Mars rover Curiosity

sink

For all of you awake at this hour you might want to check out the NASA TV webcast, the Mars rover Curiosity is due to touchdown within the next 40 minutes.

AlmightyCushion

Touchdown is 6:24 AM, it'll takes 7 minutes for any data to get here from Mars so we'll know what happens at about 6:31.

WumBuster

Should I get popcorn?

sink

Watch this video if you want to know what all the fuss is about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2I8AoB1xgU

WumBuster

WumBuster wrote: »

Should I get popcorn?

Oh yes you should but make sure its sausage and bacon flavoured

Jesus Wept

http://deadhomersociety.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/boring-space-launch2.png?w=655&h=164

AlmightyCushion

Andy Carroll wrote: »

http://deadhomersociety.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/boring-space-launch2.png?w=655&h=164

On board today, there's a mathematician, a different kind of mathematician, and a statistician.

Jesus Wept

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du0d8QxlSYk

AlmightyCushion

They just confirmed touchdown.

The Highwayman

Looks like all went well

batistuta9

is there a name tag in the back row the reads "Fuk u"?

Blowfish

batistuta9 wrote: »

is there a name tag in the back row the reads "Fuk u"?

It's Fuk Li.

batistuta9

Blowfish wrote: »

It's Fuk Li.

i knew i seen something like it there :pac:

how did you know that guy?

Blowfish

batistuta9 wrote: »

i knew i seen something like it there :pac:

how did you know that guy?

I remembered him from last time around when the Phoenix landed on Mars.

galwayrush

Blowfish wrote: »

I remembered him from last time around when the Phoenix landed on Mars.

Yes,The same year, Vangelis finally released Mythodea to coincide.:cool:

mike65

Well they didn't crash this one so its already a success!

(obviously this is all taking place in a Nevada desert location)

Jester252

Hope it finds something good and it doesn't get stuck

later12

I know it's a long shot, but I hope they find lollipops.

VEN

and after all that we have crap images, no video and no colour in the nevada desert.

dr.bollocko

Pretty incredible achievement.

ejmaztec

Look out for the missing Quinn when the images start coming through.

Mr Benevolent

Apparently their main mission is to find Enda Kenny's brain.

Mr.Crinklewood

Confab wrote: »

Apparently their main mission is to find Enda Kenny's brain.

That's in Uranus.

Mr Benevolent

Mr.Crinklewood wrote: »

That's in Uranus.

A long way to go then.

mikom

Is this a limited edition bar or is it gonna be permanently in the shops?

Ellis Dee

I'm relieved it worked so well. NASA's "sky crane" concept was brilliant, but so high-risk and impossible to test precisely in Earth´s gravity, that I feared any of many possible things would go wrong.:)

Now let's see what Curiosity finds.:D

jaykay74

Breathtaking photo of the view of the Milky Way from Mars

Milky Way

fran17

jaykay74 wrote: »

Breathtaking photo of the view of the Milky Way from Mars

Milky Way

fantastic view,well worth the $2.5 billion spent:D

Gummy Panda

Mars will never be free until the sands run red with Earther blood

hal9000

curisoity has big shoes to fill!
http://www.lowbird.com/data/images/2010/01/pr0gramm-xkcd-spirit.png

Colmustard

An amazing landing system, it was scifi movie stuff.

The red planet is not red, more browny grey,,,QI.

Shryke

It well be some Weeks before it starts rolling around but I can't wait. It's a laboratory, on mars. Water, bacteria, evidence of the planet once being potentially habitable before losing its atmosphere.

marshbaboon

Shryke wrote: »

It well be some Weeks before it starts rolling around but I can't wait. It's a laboratory, on mars. Water, bacteria, evidence of the planet once being potentially habitable before losing its atmosphere.

That'll finally shut dem Christians up! .... probably not.

Humans eh!

Fantastic achievement, glad it went well.

Still, NASA wouldn't have a hope of negotiating a truck down a bog road in Mayo so they chose landing on Mars as the easy option.

Pussies :cool:

Sauve

How long are they planning on leaving it on Mars?
Or do they actually plan on bringing it back to Earth after it's done its' thing?

cherryghost

Sauve wrote: »

How long are they planning on leaving it on Mars?
Or do they actually plan on bringing it back to Earth after it's done its' thing?

You obviously didn't read the fact-o-comic :pac:

OMARS_COMING_

Sauve wrote: »

How long are they planning on leaving it on Mars?
Or do they actually plan on bringing it back to Earth after it's done its' thing?

Until it finds the alien life or until it makes contact with xtra terrestrials

B.A._Baracus

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/08/06/tech/mars-rover-curiosity/index.html

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime

Ellis Dee

Sauve wrote: »

How long are they planning on leaving it on Mars?

It's supposed to stay there. But don't be surprised if a really pissed-off ET turns up with it one day and tells us to stop dumping antiquated mechanical junk on his property.:):)

hooradiation

Ellis Dee wrote: »

Now let's see what Curiosity finds.:D

Several methods to kill a cat, I'd imagine.

Mr Benevolent

Apparently Curiosity just blew up.

The Martian terrorists are on the ball. No stinkin' Humans allowed on their planet.

Nux

Baby, you make me wish I had three hands.

opinion guy

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/international/earth-hails-successful-mars-invasion-2012080637126

opinion guy

The rover has a twitter feed:

https://twitter.com/MarsCuriosity

ScumLord

Shryke wrote: »

It well be some Weeks before it starts rolling around but I can't wait. It's a laboratory, on mars. Water, bacteria, evidence of the planet once being potentially habitable before losing its atmosphere.

It wasn't just that it lost it's atmosphere. It has a number of things going against it when comparing it to a life supporting planet like earth. First of all it's tiny, how much of a factor would gravity be in developing life? Second of all it has no magnetic field, it had at one time but I would assume it would be much weaker than earth's given it's size. Life needs a shield from the suns rays. Maybe mars magnetic field never provided enough of a shield. An other important factor is the lack of a moon. The moon has been very helpful to the development of life on this planet.

If there was ever life on Mars it probably never got past a very primitive state.

Gummy Panda

ScumLord wrote: »

Shryke wrote: »

It well be some Weeks before it starts rolling around but I can't wait. It's a laboratory, on mars. Water, bacteria, evidence of the planet once being potentially habitable before losing its atmosphere.

It wasn't just that it lost it's atmosphere. It has a number of things going against it when comparing it to a life supporting planet like earth. First of all it's tiny, how much of a factor would gravity be in developing life? Second of all it has no magnetic field, it had at one time but I would assume it would be much weaker than earth's given it's size. Life needs a shield from the suns rays. Maybe mars magnetic field never provided enough of a shield. An other important factor is the lack of a moon. The moon has been very helpful to the development of life on this planet.

If there was ever life on Mars it probably never got past a very primitive state.

Does Mars not have two moons?

CrazyRabbit

Gummy Panda wrote: »

Does Mars not have two moons?

Yeah, but they are ugly so they don't count.

ScumLord

Gummy Panda wrote: »

Does Mars not have two moons?

Two orbiting asteroids, nothing like our moon.

jester77

Nice shot of it descending with its parachute deployed

Mr. Incognito

<a href="http://twitpic.com/ag8j1w&quot; title="Eye in the Sky: MRO's @HiRISE camera caught this shot of... on Twitpic"><img src="http://twitpic.com/show/thumb/ag8j1w.jpg&quot; width="150" height="150" alt="Eye in the Sky: MRO's @HiRISE camera caught this shot of... on Twitpic"></a>

unreal