Tag Archives: Mars Rover

Seven Minutes of Terror

Posted on 28 June 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Those of you who have been reading here for a long while know of my admiration for poor little Spirit.  Opportunity keeps rolling, of course.  But …
Curiosity is coming.
And when I mean “Seven Minutes of Terror”, I don’t mean what … Continue reading →

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Spirit spotted on Mars

Posted on 15 February 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The intreprid little Mars rover Spirit, which began its mission in 2004 died, mired in sand, in 2009. It couldn’t capture enough sunlight to power up.
Spirit’s twin Opportunity is still going strong!
The orbiting Phoenix, circling Mars since 2006, recently … Continue reading →

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Opportunity has reached Endeavour!

Posted on 10 August 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

We’ve lost poor Spirit, but intrepid little Opportunity keeps motoring along.
NASA reports that Opportunity has after a 3 year portion of its already 8 year anabasis has crawled up to Endeavour crater, 14 miles in diameter.  We should be able … Continue reading →

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We’ve got Spirit, yes we do! We’ve got Spirit… well… not so much.

Posted on 25 May 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Sad news from NASA:
NASA Concludes Attempts to Contact Mars Rover Spirit
The full version of this story with accompanying images is HERE.
PASADENA, Calif. — NASA is ending attempts to regain contact with the long-lived Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, which last communicated … Continue reading →

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Just too cool stuff

Posted on 28 January 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I remain a real fan of the Mars Rover missions.  One of the readers here, who works for NASA actually sent me a Spirit mission patch!
Poor Spirit… sniff.
Opportunity is still chugging along.
I tune in once in a while to the … Continue reading →

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Video Camera Will Show Mars Rover’s Touchdown

Posted on 22 July 2010 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From NASA… which used to have space as its main objective:
Video Camera Will Show Mars Rover’s Touchdown
July 19, 2010
A downward-pointing camera on the front-left side of NASA’s Curiosity rover will give adventure fans worldwide an unprecedented sense of riding … Continue reading →

Posted in Just Too Cool | Tagged | 2 Comments

Older, Smarter

Posted on 24 March 2010 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From NASA comes this about one of the intrepid Mars Rovers… Opportunity:
NASA Mars Rover Getting Smarter as it Gets Older
NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, now in its seventh year on Mars, has a new capability to make its own choices … Continue reading →

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“Do I get to come home?”

Posted on 29 January 2010 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

President Obama wants to kill NASA and the space program.
In reference to the poor little rover Spirit, stuck on Mars, a reader sent this cartoon:

Sniff.
I must admit I also hated Toy Story, one of the saddest movies ever made.

Technorati Tags: … Continue reading →

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SPIRIT! “Another phase of its long life.”

Posted on 28 January 2010 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The efforts to free the Martian rover Spirit have failed.
Spirit is now imitating life.
From NASA with my emphases and comments:
WASHINGTON — After six years of unprecedented exploration of the Red Planet, NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Spirit no longer will be … Continue reading →

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Spirit is stuck!

Posted on 3 November 2009 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From the site of NASA:
Spirit Embedded in Soft Soil on Mars as Engineers Devise Methods to ‘Free Spirit’
This view from the panoramic camera on NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Spirit shows the terrain surrounding the location called "Troy," where Spirit became … Continue reading →

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