The pic where they adjusted the dynamic range of that pic is better, since it shows the surface:

Those goddamned orbiters are STILL working? That's just awesome. Talk about a great investment. Whoever designed those things needs to be promoted and given a larger budget. If we can do this stuff on the cheap, like they did, we'll get a lot more support for further exploration.

When they took this they were really hoping they wouldn't need it to figure out what happened.

It's uncanny.

SwiftFox: When they took this they were really hoping they wouldn't need it to figure out what happened.

Now, be nice.

You're probably right ;)

NewportBarGuy: Those goddamned orbiters are STILL working? That's just awesome. Talk about a great investment. Whoever designed those things needs to be promoted and given a larger budget. If we can do this stuff on the cheap, like they did, we'll get a lot more support for further exploration.

NASA's really been doing a phenomenal job this decade.

SpinStopper: SwiftFox: When they took this they were really hoping they wouldn't need it to figure out what happened.

Now, be nice.

You're probably right ;)

they said as much in today's press conference.

these Mars missions are just awesome and I'm really looking forward to seeing what else comes up from this particular mission in the next several weeks!

It's a shame that they had to turn off the descent camera on Phoenix to avoid CPU contention. That would've made for an awesome movie.

James Cameron should fund a Mars mission if he can make a science nonfiction movie about it.

Fake.

I see bigfoot

acanuck: The pic where they adjusted the dynamic range of that pic is better, since it shows the surface:

Funny, I thought the non-ps'd image was better. You could actually make out the detail of the chutes, and even the chute cords. All that other junk just got in the way of the subject of the image.

Still cool, though!

I want to see what the fark that thing is. Alien sensor technology? Parachute? The flying nun? A snowman? A unicorn?

dcigary: You could actually make out the detail of the chutes, and even the chute cords

I'm just glad the chute cords didn't get tangled up in all those trees down there

That headline really turned me on.

IronTom: I want to see what the fark that thing is. Alien sensor technology? Parachute? The flying nun? A snowman? A unicorn?

I think it's a gas station off in the distance. The sign seems to say gas is 3.97 per gallon. I found it odd that they didn't use the metric system on Mars.

According to the press conference earlier today, they still haven't even got up the big cannons yet for photos and they said they are going to play around with that photo a bit more to make it better or something.

Very cool stuff.

Awesome. I'm not much for excessive government spending, but when I see stuff like this or the initial images from the Phoenix, I feel like a little kid.

Fark this planet

Now That's What I Call a Taco!: Fark this planet

Val Kilmer FTW!

Wow.

That's history, kiddies...

Here's Phil, the Bad Astronomer™, putting it far better than I can...


BA (new window)

Sometimes, when I get all balled up about some trivial non-issued of the day, I forget that some really smart people are doing some really cool things.

Thanks for the reminder.

Scientists are still puzzling over the first picture sent back by the lander:

acanuck: The pic where they adjusted the dynamic range of that pic is better, since it shows the surface:

It looks like it's landing in a forest.

I think I see Michael Bay.

I'm ready for a change of scenery.
Hope all the choice ocean front property hasn't been bought up already.
Maybe I can find a spot with a both a Chipotle and Boston Market nearby.

The image faintly detects the chords attaching the backshell and parachute

Who knew music was so versatile?

this is so cool that humanity can do this.

Sid Deuces: I'm ready for a change of scenery.
Hope all the choice ocean front property hasn't been bought up already.
Maybe I can find a spot with a both a Chipotle and Boston Market nearby.

I'm getting a spot enar the Martian pyramid city. They're already working on the old subway systems out there, and according to Richard Hoagland they can't admit it until the shadow from the face reaches out 19.5 degrees. Its all about 19.5 degrees.

Sid Deuces: Maybe I can find a spot with a both a Chipotle and Boston Market nearby.

Not on Mars you won't!!!!! Don't you understand the difference between Earth and Mars???? There are restaurants here, but NOT on Mars! Holy crap man, were you educated in Virginia??


X^D

I want MOAR.

More landers, more robots, people up there when I look up.

MOAR.

Faster, please.

NewportBarGuy: Those goddamned orbiters are STILL working? That's just awesome..

The orbiters are expected to still be working. Did you mean the rovers? Those missions are still going, and yes it's awesome. Space-qualified systems are over-engineered, and the lucky ones can live far beyond their mission goal, assuming they don't run out of fuel. The Phoenix doesn't have a chance to do this though, because it will lose sunlight during the Mars winter.

I wonder if the Phoenix team coordinated the descent time with when the Orbiter was in visual range. The likelihood of the Orbiter being nearby seems too lucky to be just a mere happy coincidence.

