Posted on 05/25/2008 6:14:29 AM PDT by KevinDavis
This will be the official thread for the Phoenix Mars Lander..
Cool!
It’s my understanding that this is the one that cut all that lander weight, lands itself, and pops up ready and running immediately. The saved weight was countered with much much more telemetry and advanced equipment.
At least that’s what I gathered from the Science Channel. Or maybe this one is something different. If so, please inform me. I love this kind of techno-wizardry.
Are we there yet?
Bump for later
Mrs. Lurkin was asking if there will be live televised coverage.
“Mrs. Lurkin was asking if there will be live televised coverage.”
NASA TV:
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html
OK thanks.
Based on the past landings, the only 'reliable' source would be if you are lucky enough to get NASA TV from your cable provider. Then again that is also one that said providers like to 'split' with other channels like 'E!' so watch out for 8PM shifts [grin/grimace]!
Barring that, you will probably get varying lengths of broadcast time from the cable newschannels like Fox & CNN. However with an un-witnessed landing and confirmation 15 minutes after the event, these pieces are prone to network babble and coverage of other stories while waiting.
Beyond this, it depends upon the newscycle and interest by media elites. Translation, unlikely for any coverage beyond a 'screen crawl'. 'Uncle Walter' Cronkite was a disaster on Vietnam, but at least he had an enthusiasm for man's effort to explore space. That enthusiasm is notably absent in the MSM ennui about anything involving space these days.
Finally there might be a live feed from the internet. On that you are dependent upon bandwidth and tolerance of refresh rates. Happy watching.
Never blast off without a condom!
Live HD Coverage: Phoenix Mars Landing
Broadcast Time:
May 25 Sunday: 6 - 11 p.m. (EDT)
Phoenix will land near Mars’ North Pole, where water ice is located.
Maybe they’ll find some oil there. The Dems will prohibit any drilling, though.
PBS has been airing an hour piece on the mission this week. Lots of fluff, but it does cover the basics of the mission, in amongst the “human interest” segments.
For those who don’t get NASA TV, Discovery Science channel will be broadcasting live coverage all evening, beginning at 7ET:
http://science.discovery.com/tv/phoenix-mars/phoenix-mars.html
Brief history of the mission is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBWrVdWzI3o
Mission Overview here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=6gftxoeH4QA
Remember, 55% of all Mars landings have failed, so say a prayer for this one.
Hope they did an impact study to confirm that Martian Polar Bears won’t be harmed.
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