El Dorado, The place formerly known as Ultreya |
El Dorado, The place formerly known as Ultreya |
Dec 16 2005, 09:54 AM
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#16
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Special Cookie Group: Members Posts: 2168 Joined: 6-April 05 From: Sintra | Portugal Member No.: 228 |
QUOTE (CosmicRocker @ Dec 16 2005, 06:42 AM) Well I'll be damned! "El Dorado" It may be a coincidence, but it sure does look like a veiled reference to Ultreya. Far out. I've been a bit of a harsh critic in discussions of Ultreya's geologic characteristics in the past, but I must admit that I have always shared Ustrax's quixotic vision of exploration. He should be pleased. There are no such things as coincidences... Read the poem carefuly, there's Ultreya all over! And...CosmicRocker...'quixotic vision of exploration'...I just loved that. Thank you. -------------------- "Ride, boldly ride," The shade replied, "If you seek for Eldorado!"
Edgar Alan Poe |
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Dec 16 2005, 10:12 AM
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#17
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 13 Joined: 26-January 05 From: Belgium Member No.: 157 |
QUOTE (ustrax @ Dec 16 2005, 09:44 AM) I can tell you that, at this moment, reading the poem and some other words I received, that helped understand the election of the name, I feel an immense, IMMENSE joy. The mention of "pilgrim" in the poem makes it pretty obvious. Congratulations Ustrax, a previously undiscovered feature on Mars has been named like it's named because of you! Now you're playing in the same league as Vasco da Gama & Ferdinand Magellan. Cheers! |
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Dec 16 2005, 10:14 AM
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#18
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Founder Group: Chairman Posts: 14433 Joined: 8-February 04 Member No.: 1 |
I'm still waiting for Erebus to be renamed to Albert, but hey
Doug |
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Dec 16 2005, 11:29 AM
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#19
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Special Cookie Group: Members Posts: 2168 Joined: 6-April 05 From: Sintra | Portugal Member No.: 228 |
Dear forum participants, followers of Ultreya saga...
I see the naming of the feature as El Dorado as a reference to all of us, who have been following this incredible mission with passion and will to learn and discover, so I believe that Steve Squyres won't mind if I transcribe here the explanation he gave for the choosing of such an inspiring name for generations to come. And, let me add, never a poem fitted so well... So, directly from the man in charge, here it is why: 'Hello: A couple of months ago, when I was in England, I had a talk with a gentleman named Doug Ellison in which he told me that you had suggested the name "Ultreya" for a dark feature on the south side of Husband Hill, and that the name had caught on among a community of Mars enthusiasts on the Internet. I subsequently took a look at the online forum that Doug started, and I read some of the posts there by you and others. I wanted to let you know that while we have used our normal process for assigning a name to this feature, the name that we chose -- El Dorado -- was in part inspired by your posts. The name was partly taken from a poem by the American poet Edgar Alan Poe that seemed particularly relevant to our current strategic situation with the rover. But I also got the sense that Ultreya had become something of a symbol of hope for future exploration for you and for others in the Internet community. And El Dorado is a name that I intended to be similar in its implications. To quote from the Wikipedia article on El Dorado: "El Dorado is also sometimes used as a metaphor to represent an ultimate prize or 'Holy Grail' that one might spend their life seeking. It could represent true love, heaven, happiness, or success. It is used sometimes as a figure of speech to represent something much sought after that may not even exist, or at least may not ever be found." To me, that sounded very similar to the meaning that you've ascribed to Ultreya. So, I'm sorry that we didn't use your name, but I hope you'll be pleased that you helped inspire the name that we gave it. I admire the enthusiasm and the spirit of exploration with which you've been following the mission. Best wishes, Steve Squyres' Here, among us...This is a great day, isn't it?... -------------------- "Ride, boldly ride," The shade replied, "If you seek for Eldorado!"
Edgar Alan Poe |
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Dec 16 2005, 11:42 AM
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#20
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Member Group: Members Posts: 648 Joined: 9-May 05 From: Subotica Member No.: 384 |
Amazing!!!!!!
Ustrax where did you get this text from??? You received a PM from Steve Squyres or what ??? -------------------- The scientist does not study nature because it is useful; he studies it because he delights in it, and he delights in it because it is beautiful.
Jules H. Poincare My "Astrophotos" gallery on flickr... |
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Dec 16 2005, 11:44 AM
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#21
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Special Cookie Group: Members Posts: 2168 Joined: 6-April 05 From: Sintra | Portugal Member No.: 228 |
QUOTE (Toma B @ Dec 16 2005, 11:42 AM) Steve sent it to me on e-mail... Now I ask, did he had to do it? No way! -------------------- "Ride, boldly ride," The shade replied, "If you seek for Eldorado!"
