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Flight of the Phoenix

The Phoenix Mars Lander is within an hour of attempting its landing on the Red Planet – if you want to keep tabs on what’s happening live (and you’re on broadband), you can access the live NASA TV feed. NASA TV has interviews and up to date briefings on what’s happening. For more background info on the mission, see MSNBC’s Mars page, and also of course, the official NASA page for the mission.

How things change – when growing up, I was fascinated with the Viking photos as I perused them in a book that was released. Now we have live mission broadcasts, and images as soon as they are received.

Update: Phoenix has landed, all looks good at this time. Even some postcards already!

Editor
  1. Touchdown!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Ladies & Gentlemen: The Phoenix has landed.

    Kudos to NASA & JPL for a great job accomplished. Felicidades! 🙂

    Guess those rabitt’s feet did come in handy after all 😉

    —–
    It’s not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me…
    It’s all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!

    Red Pill Junkie

    1. Richard Hoagland is right busy right now…
      No doubt Richard Hoagland has Photoshop fired up and will have yet another Mars anomaly “explained” very soon… LOL!!

      Richard Hoagland’s “breakthrough (comic) space website” http://www.enterprisemission.com never fails to amuse and prove just how DUMB and stupid people are who believe what is presented there is even close to being real.

      Cheers

    2. Hollywood Basement
      [quote=zsitchin]If you look at the horizon, just right of center, you can clearly see what appears to be a man-made object.[/quote]

      “Somebody get that props guy off the soundstage, he’ll ruin everything!!”
      😉

      Kind regards,
      Greg
      ——————————————-
      You monkeys only think you’re running things

        1. 2 things will need to happen
          And at the very least 2:

          1)We’ll have to master fusion reactions.

          2)We’ll have to stop spending so much in arms.

          Yeah, we’ll probably send humans to Mars before those 2 are fulfilled, but they’ll keep being what the former Apollo men were: tourists.

          A tourist is a guy who goes where he’s being told to go.

          An explorer is a guy who goes where no one has told him to. To completely uncharted territories.

          —–
          It’s not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me…
          It’s all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!

          Red Pill Junkie

          1. alternatives
            Probably putting fission reactors on a big spacecraft is enough to cover everything up to Saturn.

            Also I don’t think that lowering military spending will free up any money for space exploration. Instead we could use the military to develop the propulsion system. They like that sort of stuff.

            But these things are just technical problems. First, we need to decide to go. That is the key problem, not enough people care.

            —-
            if everything is under control, you are not going fast enough (Mario Andretti)

            it’s not how fast you go, it’s who gets there first

          2. One extra thing will need to happen
            3/ People will have to just stop doing stuff that other people need to have arms…and legs too just in case.

            I know its stupid to spend so much on blowing stuff up and killing but it is what it is…

            The world is rather far away from the day all of us link hands singing “We are the World”…and not feeing gay about it either.

            Cheers

          3. Would it have to come to that?
            Would it have to come to that utopic—or dystopic— vision of people singing and the little forest animals dancing around?
            Maybe that’s our own pessimism trying to sell us the idea that an end of war is not possible, that it is too engraved in the nature of man to be erradicated.

            But there are some scientists that beg to differ.

            —–
            It’s not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me…
            It’s all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!

            Red Pill Junkie

          4. easy things first
            I say we try to go to Mars concurrently with trying for world peace. My guess is that we will get to Mars first.

            —-
            if everything is under control, you are not going fast enough (Mario Andretti)

            it’s not how fast you go, it’s who gets there first

          5. yes, of course…
            But it would be an even greater feat to STAY there aswell.

            Because if we don’t correct some pressing matters here first, our randezvous to the Red Planet will be simmilar to the work being done at the ISS: Really cool at first, but we’ll wish we could do more things more rapidly.

            Maybe the only way to accomplish a quicker pace in space exploration within our generation, is to follow the horrible rules we have written, and endure the sight of astronauts looking like Nascar pilots—with commercial logo patches of sponsors covering every square inch of their suits.

            —–
            It’s not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me…
            It’s all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!

            Red Pill Junkie

          6. ISS
            The ISS has two problems that come to mind: the Space Shuttle is underperforming, due to design flaws. And the ISS funding is not what it needs to be. For example, the Europeans should have gotten their ass in gear and developed manned transportation to orbit at least.

