Nice job!
Posted on 03/11/2006 5:17:55 PM PST by xcamel
Pasadena (California): A U.S. spacecraft that scientists say could revolutionise the understanding of Mars has moved into a ``perfect'' orbit around the Red Planet, NASA said.
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the most advanced mission ever sent to another planet, will circle the Red Planet for five years in search of water and life, sending back path-breaking data to Earth. ``This will rewrite the textbooks on Mars,'' said Jim Graf, project manager for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, cheered and applauded as the MRO, packed with an unprecedented high-tech array of instrumentation, completed its delicate deceleration into orbit on Friday.
``I am very relieved. It was perfect,'' said Mr. Graf. ``We couldn't have planned it better,'' he added, pointing out that the probe had reappeared from the dark side of Mars within a second of when it was expected. MRO's reappearance and its move into a smooth orbit was sent in a signal back to Earth and confirmed several minutes later by the NASA control centre.
The MRO mission to study the Mars surface is ``the most technologically advanced payload NASA has ever sent to another planet,'' according to Mr. Graf.
It carries six observation and analysis instruments to search for signs of water and ice from the planet's outer atmosphere to below the Martian surface. — AP
This is so great. We really have some brilliant minds to create and navigate this project. I'm in awe!
In another 2,000 years, assuming they discover electricity, Moslems might be able to do this, unless one of them blows the thing up first.
The problem it, it's orbiting Venus!
Nice job!
That little Metric/English bugaboo reappears, huh?
I measure everything in centipedes and millipedes. I used to use inch-worms, but it took too damn long.
Get to the important part.
Sheila Jackson Lee wants to know if they will photograph the flag the astronauts left?
This is exciting! Cant wait for the pictures to start streaming back!
I dont know the exact plans, but at the moment, this "perfect orbit" is highly eliptical, kinda useless. The plan is to slowly use "aerobraking" to circularize the orbit, they expect it to take 6 months. Sometime around November we should start getting good stuff.
From what little I read, that circular orbit seems to be the lowest so far... sounds pretty risky, but the payoff could be sweet!
When they start using the 20" camera they will be able to resolve objects a foot across. That is, a pixel will be one foot, which is strictly speaking not a resolution of one foot, but it's in the ballpark. That should be enough to end the controversy about artificial structures (are all structures artificial?) one way or the other.
Okay... If they start taking photos of the Pyramids of Cydonia, shoot the damned thing down!
Yeah. Now, if our leaders can hold the world together long enough to start getting some of that tremendous data.
This may resolve (in both meanings of the word) the "Face on Mars," but I doubt it will ever resolve (in yet a third meaning of the word) the "Pimple on Uranus".....
;-)
My speedometer is calibrated in Furlongs/Fortnight. Makes my car seem really, really fast.
Yeah, but I am sure the Islamic world is working on one that will easily eclipse our technology.
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!
The problem it, it's orbiting Venus!
Delta Airlines is running the program?
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