16 replies to this topic

[Chris Walker]

Curiosity will land on Mars tonight at around 10:31 pm Pacific Time.

Humanity is delivering a 1,982 pound super-rover to a far away planet*.

I'm awed by space exploration. I drove 1,200 miles round-trip to Mojave California in 2004 to witness the X-Prize winning launch of SpaceShipOne. And while it seems like sending a machine to Mars is something we've done before, the Mars Science Laboratory is one of the most ridiculously awesome and sophisticated space projects to date.

For more info on the beautiful landing sequence, see seven minutes of terror.

Since many of those in the Netduino community are going to be up watching this event (early Monday morning in NYC and Europe), we should get together for the event.

Several of us will be in the chatroom around 11pm EDT (New York time) tonight, and those in NYC are invited to gather together around 12:30am (Aug 6) in front of the Toshiba Vision screen--below the ball drop--in Times Square. I believe the TKTS booth (ruby red glass stairs) is nearby.

If you're planning on dropping by Times Square tonight, please PM me with your e-mail address. I'll bring SD Card GoModules for everyone who lets me know they're coming, and we'll sync up with precise details of our meeting point.

It's going to be a great night! Whether the delivery mission succeeds or fails, engineers will have done something awesome.

Chris

* The Curiosity rover which will weigh 747 pounds on Mars, due to the weaker gravity.

[Mario Vernari]

I could pick up the next Delta to JFK which takes off around 11am (Italy time): I'd be there around 5pm (NY time)...the problem is that tonight I'll have a birthday party! BTW, how many Netduinoes have been used for driving the rover?...Do Adafruit or Sparkfun sell the rover kit? However, I really love your idea, Chris. Great hit thinking to a meeting in Times Square. Cheers

[nakchak]

Love the idea If only i was in NY! Nak.

[supra]

1:30am on monday morning in eastern standard time

I was first one to gave breaking news in chat room yesterday morning

Curiosity

[Gutworks]

Might I suggest we also setup a Google Hangout where people can join and chat with other members. Video is not required, but welcomed. I will post details here, and in the chat room later this evening. ...now only if I can find a way to get to NYC to snag one of those new fandangled SD cards Cheers, Steve

[ErikN]

I'll be in Times Square! I'm looking forward to it - there's been some talk about people dressing up as Martians. I'm not sure how to go as fossilized remains so I might sit the cosplay out.

[ErikN]

I don't know if this'll put a damper on things - but it just opened up some heavy rain over my apartment! I'm 3 blocks away from the event location in Times Square.

[Arron Chapman]

If you guys do get rained out in NY, be sure to drop by the hangout, and everyone else you should just drop by!

https://plus.google....022309718751562

[Chris Walker]

I'm looking forward to it - there's been some talk about people dressing up as Martians. I'm not sure how to go as fossilized remains so I might sit the cosplay out.

What does a Martian look like, exactly?

I'll be heading over within about an hour, barring any downpours...

Chris

[Paul Newton]

Well done NASA. Lucky they chose Mars and not England - I hear the passport queues are quite long here. (There's some sports thing going on.) Maybe M ars landings should be a new Olympic sport.

[Paul Newton]

And if any of you did get a bit wet, don't feel too bad - it was raining rovers on mars.

[Chris Walker]

And if any of you did get a bit wet, don't feel too bad - it was raining rovers on mars.

Maybe this is how idioms get started.

I just got back. It was fun meeting up with Erik and hundreds of fellow science enthusiasts. A journalist from Popular Science even dropped by to say hi to us.

There was no audio, but I'm pretty sure we landed okay. I'm going to find out now by checking online

Chris

[ErikN]

Hearing the crowd cheer almost simultaneously was pretty worth it.

[mtylerjr]

Man, that was indeed awesome!

36 years ago, my dad was working for Nasa at Goddard spaceflight center, and was working in the control room when Viking came down. I rememer watching, as a 9 year old, on my babysitter's(!) tv, and this reminded me of that.

It wont be long before hobbyists can launch their Netduinos into orbit! It's amazing that I have memories (as a 2.5 year old) of the apollo 11 moon landing, and that are still a handful of people still around who were alive back when the wright brothers flew their plane 109 years ago, and now we are landing self guided monster trucks on other planets, delivered by rocket powered SKY CRANES!

[Chris Walker]

A nice lady from PopSci stopped and chatted with us at the event... She just posted her article, and Erik got a mention. http://www.popsci.co...-53-foot-screen Best of all, after two weeks...Curiosity is still making big news. Awesome. Thanks again to all those who joined us online or in person to celebrate this historical moment. Chris

[ErikN]

A nice lady from PopSci stopped and chatted with us at the event...

She just posted her article, and Erik got a mention.
http://www.popsci.co...-53-foot-screen

Best of all, after two weeks...Curiosity is still making big news. Awesome.

Thanks again to all those who joined us online or in person to celebrate this historical moment.

Chris

I'd just saw this earlier today. I have no idea why it popped into my head to go looking.

[Gutworks]

I'd just saw this earlier today. I have no idea why it popped into my head to go looking.

“I was hoping it would be a cathartic group moment for humanity,” says Erik Noren, of New York. I had to look up the word in two different dictionaries just to be sure. LOL.

On a different note, I see that a fellow Newfoundlander was representing Canada that night.

Steve