About 8 hours ago the NASA successfully landed a 9 meter long rover on mars called Curiosity. It carries 10X the scientific equipment of the Spirit rover. The landing was the most accurate to date and the rover was lower to the ground from a rocket powered sky crane. The sky crane had a camera that took video starting one mile from the surface. It will be fun to see that when it is beamed back to earth.View attachment 66170
The first picture arrived 2 minutes after touchdown but the dust kicked up from the sky crane rockets is still hanging in the air so they are not clear.
View attachment 66169
If you dig deep enough in the msn link you can find info on the instrumentation Curiosity carries. But you have to log in on that link only.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48511087/ns/technology_and_science-space/#.UB_XhGGe6So
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/06/science/space/curiosity-rover-lands-safely-on-mars.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Science_Laboratory#Rover
I see this as historic.
The first picture arrived 2 minutes after touchdown but the dust kicked up from the sky crane rockets is still hanging in the air so they are not clear.
View attachment 66169
If you dig deep enough in the msn link you can find info on the instrumentation Curiosity carries. But you have to log in on that link only.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48511087/ns/technology_and_science-space/#.UB_XhGGe6So
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/06/science/space/curiosity-rover-lands-safely-on-mars.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Science_Laboratory#Rover
I see this as historic.
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