Last night’s successful landing of Curiosity was absolutely a moment I will never forget. For those who chose the sensible option of sleep this is what you missed:
And here is the short dramatized version:
The words “we have thumbnails” instantly became this generation’s “One small step for man…”
Of course NASA’s servers went down almost immediately afterwards so downloading the precious thumbnails became something of a challenge. But the long sleepless night was absolutely completely worth it.
And now finally we have more amazing pictures straight from Mars.
Here is Curiosity with the supersonic parachute open:
And here is the end of the decent from Curiosity’s point of view:
And finally here is Curiosity where she belongs; on the surface of Mars:
The most spectacular thing is that this amazing landing and these few images is just the beginning for Curiosity.
All of this for less than 20% of the cost of the London 2012 Olympics; money exceedingly well spent. Remember this whenever someone says NASA is a waste of money. And if that doesn’t convince you watch this:
This is humanity at its best. Never forget we are capable of amazing things.
-XKCD
But only if we dare mighty things.
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