I know. It was scary! I thought it could fail since I don't trust computers and electronic (I do software testings). I am glad it was good! I watched it on http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/mars/curiosity_news3.html live at about 10:08 PM PDT. Awesome 64x64 images at first: https://twitter.com/NASA/status/232350219700932608/photo/1 ... I can't wait for more. I will go to sleep soon after I calm down!

Did anyone watch Spirit and Opportunity in 2004? I watched it live with one of the twin rovers back in 2004 on my 15" Apple PowerBook G4 1 Ghz with its wireless in RealPlayer in Mac OS X 10.2.x. I still have it in packed somewhere.

I chuckled when the control room was partying and not really working. [grin]

Dag: Can you send Siftbot to Mars in the future trips?

It Worked!! YYYaaaaayyyyy!!!

EDIT: Ugh... my meds must make me pretentious. Starting over...

Anyhoo, you weren't being a dick. Just blown away by the complexity of the landing, as was I. Just an "are you shitting me!?!?" moment after seeing "7 Minutes of Terror". I just didn't think the method they chose was ego-driven, and that it was about the only way it could have been done given the size of the rover and the thinness of the Mars atmosphere. I guess they could have just deployed some wings or something and glided it down. Sort of a "Wings To Fly Rover Onto Final Landing" system.

It was really cool to watch it live, though. Amazing that they are getting such accurate information from so far away. My landline freaks out if I run the microwave. And pictures just minutes after landing? Amazing.

>> ^Fletch:

EDIT: Ugh... my meds must make me pretentious. Starting over...
Anyhoo, you weren't being a dick. Just blown away by the complexity of the landing, as was I. Just an "are you shitting me!?!?" moment after seeing "7 Minutes of Terror". I just didn't think the method they chose was ego-driven, and that it was about the only way it could have been done given the size of the rover and the thinness of the Mars atmosphere. I guess they could have just deployed some wings or something and glided it down. Sort of a "Wings To Fly Rover Onto Final Landing" system.
It was really cool to watch it live, though. Amazing that they are getting such accurate information from so far away. My landline freaks out if I run the microwave. And pictures just minutes after landing? Amazing.


Ditto! I loved that 64x64 pixels thumbnail they got.

I thought you were being a dick about it. Complex complicated thing comes through !

Did I ever apologize about being a dick Dag, to you and yours back when I was so terribly bullied here as choggie? My chances of reaching a point of amenable reason with the reactionaries during that tenure had about as much chance of getting off the ground as the first 10 Goddard rocket tests!

Apologies again for insinuating that you were a closet homosexual married to a lesbian.....must have gotten you confused with my ex0-wife's parents....

I was stunned also.

I reiterate my feelings from one of the videos of the event here...

MOTHERLOVING SKY CRANE ON ANOTHER MOTHERLOVING PLANET!

That's insane.

We sent a craft that lowered itself, autonomously, down onto another planet under power... I've always got the whole 'drop out of the sky, use a parachute and air bags' approaches, they all seem doable to my little brain. But for a craft to land like in a sci fi movie, by itself... that's just amazing to me.

Huge high fives to all involved. It was awesome watching it live here at work, and awesome to see the elation in those JPL people when it reported back it was fine.