Edgar Alan Poe |
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Dec 16 2005, 12:22 PM
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#22
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 4279 Joined: 19-April 05 From: .br at .es Member No.: 253 |
Ustrax, that's really impressive!!! Estou emocionado. |
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Dec 16 2005, 12:29 PM
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#23
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Special Cookie Group: Members Posts: 2168 Joined: 6-April 05 From: Sintra | Portugal Member No.: 228 |
QUOTE (Tesheiner @ Dec 16 2005, 12:22 PM) Tesheiner...When I read it my eyes filled up with a strange salty liquid...Like the sea my forefathers explored centuries ago...To me this means the same as receiving a letter from Henry the Navigator... Steve Squyres just made my day in a very special way. -------------------- "Ride, boldly ride," The shade replied, "If you seek for Eldorado!"
Edgar Alan Poe |
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Dec 16 2005, 01:26 PM
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#24
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Member Group: Members Posts: 548 Joined: 19-March 05 From: Princeton, NJ, USA Member No.: 212 |
QUOTE (ustrax @ Dec 16 2005, 12:29 PM) Tesheiner...When I read it my eyes filled up with a strange salty liquid...Like the sea my forefathers explored centuries ago...To me this means the same as receiving a letter from Henry the Navigator... Steve Squyres just made my day in a very special way. Ustrax, Estou emocionado. That is an impressive note from Steve. Here is a brief quote from a message I recently got from Jim Bell: "I'm thrilled to see other folks out there work with the images and make their own mosaics, etc." So, Congratulations to you on this very SPECIAL DAY !!!! |
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Dec 16 2005, 01:26 PM
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#25
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Member Group: Members Posts: 255 Joined: 4-January 05 Member No.: 135 |
QUOTE (ustrax @ Dec 16 2005, 11:29 AM) Ustrax, your persistence with your idea, and then the good grace with which you acknowledged its demise do you credit. This is well deserved. It also says a great deal about Steve Squyres and the MER team. I'm getting all emotional... Chris |
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Dec 16 2005, 01:27 PM
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#26
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2998 Joined: 30-October 04 Member No.: 105 |
QUOTE Ummm... El Dorado, Bill. Not El Diablo. Now, was that freudian or what... --Bill PS-- congratulations, Ustrax. -------------------- |
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Dec 16 2005, 01:40 PM
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#27
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Special Cookie Group: Members Posts: 2168 Joined: 6-April 05 From: Sintra | Portugal Member No.: 228 |
QUOTE (chris @ Dec 16 2005, 01:26 PM) Ustrax, your persistence with your idea, and then the good grace with which you acknowledged its demise do you credit. This is well deserved. It also says a great deal about Steve Squyres and the MER team. I'm getting all emotional... Chris Chris...It does it does in a way we will not forget, a great great attitude from Steve when he didn't in anyway had to justify before us the non-choosing of Ultreya...And as I was saying on the other forum... '...Maybe if that was an abyss they would call it Ultreya, who knows?...Don't forget that I have no scientific background and there is a lot of people in the world who deserve to have their name on Mars or name a place on Mars and I, just a guy from Portugal fueled by passion, had the Honour of inspiring the choosing of such a brilliant (and so super-mega-well expressed on that poem) name...Think about it... ...I've just lighten the bonfire where all of us have danced around. I am VERY proud of ALL of you in the web community. And I could not pass without giving thanks to Doug Ellisonfor putting Steve in contact with the Ultreya subject. -------------------- "Ride, boldly ride," The shade replied, "If you seek for Eldorado!"
Edgar Alan Poe |
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Dec 16 2005, 02:48 PM
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#28
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1636 Joined: 9-May 05 From: Lima, Peru Member No.: 385 |
Ustrax, Many congratulations to you! I am very proud that Steve is aware of our forum.
The name El Dorado sounds to me somewhat funny because, let me say to you: As you know that that dark southern slope of Columbia Hill is seen as a suspicious place, full of traps and tricks but at the same time inside of the dark sand might have some hidden gold, in spanish means the same as El Dorado due to its gold color. So I tought that name strickes me the idea that under the most difficult sites will also lead to be the most surprising discoveries. That is the nature equilibrium. Rodolfo |
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Dec 16 2005, 03:55 PM
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#29
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Founder Group: Chairman Posts: 14433 Joined: 8-February 04 Member No.: 1 |
QUOTE (ustrax @ Dec 16 2005, 11:29 AM) ...when I was in England.. Steve was here. Damn....I must have missed him... Doug |
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Dec 16 2005, 05:02 PM
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#30
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Member Group: Members Posts: 320 Joined: 19-June 04 Member No.: 85 |
Congratulations, Ustrax!! It is a special moment, indeed. It's a great example how inclusive the MER mission has been under Steve's direction. He has really made it seem like the mission belongs to everybody, not just NASA or JPL or the USA.
-------------------- |
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