Don't get me wrong, NASA has been kicking ass lately, especially given their relatively tiny budget, and all the science is great, but uhh... that's the mostest awesomest pic of two tiny white dots I've seen all week ;)

ArbitraryConstant: NewportBarGuy: Those goddamned orbiters are STILL working? That's just awesome. Talk about a great investment. Whoever designed those things needs to be promoted and given a larger budget. If we can do this stuff on the cheap, like they did, we'll get a lot more support for further exploration.

NASA's really been doing a phenomenal job this decade.

Spirit and Opportunity. Cassini/Huygens. Phoenix. The Mars orbiters. The little probe that landed on the comet. The continued success of the ailing Hubble.

All that and more, while dealing with the loss of Columbia, and the moneypit that is the International Space Station.

Not bad for a government agency that gets roughly 0.58% of the national budget.

From a distance of about 310 kilometers (193 miles) above the surface of the Red Planet, [...] The image reveals an apparent 10-meter-wide (30-foot-wide) parachute fully inflated.

I like how they give the British units for the tards.

DJLunchBox: I wonder if the Phoenix team coordinated the descent time with when the Orbiter was in visual range. The likelihood of the Orbiter being nearby seems too lucky to be just a mere happy coincidence.

They used navigational data from Phoenix to point the orbiter's high res camera at the right spot.

Camera pointing for the image from HiRISE used navigational information about Phoenix updated on landing day. The camera team and Phoenix team would not know until the image was sent to Earth whether it had actually caught Phoenix. (source)

ArbitraryConstant: NewportBarGuy: Those goddamned orbiters are STILL working? That's just awesome. Talk about a great investment. Whoever designed those things needs to be promoted and given a larger budget. If we can do this stuff on the cheap, like they did, we'll get a lot more support for further exploration.

NASA's really been doing a phenomenal job this decade.

once they sorted out the metric/imperial thing

Fantastic.

I wish I had the opportunity (and the brains) to contribute something to space exploration.

r1chard3: once they sorted out the metric/imperial thing

That was in 1998, and it was Lockheed Martin that made the screwup, not NASA, technically. You still can't deny that they've done a great job since then.

A lot of Mars missions have failed because it's really, really hard engineering.

Mnemia: That was in 1998, and it was Lockheed Martin that made the screwup, not NASA, technically.

Although I should add that obviously NASA should have caught the mistake and the failure to do so means that a number of people had to make mistakes.

NewportBarGuy: Those goddamned orbiters are STILL working? That's just awesome. Talk about a great investment. Whoever designed those things needs to be promoted and given a larger budget. If we can do this stuff on the cheap, like they did, we'll get a lot more support for further exploration.

I'm not going to start a war/bugetary arguement here but sticking the landing on a $450 million project on another planet is all sorts of awesome. Hopefully this makes up for the one they buried like a comet a few years ago.

I prefer my submission.

Some white thing, with some white string like things. Attached to another white thing.

I'd like a nice spot overlooking Valles Marinaris.

Mart Laar's beard shaver


Vote accordingly.

RoninKengo: this is so cool that humanity can do this.


It was taken on a sound stage, not mars. Everyone knows space is made up. It only exists in Hollywood.

Dawnrazor: Spirit and Opportunity. Cassini/Huygens. Phoenix. The Mars orbiters. The little probe that landed on the comet. The continued success of the ailing Hubble.

All that and more, while dealing with the loss of Columbia, and the moneypit that is the International Space Station.

Not bad for a government agency that gets roughly 0.58% of the national budget.

Add to that, while dealing with near-constant cynicism from the press, politicians, and public. NASA certainly isn't perfect, and a lot of things they do are wasteful (a lot of the decisions involved with the new Constellation stuff, for example, seem somewhat questionable). But I do think that they get good results for the relatively minor expenditure we make on them. They get pretty spectacular results with these robots given the even smaller total expenditure on unmanned missions. In my opinion anyone who wants to cut the budget for missions like this one is very misguided. These missions to other planets are slowly making progress on answering the most important question ever for humanity, which is "are we likely alone in the universe"? Even if the Mars program doesn't find life there, it's answering some of our questions about whether life could potentially exist elsewhere in the universe.

Dawnrazor: Spirit and Opportunity. Cassini/Huygens. Phoenix. The Mars orbiters. The little probe that landed on the comet. The continued success of the ailing Hubble.

All that and more, while dealing with the loss of Columbia, and the moneypit that is the International Space Station.

Not bad for a government agency that gets roughly 0.58% of the national budget.

Hell, we even got good data from Genesis after it cratered into Utah!

i am with all those who felt some hope restored in humanity. sometimes, us damn dirty apes do ok, you know?

/child like wonder restored...