Updates Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity)

[Urwumpe]

I already plan to watch it, waking up on 4:30 so I am ready when the real show begins from 5:30 on. Luckily I have holidays for the next two weeks.

 

[Keatah]

Luckily I only have to stay up till like 1am to see the whole thing. Got your peanuts?

 

[Ark]

Staying up late to watch. Got popcorn and bourbon!

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Luckily landing time is 1:30 pm in Hong Kong, so instead of peanuts I'll eat my old tomato sauce minced meat rice instead....

BTW this will probably one of my most awaited landings in a while.... I remember standing in awe of this amazing rover around ninth grade, by now I'm deep into college life....

 

[fraxudemspas]

BTW this will probably one of my most awaited landings in a while.... I remember standing in awe of this amazing rover around ninth grade, by now I'm deep into college life....

Must be amazing (and a little horrifying) watching something you've waited for a significant portion of your life succeed or fail in a matter of minutes. I've only learned about Curiosity about a month ago and can't wait to see how it goes.

 

[SiberianTiger]

Not really able to track the landing on-line, but will check for the news from my PDA. Will make a toast tonight for the successful landing.

 

[Keatah]

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/24467433

At about the 11-minute mark this vid explains the relationships of MRO and ODY, and presents the arrangement in good graphical format of how MSL will communicate during EDL.

 

[Kyle]

Excited for this landing, I got on Orlando local news for an interview the day of launch. Here are some of my pictures.

 

[Keatah]

This thing will be doing S-turns to control the amount of lift, very much like the space shuttle used to do.

 

[N_Molson]

Reentry and landing will take place right after 07:00 AM Heure de Paris, if I'm correct. I hope I'll be able to sleep. Not sure.

 

[ADSWNJ]

This thing will be doing S-turns to control the amount of lift, very much like the space shuttle used to do.

Cool. Didn't see this before your post. It just gets better, doesn't it? This has to be the most complex landing in the history of unmanned spaceflight.

 

[orb]

And now some links from today:


NASA:

• Curiosity Rover Just Hours from Mars Landing

NASA JPL:

• Curiosity Rover Just Hours from Mars Landing

The Planetary Society Blog:

• Curiosity: Landing minus 11 hours

NASASpaceflight:

• MSL Curiosity set for historic Martian Landing at Gale Crater

CBS News Space:

• Curiosity on track for high-stakes descent to Mars
  
  
• Mars rover set for entry in moment of truth for $2.5 billion mission

Universe Today:

• Curiosity’s Target Martian Destination
  
  
• When Will We Hear From Curiosity?
  
  
• When are the First Pictures Expected from Curiosity

SPACE.com:

• Huge Mars Rover Set for Nerve-Wracking Landing on Red Planet Today
  
  
• NASA Spacecraft Have Front-Row Seats to Daring Mars Rover Landing
  
  
• NASA on Edge for Mars Rover Landing's 'Seven Minutes of Terror'

Aviation Week:

• Planetary Protection
  
  
• First Indication

Discover Magazine - Bad Astronomy:

• Reminder: Curiosity lands tonight!

collectSPACE:

• Pass the peanuts: Landing day arrives for NASA's Mars rover Curiosity

SpaceRef:

• When Curiosity Starts Snapping Pictures on Mars

Florida Today:

• Expert's career leads Curiosity to perilous landing
  
  
• NASA's Curiosity rover closes in on Mars

 

[Der Zeitgeist]

This "Eyes on the Solar System" application from JPL is just amazing. You can actually see Mars getting bigger and bigger from Curiosity's point of view!

 

[N_Molson]

Red Timer, Red Timer ! :11sign:

 

[orb]

The Red Timer™:

[highlight]Touchdown [eventtimer]2012-8-6 5:31:13?in|was;%c% %d% days, %h% hours, %m% minutes, %ss%[/eventtimer] seconds[eventtimer]2012-8-6 5:31:13?.| ago.;%c%[/eventtimer][/highlight]​

 

[Der Zeitgeist]

Does the countdown show the time to actual touchdown, or the time to touchdown +14 minutes (signal arrival on Earth)?

 

[orb]

According to the sources, it's time of receiving the signal on Earth.

 

[N_Molson]

7h30 to go. Midnight here. I won't be able to sleep, too much excitement. Lucky americans ! :lol:

 

[orb]

Discovery News: Rover 'Curiosity' Now in Clutches of Mars' Gravity

Universe Today: Super Bowl of Planetary Exploration – Great Convergence of Spacecraft for Curiosity Mars Landing

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

As of this moment, Curiosity is flying at 355 times the speed of Usain Bolt....