            Advertising would be a small price to pay. We could even take 3 or so actors along and send some silly sitcom once a week, to make extra money.

            —-
            if everything is under control, you are not going fast enough (Mario Andretti)

            it’s not how fast you go, it’s who gets there first

          7. Shuttle
            The shuttle is underperforming because it was designed as a Thoroughbred, and forced to work as a mule.

            Yes, the europeans and other nations should have quickened the pace. But that’s also a problem of asking all the nations who want to venture into space to re-invent the wheel over and over and over again.

            The americans could share their knowledge but we all know what their excuse will be: National Security. So we come back to square one, if we want to conquer space, we first have to conquer our fears of each other and start to TRULY work together as one humanity.

            —–
            It’s not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me…
            It’s all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!

            Red Pill Junkie

          8. conmquering vs starting
            Conquering space will take a few hundred years. We should start now. There is no good reason to not start, and waiting until we conquer our fears of each other takes too long. As I said, truly working as one humanity is a lot harder than going to Mars. If that takes 1000 years it will be very fast, by then we could be out of resources to go anywhere.

            —-
            if everything is under control, you are not going fast enough (Mario Andretti)

            it’s not how fast you go, it’s who gets there first

          9. a millenium
            A thousand years? Do you really think that’s the best we could do? Gee… And I thought I was a pessimist 😉

            —–
            It’s not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me…
            It’s all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!

            Red Pill Junkie

          10. yeah
            Well, there have been well meaning pacifist movements for much longer than 1000 years, in different cultures. They haven’t achieved anything measurable really.

            If we were all just a little more tolerant and patient, and a little less greedy, and if we were a little more forgiving to those who have wronged us in the past – yes we would be on our way.

            The problem is that it takes not just a majority, it takes almost everyone on earth. Sure if we have a real benevolent dictatorship, with real power. But then dictatorships don’t stay benevolent even if they start that way.

            That is why I believe we don’t have a promising approach to reach lasting peace on Earth any time soon. Peace with a reasonable amount of individual freedom that is.

            On the other hand, if we find out more about the solar system, first hand, many people might get a new perspective.
            What we have now is for a small group of scientists to play with (it is real fun, I am sure), and pretty pictures for the populace. I think we need more.

            —-
            if everything is under control, you are not going fast enough (Mario Andretti)

            it’s not how fast you go, it’s who gets there first

          11. Hey!
            [quote=earthling] They haven’t achieved anything measurable really.[/quote]

            Hey, we’re still HERE, aren’t we? 😉

            —–
            It’s not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me…
            It’s all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!

            Red Pill Junkie

          12. Space exploration
            The simple fact is, exploration has always gone hand in hand with enterprise. This will not change with space travel. What must change is to kick governments out of organising it.
            As for real exploration taking a thousand years, I guess that estimate will stand until a new theory to replace relativity – strange how it may be a thought that is holding us back.
            Which will come first, world peace or man on Mars? Hard to say, but one will encourage the other – as long it’s MANKIND who walks on Mars, and not some national oneupmanship.

            I’m fanatical about moderation

            Anthony North

          13. yes indeed
            I agree completely. The first step may be made by nation states looking for prestige. But real progress, that is exploration for practical purposes, will require enterprise.

            Actually, you (anthonynorth) perhaps read my post too quickly, or I was not precise enough.

            The 1000 year estimate was for finding peace on Earth, or some semblance of it. Because we don’t know how to do it. We don’t even know how to start.

            With real space exploration, we do know how to start.

            When we say “enterprise” today, many people think capitalism dominated by the USA, or by China, or by the British Empire. It does not have to be that way. In the past, it was not that way. Even now it is not. The nation states don’t dominate the world economy, with the possible (but not certain) exception of China.

            Ok, I talk too much again, I am sort of stuck within a few miles of my house because my left foot doesn’t really work. So I can’t walk much, and I can’t drive very far. It is frustrating, and makes me feel for amputees.

            But honestly, IF we decide to go to Mars, we will get there much sooner than finding world peace just sitting here.

            On the other hand, and I suspect anthonynorth may have similar feelings, IF we go to Mars, AND turn that into an enterprise, we will find world peace sooner than if we don’t even try.

