How cool is it that not only did we succeed in a soft landing on Mars, but there was a camera in orbit to get an actual photo the landing?
On Monday, NASA released a black-and-white image captured during Phoenix's descent by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which had a bird's-eye view of the lander hanging from its parachute. It's the first time a spacecraft had taken an image of another craft during landing.
Alfred McEwen of the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory said the camera aboard Reconnaissance Orbiter has taken many unique pictures of Mars, but "this one's really unique."
I know I've mentioned it before, but space exploration is an area I don't mind the government spending on (with the usual waste and fraud exceptions, of course).
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From http://www.badastronomy.com/bablog/2008/05/26/best-image-ever/
"Think on this, and think on it carefully: you are seeing a man made object falling gracefully and with intent to the surface of an alien world, as seen by another man made object already circling that world, both of them acting robotically, and both of them hundreds of million of kilometers away.
Never, ever forget: we did this. This is what we can do."
We beat the odds (1 in 2) of the soft landing, and the pictures are incredible.
Leo, if you ever get to Mars...check out the DVD that the Planetary Society sent along with Phoenix (called Visions of Mars) with related material from the people of Earth pertaining to the red planet.
My name is among the 250,000 names etched onto that DVD...look me up.
But if your name is ALSO on it, maybe we could catch up...and do coffee.
I hear the "Earthrises" are fantastic!
;)
B.G.
space exploration is an area I don