (Sept. 8, 2012), enabling MAHLI to take this image.

The level of detail apparent in the image shows that haziness in earlier MAHLI images since landing was due to dust that had settled on the dust cover during the landing.

The patch of ground shown is about 34 inches (86 centimeters) across. The size of the largest pebble, near the bottom of the image, is about 3 inches (8 centimeters). Notice that the ground immediately around that pebble has less dust visible (more gravel exposed) than in other parts of the image. The presence of the pebble may have affected the wind in a way that preferentially removes dust from the surface around it.

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems

[HopAlongBunny]

The belly of the Beast:

7129

Composite of images taken with MAHLI

[HopAlongBunny]

The clarity of MAHLI's shots is quite amazing; calibration target:

7135

Calibration Target for Curiosity's Arm Camera

This view of the calibration target for the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) aboard NASA's Mars rover Curiosity combines two images taken by that camera during the 34th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Sept. 9, 2012). Part of Curiosity's left-front and center wheels and a patch of Martian ground are also visible.

The camera is in the turret of tools at the end of Curiosity's robotic arm. Its calibration target is on the rover body near the base of the arm. The Sol 34 imaging by MAHLI was part of a week-long set of activities for characterizing the movement of the arm in Mars conditions. MAHLI has adjustable focus. The camera took two images with the same pointing: one with the calibration target in focus and one with the wheel and Martian ground in focus. The view here combines in-focus portions from these shots.

The calibration target for the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) instrument includes color references, a metric bar graphic, a 1909 VDB Lincoln penny, and a stair-step pattern for depth calibration. The penny is a nod to geologists' tradition of placing a coin or other object of known scale as a size reference in close-up photographs of rocks, and it gives the public a familiar object for perceiving size easily when it will be viewed by MAHLI on Mars.

The new MAHLI images show that the calibration target has a coating of Martian dust on it. This is unsurprising -- the target was facing directly toward the plume of dust stirred up by the sky crane's descent engines during the final phase of the 6 August 2012 landing.

The main purpose of Curiosity's MAHLI camera is to acquire close-up, high-resolution views of rocks and soil at the rover's Gale Crater field site. The camera is capable of focusing on any target at distances of about 0.8 inch (2.1 centimeters) to infinity, providing versatility for other uses.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems

[HopAlongBunny]

Honestly, the stuff for this thread comes in fits and starts; not to mention it will go for years :)

Better to simply provide the links for those who wish to keep abreast of the mission:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/index.html
http://www.nasa.gov/news/media/newsaudio/index.html
http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/news/whatsnew/index.cfm
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=150507221