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Blog Archive
Curiosity's Marsdial is on Mars!
Posted by Bill Nye on 2012/08/14 04:24 CDT | 6 comments
Following the successful landing of the Curiosity rover, it is gratifying indeed to see the third MarsDial© photometric calibration (cal) target on the planet Mars. It is something near and dear to me personally, and it's good for all of us, because it helps us do good science.
Curiosity and the Media: A Response
Posted by Casey Dreier on 2012/08/14 10:48 CDT | 9 comments
Wherein I address a particular comment on my previous post calling me out for a lazy attack on "the media." I work through what I meant by media and how I think it tends to (unintentionally) misrepresent the relative cost and benefits of space missions.
Curiosity's high-res Navcam panorama in striking color
Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/08/10 07:10 CDT | 4 comments
A color-processed version of Curiosity's high-resolution Navcam panorama.
Curiosity sol 4: EDL updates, rover ready for software upgrade
Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/08/10 05:16 CDT | 3 comments
A recap of the final Curiosity press conference of the week: lots of updates from the entry, descent and landing (EDL) team that safely deposited the rover on Mars, as well as an overview of the rover's R10 software upgrade.
Curiosity sol 3: First Mastcam color thumbnails down, everything "flawless," "nominal"
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/08/09 03:25 CDT | 13 comments
Curiosity's third day on Mars has been completed flawlessly, and the first preliminary color view from her Mastcam is lovely.
Curiosity Comes Cheap - Why the latest Mars rover (and all planetary exploration) is a steal
Posted by Casey Dreier on 2012/08/09 08:43 CDT | 24 comments
Along with any NASA mission comes the inevitable repetition of its cost and questions of its worth, Curiosity is no exception. This tired media narrative must end. The real question is not, "why so much?" but, "why so little?"
Curiosity: Most of sol 2 Navcam panorama, plus 18 full-res Descent Imager frames available
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/08/09 12:48 CDT | 10 comments
A look at the latest raw data dump from Curiosity: our first sharp view of the rover and immediate surroundings, plus 18 of the full-resolution descent imager frames are now available. Check out the gravel on Curiosity's deck!!
Grab your 3D glasses for this view of Curiosity's landscape on Mars
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/08/08 09:58 CDT | 4 comments
Curiosity fired up her Navigational Cameras on Sol 2 and began to take a look around her. The first four full-resolution frames are enough for a small 3D panorama that shows a lovely landscape. I think we're going to like it here!
Planetfest 2012 Was a Huge Success
Posted by Casey Dreier on 2012/08/08 07:46 CDT
Planetfest 2012 ended in the best possible way: the Curiosity rover touched down safely on the surface of Mars. In our ballroom, almost two thousand people leapt to their feet and provided thunderous applause to accompany the joyous celebration at mission control.
First full-resolution MARDI frame: Bye-bye, heat shield
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/08/07 11:50 CDT | 11 comments
The thumbnail versions of the Mars Descent Imager images have shown up on the Curiosity raw images page, and hiding among them was a single full-resolution frame containing the heat shield.
Curiosity's MAHLI camera: Much more than a microscopic imager
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/08/07 06:19 CDT | 3 comments
Today's press briefing featured the first image from MAHLI, the Mars Hand Lens Imager, so it's time for me to dive in to this camera's capabilities.
Curiosity sol 1 and planned activities for the next few sols
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/08/07 04:29 CDT | 11 comments
A look at the current status of Curiosity at the beginning of sol 2, and what activities to look forward to over the next few sols.
Curiosity: Notes from the two day-after-landing press briefings
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/08/06 07:43 CDT | 7 comments
Notes on Curiosity's physical state, future activities, landing site, and other stuff gleaned from the two press briefings conducted at JPL today.
First look at Curiosity MARDI's descent animation (WOW WOW)
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/08/06 07:09 CDT | 5 comments
Even a preliminary, low-resolution, low-frame-rate version of Curiosity's descent imager animation of the arrival on Mars contains almost more awesome than I can stand.
A "long" view of the Curiosity Descending image
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/08/06 06:41 CDT | 2 comments
A wider (well, longer) view of the amazing HiRISE image that shows Curiosity descending under parachute to Mars
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter HiRISE has done it again!!
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/08/06 10:42 CDT | 2 comments
In 2008, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter snapped an amazing photo of Phoenix descending to the surface of Mars under its parachute. Now it's repeated the feat, with Curiosity.
Getting the most out of those first images from Mars
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/08/06 09:25 CDT | 5 comments
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/08/06 05:19 CDT | 13 comments
Somehow, it worked. Curiosity has landed on Mars, returning photos of her wheels and her shadow on a flat, pebbled plain.
Where I will be watching Curiosity's landing
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/08/05 09:03 CDT | 1 comments
People have been asking how to tune in to the landing. Here's some information on how (and from where) I'll be watching tonight's events.
Curiosity: Landing minus 11 hours
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/08/05 01:30 CDT
The Curiosity mission's final pre-landing press briefing wrapped up a short while ago. There wasn't much in the way of news, which is a good thing. Curiosity is healthy. Odyssey is healthy. There's not much left to do but wait.
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