Manning my personal command center, eagerly watching as the Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity Rover) goes into Entry, Descent and Landing on Mars.
12:47 am: Viewing a 3-D computer animation on NASA's website simulating the landing live as it happens. The vehicle is currently 45 minutes from landing, 38 minutes from entry.
1:04 am: NASA TV is on the television showing the control room (the real one at JPL in Pasadena, California). The blue-shirted uber-geeks (look who's talking) are passing out the traditional handfuls of peanuts. Huh? Wha? Beats me.
1:10 am: Powering off the cruise stage hardware.
1:11 am: Oh everyone at JPL is watching their monitors very intently.
1:12 am: JPL and NASA doing a nice job for the broadcast viewers...they have a guy narrating in layman's terms what's going on...here's what it sounds like without him translating: Transition to tones now, were seeing carrier only, recieved heartbeats. Huh?
1:14 am: Cruise stage separating. The donut of the cruise stage flew back away from the vehicle on my simulation at just the same time...cool!
1:16 am: The capsule is pivoting into position.
1:17 am : The gravity of Mars is starting to speed the vehicle up; going faster now to about 5.9 km/sec.
1:18 am: We might get some pictures a few minutes after landing says one of the engineers...but it's not guaranteed.
1:19 am: The TV coverage shows all the hub bub being made...still cameras clicking and flashing, TV cameras all throughout the room...it's actually quite exciting.
1:24 am: Vehicle reports entry interface.
1:27 am: Odyssey (one of the older NASA orbiters helping relay communications for this maneuver) is picking up data...much clapping.
1:27 am: PDS warning...they seem fine with this, whatever it means.
1:28 am: Standing by for parachute deploy.
1:29 am: We have heat shield separation and parachute deployment
1:30 am: Vehicle is decelerating...much applause.
1:31 am: Sky Crane deployment.
1:32 am: We are on Mars!!!...Riotous cheers and hugs, much jubilation! YES!!
1:33 am: I'm actually crying with exhilaration just like the guys on TV.
1:34 am: Odyssey data is very strong, and we have live pictures! Just a B&W grainy thumbnail but what a sight!
1:36 am: Another image is recieved a 256 x 256 image showing the rover's wheel on the surface of Mars with the sun setting on the Martian horizon.
1:38 am: Yet another pic showing the other side (Martian East?) facing away from the sun, the clear shadow of the lander is seen being cast upon the Martian dirt. These pics are lower quality since the cameras are still covered by a protective dust cover until all the dust from the landing clears.
1:40 am: The JPL guys (and girls) are so amped! Good for them, they deserve full recognition for this tremendous success. Now looking forward to years of hopefully stunning data from this phenomenal and crucial mission in our efforts to understand our neighbor Mars and to one day imprint onto her red soil a human footprint!
12:47 am: Viewing a 3-D computer animation on NASA's website simulating the landing live as it happens. The vehicle is currently 45 minutes from landing, 38 minutes from entry.
1:04 am: NASA TV is on the television showing the control room (the real one at JPL in Pasadena, California). The blue-shirted uber-geeks (look who's talking) are passing out the traditional handfuls of peanuts. Huh? Wha? Beats me.
1:10 am: Powering off the cruise stage hardware.
1:11 am: Oh everyone at JPL is watching their monitors very intently.
1:12 am: JPL and NASA doing a nice job for the broadcast viewers...they have a guy narrating in layman's terms what's going on...here's what it sounds like without him translating: Transition to tones now, were seeing carrier only, recieved heartbeats. Huh?
1:14 am: Cruise stage separating. The donut of the cruise stage flew back away from the vehicle on my simulation at just the same time...cool!
1:16 am: The capsule is pivoting into position.
1:17 am : The gravity of Mars is starting to speed the vehicle up; going faster now to about 5.9 km/sec.
1:18 am: We might get some pictures a few minutes after landing says one of the engineers...but it's not guaranteed.
1:19 am: The TV coverage shows all the hub bub being made...still cameras clicking and flashing, TV cameras all throughout the room...it's actually quite exciting.
1:24 am: Vehicle reports entry interface.
1:27 am: Odyssey (one of the older NASA orbiters helping relay communications for this maneuver) is picking up data...much clapping.
1:27 am: PDS warning...they seem fine with this, whatever it means.
1:29 am: We have heat shield separation and parachute deployment
1:30 am: Vehicle is decelerating...much applause.
1:31 am: Sky Crane deployment.
1:32 am: We are on Mars!!!...Riotous cheers and hugs, much jubilation! YES!!
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| We Have Landed!! |
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| Curiosity on Mars -- Image oriented sky upward |
1:34 am: Odyssey data is very strong, and we have live pictures! Just a B&W grainy thumbnail but what a sight!
1:36 am: Another image is recieved a 256 x 256 image showing the rover's wheel on the surface of Mars with the sun setting on the Martian horizon.
1:38 am: Yet another pic showing the other side (Martian East?) facing away from the sun, the clear shadow of the lander is seen being cast upon the Martian dirt. These pics are lower quality since the cameras are still covered by a protective dust cover until all the dust from the landing clears.
1:40 am: The JPL guys (and girls) are so amped! Good for them, they deserve full recognition for this tremendous success. Now looking forward to years of hopefully stunning data from this phenomenal and crucial mission in our efforts to understand our neighbor Mars and to one day imprint onto her red soil a human footprint!