So, Paolo, how does the terrain look for driving in Gale crater ?

I love these insights to MSL. Sometimes we followers of MSL fret that the thing won't work. In reality though many talented people designed and tested MSL to work, not fail .

I was under the impression the only actively guided part was the initial ballistic entry using the Nitrogen jets on the back shell. After that it's not guided, as one of the team said later they hope to add more active guidance and keep shrinking the landing circle to 7 km or so on future missions. The initial guidance though of course helps make the landing circle a bit smaller this time.

I took the Monday off so I can stop up very late, until we get the pictures back from post landing.

H.O.A.X. was a bit of a clue too.

Talking of landing day, I took the Monday off from work so I can watch the landing and the first pictures coming back. That's if we don't have a hurricane bearing down on us......

I like the way they are a slightly cautious, saying if the landing is sucesssfull, etc.

MSL has 2 identical main computers which control all aspects of flight, EDL and the surface operations, one is a backup. There is also a fly away controller on the decent stage which enables the descent stage to keep flying away.

So no other computers need updating.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Science_Laboratory

Software fix for Star Tracker problem.

Tracker

Signed up.

I've seen 1 so far in a clear sky and very cold temperatures, 27.9 F now, here in NE Florida.

03:40 est, 3 more observed, 2 bright 1 faint, 1 came in at about 80 degree's behind me. Temperature 27.5 F.

04:30 est, 3 more, including a very wide trail that resembled a fresh 747 vapor trail. Temp 27.1 and frankly too cold for obs.

Fortified with hot chocolate.....

05:22 est, 2 more, one faint, one bright. temp 26.8 F.

05:57 est, 4 more, all bright. Temp 26.4 F.

The pdf says the DS halts vertical motion, one assumes a slight throttle increase is needed, then the DS hovers for 187 milliseconds then DS flies away, after the umbilical is cut.

edl pdf

Congratulations, it's hard to believe it's been 6 years already.

The Eyes on the Solar System make my IE 8 crash after a while, does anyone have the same problem ?, says "too many heap" entries.

Well I should have known better the tragectory maneuvers would not be done with a single thruster , confidence is restored .

I just read that the hand lens imager can take pics and movies of the rover it'self, even when driving, and can infact reach higher than the Mastcam, that will be so cool to see.

I am not sure how accurate the model is but it looks like there is only one thruster jet on the cruise stage for course corrections, I would have thought 2 would be more reliable.

Don't forget, the whole Rover is spinning....lol. Thankfully she does not have a human "brain".

The separation video was just awesome, although I did not know the back side of the cruise stage was covered with solar panels, so I was a bit unsure of what exactly I was looking at, but it looked fantastic.

Curiosity is of course landing inside Gale Crater, I think you meant the central mound, right ?

I think I read somewhere the Skycrane would head off at 270 degrees. Also that they definately won't be going anywhere near the wrecked skycrane.....well at least not for the first 10 years .

"The world's telescopes are still trying to contact a Russian space probe".....the author obviously has no idea what a telescope is.......

I was thinking the same. Or is it just the old Russian responce to embarrassment to plainy lie thier behinds off untill it's a fireball in the sky, witnessed by the international community ?

Well of about 7 major steps, launch, trans Mars injection, Mars capture, landing on Phobos, collecting a sample, lift off from Phobos and landing on Earth, they seem to have sadly failed on step 2.

Also at the peak of the re-entry time, the tracking website was overloaded...as always happens during "events".
Also I cannot believe the US DOD don't know EXACTLY where the debris splashed/impacted.....