Where were you on August 6th, 2012, during the “seven minutes of terror” during which the Curiosity Rover descended onto the Martian surface? Wherever you were, the minutes were aptly-named, because Curiosity landed courtesy of a “sky crane” that saw a rocket hover just long enough for the rover the be lowered onto the red …
Err isn't a Martian year longer than an Earth one?
Surely Curiosity won't have been on Mars for a year until sometime in June 2014.
Re: Err isn't a Martian year longer than an Earth one?
The Mars nuke bot is an exploratory vehicle, launched from earth, so obviously it uses standard earth years as time measurement. Similar to what the babylon stations will have when we get around to building them :)
Human or not?
"leaving an awful lot of boffins – and countless interested homo sapiens"
Leaves me to wonder what species the boffins are
Re: Human or not?
"Leaves me to wonder what species the boffins are"
Homo superior perhaps.
"Throw in the fact that during the seven minutes Curiosity wasn't able to beam out so much as a single packet"
Is that right? Detailed analysis here: http://trs-new.jpl.nasa.gov/dspace/bitstream/2014/43040/1/12-5149_A1b.pdf
A year? Already?
And still no sign of my hoverboard :(
Re: A year? Already?
When did it set off?
As Victoria Cohen Mitchell put it, "what an abomination".
I have the highest regard for Victoria Coren Mitchell, but I think she's wrong about "sulfur".
Most British people's aversion to "sulfur" is based on a suspicion that it's an Americanism, a consequence of the misguided spelling rationalisation that gave us "ax" and "color". In fact, many European languages use "f" in their various spellings (e.g. Schwefel, soufre, zolfo). I believe the "ph" in the English spelling was actually introduced as part of the curious Renaissance fashion for making words "more classical", the same trend that added the pointless "b" in "debtor".
"sulfur" is, of course, the spelling mandated by whatever international body controls the names of elements.
Oops, I meant to type Coren - but lately, my typing seems to be going to hell in a handbasket.
Apologies, Victoria (just in case she's an ElReg fan).
Re: @Kubla Cant
She seems the sort.
And imagine the conversations in the Mitchell household.
"Happy Birthday" played on the SAM motor
And isn't that song copyrighted? Is this the first interplanetary copyright violation? Of course I'm sure the Recording Industry Association of *AMERICA* will step up and claim jurisdiction....
Happy Anniversary Curiosity, but can you find your friend pls?
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