Space - The Final Frontier

[Midpack]

SpaceX is cost effective way of keeping America in space.

+1. I think we should support and encourage SpaceX under current circumstances. If it makes sense for the US to re-enter the space program with something like NASA again one day, so be it.

 

[Chuckanut]

Curiosity, the Mars Rover, lands August 5th, 2012

NASA - Multimedia - Video Gallery

With thanks to Veremchucka!

 

[Walt34]

However, in a time of severe fiscal crisis, I have hard time arguing the my pet government program is so important that we should fully fund it and cut others.

I once bothered to calculate what my share of the cost of NASA's budget was. The number was so miniscule (at the time less than a soft drink I think) that I concluded that not funding NASA would be foolish.

 

[JOHNNIE36]

Did you realize that we went to the moon BEFORE we invented the microprocessor?

Now if that isn't scary, nothing is...

It really is unbelieveable that we went to the moon with the aid of a computer with less capability than todays laptop. Those guys like Armstrong, Cernan, etc. had some really large nads.

 

[Chuckanut]

Happy Moon Landing Day!!

 

[Huston55]

Happy Moon Landing Day!!

Wow! Still gives me goose bumps.

I remember like it was yesterday, sitting on our living room floor glued to the TV, watching Armstrong step on the moon.

 

[Nodak]

5. An SUV size Rover landing on Mars in August.

Mars Science Laboratory: Rover

This is a very interesting mission. The landing, if it works, will be a major accomplishment.

 

[Chuckanut]

Keep track of the very close approach to earth of an asteroid. Asteroid (NEA) NEO 153958 (2002 AM31)is only 13.7 Lunar Distances from Earth. It is about the size of a city block. More than big enough to kill millions if it hit the earth. The coverage starts at 4:30 PM Pacific time!!

SLOOH SpaceCamera - Live Event

 

[REWahoo]

Keep track of the very close approach to earth of an asteroid. Asteroid (NEA) NEO 153958 (2002 AM31)is only 13.7 Lunar Distances from Earth. It is about the size of a city block. More than big enough to kill millions if it hit the earth. The coverage starts at 4:30 PM Pacific time!!

SLOOH SpaceCamera - Live Event

See? It could happen!

 

[Chuckanut]

Here's news on the American manned space program. SpaceX has been chosen to develop a manned orbital spacecraft using their Falcon rocket and Dragon spacecraft.

Space Exploration Technologies Corporation - Press

 

[Chuckanut]

Reminder: Curiousity lands on August 5, just two days away.

 

[Walt34]

Reminder: Curiousity lands on August 5, just two days away.

I'll be watching that and I sure hope all goes well with it. A failure that expensive will set NASA back years, and they could use a resounding success story.

That and it's just very neat to see that happen.

The "Seven minutes of terror" will be serious nail-biting time for everyone who worked on the project.

 

[Nodak]

I'll be watching that and I sure hope all goes well with it. A failure that expensive will set NASA back years, and they could use a resounding success story.

That and it's just very neat to see that happen.

The "Seven minutes of terror" will be serious nail-biting time for everyone who worked on the project.

+1

 

[easysurfer]

Article showing how the rover plans on landing:

A step-by-step guide to how the NASA Mars rover's plans to land - CBS News

 

[clifp]

I got a chuckle looking at this picture from NASA. 24 I believe is the number of failed mars landers

 

[Telly]

Down and safe! First pics through rear camera dust cover shown.

I would have liked them to keep the dashboard view up on the Nasa TV channel for the last few minutes of entry, that was where the action was.

 

[clifp]

Sweet worth tearing myself away from the Olympics. I wonder if the guys at NASA will up date the billboard

 

[kumquat]

Go Curiosity!

 

[Walt34]

Yippee! They made it!

 

[Chuckanut]

3/11 The Messanger spacecraft is in orbit around Mercury.
5/12 SpaceX takes a trip to the space station and back.
8/12 Curiosity lands on mars.

Not a bad two years for NASA.

 

[Free To Canoe]

It is impressive that the NASA team could make that Rube Goldbergeske sequence work flawlessly. I feel that we will learn some exciting stuff from this mission.

 

[REWahoo]

It is impressive that the NASA team could make that Rube Goldbergeske sequence work flawlessly. I feel that we will learn some exciting stuff from this mission.

+1

Almost as impressive is the fact they were able to program the Mars Reconnaisance Orbiter to snap a photo of the rover six minutes into its seven minute descent:

Mars orbiter captures rover in midair - PhotoBlog

That's just cool, way cool...

 

[veremchuka]

Amazing technology, very impressive, a triumph of human accomplishment.

Landing on the moon was probably the most significant achievement man has accomplished, putting humans there is still amazing 43 years later but I'd rank this right up there.

The delay of mission communications was terrible, the mission may have ended tragically or was a success but the long delay relaying back to earth was a nail biter. I watched the final 20 minutes and I was terrified of failure, there were only what a million or more things that could have gone wrong with no way to know and correct anything.

 

[Free To Canoe]

Nothing like a cartoon to capture sentiment.

 

[Chuckanut]

This is an interesting article about the benefits of space exploration.

https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/11/opinion/exploring-the-planets-enriches-us-at-home.html?src=recg

I wouild add two things: 1.) IMHO, space exploration inspires our young students to study and to well in areas where we need to improve as a nation, and 2.) He forgot to mention the success of last year's Messenger spacecraft which is currently orbiting Mercury and sending back information about that planet.