BBC: Nasa's Curiosity rover successfully lands on Mars
The US space agency has just landed a huge new robot rover on Mars.The one-tonne vehicle, known as Curiosity, touched down at 06:14 BST (05:14 GMT) in a deep crater near the planet's equator after a plunging through the atmosphere.
You know when people say something ‘isn't exactly rocket science’? Well now you know what is. Our species' awesomeness is confirmed yet again.
Now it's time for Curiosity to start making crop-circles. It's the only language the Martians understand.
As I am sure you know, rocket science is stupidly simple. If you don't believe me look it up! Perhaps we should be saying 'It's not brain surgery' instead?
Furthermore NASA even got a picture of it happening! Amazing.
I was thinking:
1) they should land their next one right next to Curiosity, so we can get some really good pictures;
2) the punchline to the computer animation should have had Curiosity landing safely, trundling off, then having the capsule and parachute land on top of it;
3) with outside-the-box thinking like that, I should probably be working for Nasa.
Did you know they have a huge selection of Grut on ebay?
.....by the way....just how did you make the hole in that pie?
mmmmm...no fooling!
It just occured to me that Mr. Zappa had a character called Sir Richard Pumpaloaf (the tale of a demented bread boffer) who pleasured himself with with bakery products....sorry....I digress!
Curiosity is now up there doing some great work, but did you realise that Opportunity which landed on Mars more than 8 years ago is still running and still sending back pictures!
Not bad for a 3-month mission!
Opps! - something wrong with the link there.
Should be here:
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/newsroom/pressreleases/20120928a.html
Since nobody except me seems to have noticed, I thought I would mention that our old friend Opportunity is still up there .... wait for it .... 10 years after landing on Mars.
Went for 90 (martian) days, stayed for 3558 - and still working!
And they say they don't make things to last these days.
http://marsrover.nasa.gov/mission/status_opportunityAll.html#sol3548