NASA's next Mars Lander

[Tiassa]

Ecstatic

Congratulations NASA, JPL, and MSL Curiosity. That was a job well done.

A toast to the project and all its people!

(It's afternoon at Gale Crater, approximately akin to 3:30-4:00 PM. I think. MSD 49269 15:19 LMST is the original landing target; they were a few minutes ahead of minute behind schedule, I think.)

 

[Trippy]

I'm in ur crater filming ur soil
First images are in.

And is that a hint of stratification I see?

 

[Trippy]

And I see Mad Ant beat me to it :*)

 

[Enmos]

I haven't been following this, but I hope those pictures are just from the 'landing camera'. Better pics are coming, yes?

 

[superstring01]

What a great thing to wake up to.

~String

 

[Trippy]

I haven't been following this, but I hope those pictures are just from the 'landing camera'. Better pics are coming, yes?

They're from the Hazard Avoidence Cameras, which are for obstacle detection, so yes, much better pictures coming in coming days.

 

[Trippy]

My bad. I got the camer wrong.

Here's one of the HazCam shots:

Source

 

[Billy T]

Fantastic - Congrates all around!

 

[KilljoyKlown]

NASA Lands Car-Size Rover Beside Martian Mountain

NASA Science News for August 6, 2012
NASA's most advanced Mars rover Curiosity has landed on the Red Planet. The one-ton rover, hanging by ropes from a rocket backpack, touched down onto Mars Sunday to end a 36-week flight and begin a two-year investigation.

FULL STORY: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/06aug_success/

 

[Bells]

A spectacular image of the Curiosity rover descending to the surface of the Mars on its parachute has been obtained by an overflying satellite.

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter played a key role in Monday's (GMT) historic landing by recording telemetry from the robot as it approached the ground.


[Source]
​

---

 

[Trippy]

If, like me, you missed it: NASA TV Capture

 

[youreyes]

Hello...ESA also played a key role in this mission. Mars Express Satellite pinpointed the location of landing.

 

[KilljoyKlown]

This is for all you pessimist. Feels good to be wrong doesn't it?

 

[Read-Only]

Hooray!!!!!!!!

 

[StrawDog]

Absolutely stunning achievement. This team should be immensely proud of themselves. Its a thing of beauty.

 

[youreyes]

This is for all you pessimist. Feels good to be wrong doesn't it?

its not pessimism, its attention to details and accountance of any contingency plans.

 

[Trippy]

Stop motion video (297 frames) of the last 2.5 minutes of MSL's descent - thumbnails at this stage I'm afraid.
Curiosity's descent

 

[youreyes]

reminds me of descent of Cassini Huygens into Titan...

 

[Bells]

Absolutely stunning achievement. This team should be immensely proud of themselves. Its a thing of beauty.

Indeed.

Especially when you consider how relatively small their budget is due to the funding costs to NASA. It was an amazing achievement. My son's were literally awed as they watched it. The knowledge that they were watching humans landing a craft on an "alien planet", even though there are other rovers there.. They were beside themselves as they watched it.

 

[Bells]

NASA just got even more cool! They got William Shatner to narrate how its journey and landing went.

[video=youtube;nttnecwEku8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nttnecwEku8&feature=youtu.be[/video]