Picture of Phoenix Lander making it's decent to Mars

[brad]

This is way off topic, but maybe one of the most amazing pictures I have ever seen (without Alizée in it)

A satellite orbiting Mars was able to take this picture of the Phoenix lander on its way down to the surface. You can see the parachute and everything...



http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/ph...HX_Lander.html

[Tchaikovsky]

I don't see what's so amazing about it. It's just two white dots in a black void.

[Infatuated]

Right on! I saw that this morning too Brad. I have NASA's Astronomy picture of the day set as my home page. Very cool stuff going on with the Mars explorations.

[Infatuated]

Originally Posted by Tchaikovsky

I don't see what's so amazing about it. It's just two white dots in a black void.

That is the first picture EVER of a spacecraft landing on another planet. It was taken by a satellite 750km above the Mars surface.

Very exciting stuff in my book. But I'm a big nerd for space exploration and the like.

[HelixSix]

Originally Posted by Infatuated

Very exciting stuff in my book. But I'm a big nerd for space exploration and the like.

I'm the same way. Did you watch the live footage when the lander made its descent to the surface? It was pretty tense stuff...and imagine how many years/decades we could have been set back if any part of the landing sequence failed.

[nurvonic]

im glad that people still have interest in the space program. ill be honest, when i heard that the phoenix lander landed on mars, i really didnt think too much of it. we've landed on the planet before with other rovers.

what i am excited about though is a manned mission to mars. i think that would reignite excitement that the US and world had back in th 1960's. from what i've read, we should have a manned mission by the end of the next decade.

[Future Raptor Ace]

Originally Posted by nurvonic

im glad that people still have interest in the space program. ill be honest, when i heard that the phoenix lander landed on mars, i really didnt think too much of it. we've landed on the planet before with other rovers.

what i am excited about though is a manned mission to mars. i think that would reignite excitement that the US and world had back in th 1960's. from what i've read, we should have a manned mission by the end of the next decade.

NASA already has a manned mars mission in the planning. Sometime between 2012-2018 we will return to the moon to set up a base to go to mars. Obviously the moon has less gravity than earth 1/6 as much to be precise, so the rocket would require less power launching from the moon than earth. NASA predicts a Mars landing sometime around 2020. We have the technology to do it today though, claims NASA.
As for Phoenix there was a 55% chance the mission would fail, thankfully it didn't. Now it has to search for water underneath Mar's surface. If water is found you best bet there will be life, and if there is life, you know a manned mission would come much sooner than 2020.

[Just a Guest]

Originally Posted by Future Raptor Ace

Obviously the moon has less gravity than earth 1/3 as much to be precise, so the rocket would require less power launching from the moon than earth.

Dunno where you get your information from, but that is fundamentally wrong!

[tbailey]

Originally Posted by nurvonic

im glad that people still have interest in the space program. ill be honest, when i heard that the phoenix lander landed on mars, i really didnt think too much of it. we've landed on the planet before with other rovers.

what i am excited about though is a manned mission to mars. i think that would reignite excitement that the US and world had back in th 1960's. from what i've read, we should have a manned mission by the end of the next decade.

no - i think we should ditch the space program
the only thing that's really important is anti-asteroid technology
anyway spending billions of dollars on esoteric space programs that don't really produce anything useful isn't worth it - imho
agree with those who say that earth is more important that space stuff

[Just a Guest]

Originally Posted by HelixSix

Guest I don't think you are right on this issue. The two extra steps are very necessary when we are talking about a manned mission to Mars.

Just as much energy would be wasted, if not more, in one enormously big launch to carry all the materials for one round trip - in contrast to more launches with less payload on board. It takes a certain amount of energy and fuel to overcome gravity and punch through the atmosphere for a given weight no matter how many trips you take.

Originally Posted by Just a Guest

1]Escape from Earth's gravity.
2]Put all of the stuff down on the moon. (extra energy for descending and risk)
3]Escaping from the moons gravity.

2 extra unnecessary steps.
Not to mention the need of assembling all parts in a real dirty environment.
There is no point at all to do that.

I think I made myself clear here.

Originally Posted by HelixSix

By only having one launch as Just A Guest suggested it would create a payload that we haven't seen the likes of. Enormous is an understatement in this respect.

Another example of how one big launch is not ideal.

Again: Nobody said so.

Originally Posted by tbailey

no - i think we should ditch the space program
the only thing that's really important is anti-asteroid technology

Haha, the biggest brainfart that ever came up by somebody.
(I don't mean you b.t.w)

Originally Posted by tbailey

anyway spending billions of dollars on esoteric space programs that don't really produce anything useful isn't worth it - imho

Without all spaceprograms, mankind would prolly runnung 20 years behind in technology.
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