Thanks for stopping by, and to everyone that has.
2012
Via Youtube: “Mars Curiosity Rover Update For September 28th, 2012”
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Brief update on the potential evidence for liquid water.
Here’s a video from JPL comparing similar features here on Earth:
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New photo of the Rover’s first scoop of Martian soil.
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Felix Baumgartner’s jump from 23 miles up, livestream here.
Addition: Baumgartner made it! Highest manned balloon flight. Highest free fall to Earth from about 127,600 feet or so, or just over 24 miles (perhaps not the longest in duration as he was at 4 min 22 sec and Kittinger was 4 min 36 sec). He may have been the first to achieve the speed of sound without being in a craft.
Another Addition: That’s 128,100 feet, 4 min 20 sec freefall, and he did break the sound barrier. He did not have the longest free fall: This record still belongs to Kittinger.
Related On This Site: Via The Mars Science Laboratory At NASA: ”Mount Sharp’ On Mars Links Geology’s Past And Future’…Via Youtube: ‘The Challenges Of Getting To Mars: Selecting A Landing Site
NASA Via Youtube: ‘The Martians: Launching Curiosity To Mars’…NASA Via Youtube: ‘Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity Rover) Mission Animation…Repost: Richard Feynman at NASA…
Via Youtube: August 24th, 2012 Curiosity Rover Report
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They’ve moved the rover forward and back about 3 meters each way. They’ve fired up the laser. List of instruments here. Some more Mars facts.
Addition: Neil Armstrong R.I.P.
Related On This Site: Via The Mars Science Laboratory At NASA: ”Mount Sharp’ On Mars Links Geology’s Past And Future’…Via Youtube: ‘The Challenges Of Getting To Mars: Selecting A Landing Site
NASA Via Youtube: ‘The Martians: Launching Curiosity To Mars’…NASA Via Youtube: ‘Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity Rover) Mission Animation…Repost: Richard Feynman at NASA…
From NASA: Countdown To Curiosity Landing On Mars
Scheduled landing is at 10:31 pm PDT, today, Sunday, August 5th, 2012 (1:31 am EDT). Videos, a countdown clock, and links to live NASA feed.
Here in Seattle, there’s a free event at the Museum Of Flight with activities for the kids and speakers from NASA, Aerojet, and the UW leading up to the landing..
Let’s hope all goes well! Here’s the dramatic 7 minutes of terror video:
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Addition: CURIOSITY HAS LANDED!
It sent back some thumbnail photos from either side of the Rover before the feed was lost and Mars set. Thanks to everyone at the Museum Of Flight, NASA, and the thousands of people who worked on Curiosity for so long. Yes!
Some ideas I picked up at the event (for other interested non-scientists/astronomers):
-Curiosity isn’t necessarily looking for life, but it’s looking for the conditions that make life possible here on Earth with its 10 instruments, such as trying to determine the origins of the methane on Mars’s surface by being better able to analyze the kind of carbon (12 or 14) in the atmosphere to find its source. It’s also much better able to look for amino acids (the building blocks of life on Earth) and better able to analyze the rock and crystal samples it picks up. It’s got a cool laser. It’s about the size of a Mini-Cooper.
-Unlike Earth with its dynamic interior and tectonic plates, relatively strong magnetic field, thick and dynamic atmosphere etc., Mars is a bit like a time capsule. With just over 50% the diameter of Earth, about 38% the gravity, and less than 1% the atmosphere we’ll be able to get a much better picture of what happened during the formation of our solar system about 4 1/2 billion years ago as it’s much less disturbed. The trip up the rock face in Gale Crater over the next few years is like a trip back through time. What happened to Mars? Did the Earth and Mars have common experiences?
Some more Mars facts.
So many people put so much time, thought, energy and passion into this mission. Thanks again.
Addition: Photos here. You can see the heat shield deploying, Mt. Sharp, the crater rim etc. Curiosity is right around the equator. Great landing!
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Related On This Site: Via The Mars Science Laboratory At NASA: ”Mount Sharp’ On Mars Links Geology’s Past And Future’…Via Youtube: ‘The Challenges Of Getting To Mars: Selecting A Landing Site
NASA Via Youtube: ‘The Martians: Launching Curiosity To Mars’…NASA Via Youtube: ‘Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity Rover) Mission Animation…Repost: Richard Feynman at NASA…
From NASA’s Mars Program: ‘NASA Mars Rover Team Aims For Landing Closer To Prime Science Site’
‘Curiosity is scheduled to land at approximately 10:31 p.m. PDT Aug. 5 (1:31 a.m. EDT, Aug. 6).’
and
‘The landing target ellipse had been approximately 12 miles wide and 16 miles long (20 kilometers by 25 kilometers). Continuing analysis of the new landing system’s capabilities has allowed mission planners to shrink the area to approximately 4 miles wide and 12 miles long (7 kilometers by 20 kilometers), assuming winds and other atmospheric conditions are as predicted.’
NASA’s Mars Facebook page here.
Related On This Site: NASA Via Youtube: ‘The Martians: Launching Curiosity To Mars’…NASA Via Youtube: ‘Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity Rover) Mission Animation…Via The Mars Science Laboratory At NASA: ”Mount Sharp’ On Mars Links Geology’s Past And Future’
From The USGS: ‘Magnitude 5.9 – Off The Coast Of Oregon’
A little more detail about the February 11th, 2012 5.9 earthquake off the coast of Oregon.
Related On This Site: The last big Cascadia subduction zone earthquake likely occurred on Jan 27th, 1700, at magnitude 9.0. The article suggests an occurence anywhere from 300-350 year intervals up to 400-600 year average intervals (new research suggests the former). It’s just over 311 years and counting.
USGS info here. Some earthquake preparedness FAQ’s also from the USGS.
From The USGS: February 14th, 2011 Earthquake Near Mt. St. Helens-4.3……Seattle Earthquake-January 30th 2009-4.5 On The Richter Scale…From The Seattle Times: ‘Hard Lessons Learned Since The 2001 Nisqually Quake’…From OregonLive.Com: ‘Big Earthquake Coming Sooner Than We Thought, Oregon Geologist Says