            —-
            if everything is under control, you are not going fast enough (Mario Andretti)

            it’s not how fast you go, it’s who gets there first

          14. Agreed
            [quote=earthling]On the other hand, and I suspect anthonynorth may have similar feelings, IF we go to Mars, AND turn that into an enterprise, we will find world peace sooner than if we don’t even try.[/quote]

            I agree with that. Right now there’s cooperation between the different space agencies. The europeans worked with their americans “competitors” using their probe to keep track of the Phoenix Lander on its descent approach.

            PS: Sorry to hear about your foot. Maybe you could rent a Segway to help you move more easily while you recover?
            —–
            It’s not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me…
            It’s all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!

            Red Pill Junkie

          15. my foot !
            Actually it is my left foot, so if I am desperate I just need to rent or borrow a car with automatic transmission. My apartment is too small for a Segway, nevermind driving in the living room with a car, auto or manual. Also it is on the 2nd floor 😛

            You know I should check the warranty. Maybe the dealership should give me a free rental of an automatic ?

            —-
            if everything is under control, you are not going fast enough (Mario Andretti)

            it’s not how fast you go, it’s who gets there first

          16. LOL
            Tell me that at least you did score the goal! 😉

            —–
            It’s not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me…
            It’s all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!

            Red Pill Junkie

          17. plausible deniability
            Right. What I am going to do is to hire 1 muscular female chauffeur to carry me up and down the stairs, and then another smaller prettier one to drive me around town in the big limo.

            Then the muscular one can carry me and the groceries upstairs.

            Not that I, as a single man, could say no to a pretty muscular woman.

            No, I was working speedily on 3 computers, and pushed my swivel chair around with my left big toe. Just didn’t have good footing in the office.

            Let’s play table soccer some time. You don’t have a prayer, even if you are a devout catholic 😛

            —-
            if everything is under control, you are not going fast enough (Mario Andretti)

            it’s not how fast you go, it’s who gets there first

          18. LOL
            When one of my sisters got pregnant, her doctor instructed her complete rest. And I mean COMPLETE. REST.

            That mean he had to stay on my parents’ home, and since she didn’t want to stay on the bed upstairs all day, me and my dad had to carry her down the stairs to the livingroom couch, and then up to her room by nightfall—her lazy-ass husband would help, occasionally—I tell you, I still remember with dread those horrible moments when at the middle of stairs our arms began to falter and our knees to shake; keep in mind we carried her on a chair.

            My sister had two kids, but after that we made her promise that any attempt to procreate once more would require OUR approval; or at the very least, a 2-month notice so we could get back in shape! 😉

            You’re on with that tabble soccer match, pal. If I lose there, I can always cream you on Ping Pong—and if that fails, there’s always HALO to keep my pride intact 😉

            —–
            It’s not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me…
            It’s all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!

            Red Pill Junkie

          19. Painful
            So now we know. Both computing and pregnancy can be damned painful 🙂

            The balanced adult retains an inner child

            Anthony North

          20. Well
            When you come down to it, both activities pretty much aim for the same thing 🙂

            —–
            It’s not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me…
            It’s all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!

            Red Pill Junkie

          21. Creation
            Any act of creation always involves some amount of pain.

            I only wish God had an epidural before the Big Bang 😉

            —–
            It’s not the depth of the rabbit hole that bugs me…
            It’s all the rabbit SH*T you stumble over on your way down!!!

            Red Pill Junkie

          22. indeed
            Indeed, these benevolent attempts have done no catastrophic damage. 🙂

            —-
            if everything is under control, you are not going fast enough (Mario Andretti)

            it’s not how fast you go, it’s who gets there first

          23. Damage?
            Everything we do always causes damage. It isn’t, and never will be, a perfect world. But we can learn to limit it a little.

            Wise people usually begin as stupid ones

            Anthony North

          24. influences
            Yes recently some of the pacifist movements had a moderating effect. Say in the last 50 years or so. And also in other times in history.

            So yes we should look for small progress, when we can’t find big progress.

            —-
            if everything is under control, you are not going fast enough (Mario Andretti)

            it’s not how fast you go, it’s who gets there first

          25. Conquering space
            Its easy for us to say “Conquering space” – overcoming something that does not “fit” into our plans. One nation overcoming another nation that did not “fit” into its plans et al.

            The need to conquer is in our genes – it defines what we are – one could say its a natural condition like one cat invading another’s territory and fighting about it.

            Ok, we are above “animals” so we must overcome our animal instincts to conquer. One day if we are successful would life as we know it be over? No progress?

            Something to think about…

            Cheers

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