Spirit: End of Mission |
Spirit: End of Mission |
Jun 11 2011, 08:24 AM
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#61
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Member Group: Members Posts: 239 Joined: 18-December 07 From: New York Member No.: 3982 |
It appears they have [finally] fixed the clock on the MER page and removed the "Sols past "warranty"" line for Spirit.
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Jun 15 2011, 01:57 PM
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#62
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Chief Assistant Group: Admin Posts: 1409 Joined: 5-January 05 From: Ierapetra, Greece Member No.: 136 |
There was a time when I used to sit down at the computer every single day,
waiting for new images to come down from Spirit and Opportunity. Like so many others here I stood amazed.. It touched my heart to see the scientists behind the mission fall into tears, when those first images came down onto that big screen at JPL.. I enjoyed playing around with those images, sharing that joy with a bunch of people here doing exactly the same. I enjoyed learning from the mission, learning about cameras, geology, image processing techniques and so forth... I enjoyed sharing my enthusiasm with my wife, as she sat in the couch watching tv on her own.. as I was way to hung up looking at alien desert rocks. There was a time when I would have said that Spirit is dead. But Spirit is still there -it's a robot after all.. it's parts will deteriorate in the Martian winds but it could be preserved as we all know. We all know to well that what really makes us living organisms; our personality, and everything what makes us who we are, cannot be preserved. We die. We leave a lifetime of memories, depending on the duration of our staying here on Earth... There was a time when I would have been sad for the so-called death of Spirit, but I'm more than satisfied. I'm more than gratefull for what really made Spirit something more than just a robot; the real people behind the commands that she was given in order to function.. the people who sacrificed a lot of time of their lives to make Spirit do what she did. The people who decided that this wealth of imagery and other data should be shared with the average man, the amateur astronomer and others that gather in places like UMSF founded by Doug. There was a time that all of the people who's names are on the dvd's carried by Spirit and Opportunity were alive. Undoubtebly a number of those people have died since the Mars Exploration Mission carried on their names to Mars. My wife was one of them. She left on sol 2269 for Spirit, the same number in days from Spirit's landing to the last Pancam images, or 2208 sols. I remember thinking 'you are both dying now...' In memory I like to think of her now as the ancient Greek did, wandering the plains of Elysium, a province on Mars and the imaginary place in Greek mythology where the entrance was gained by a righteous life, the island of the blessed, those who received immortality. Spirit is what we call dead, but she is still there, just as anything and everyone that ever left a memory once upon a time. And to quote Einstein; time is an illusion... So, thank you Spirit, a big thank you to every soul involved in the mission, and another big thank you for the dvd on board, for taking us to Mars, for eternity ! -------------------- photographer, space imagery enthusiast, proud father and partner, and geek.
http://500px.com/sacred-photons & |
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Jun 15 2011, 03:59 PM
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#63
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Member Group: Members Posts: 753 Joined: 23-October 04 From: Greensboro, NC USA Member No.: 103 |
I'm moved beyond words. Thanks for this.
-------------------- Jonathan Ward
Manning the LCC at http://www.apollolaunchcontrol.com |
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Jun 15 2011, 08:04 PM
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#64
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Member Group: Members Posts: 194 Joined: 3-January 10 Member No.: 5156 |
My thoughts are with you, Nix!
-------------------- Need more input ...
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Jul 24 2011, 01:41 PM
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#65
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2922 Joined: 14-February 06 From: Very close to the Pyrénées Mountains (France) Member No.: 682 |
There's a link: http://www.spaceflightnow.com where "Mission officials and scientists pay tribute to the Spirit rover that explored Mars for six years before succumbing to the harsh Martian winter in 2010". It last 1h14mn50s and it's worth to have a look at. You'll see Steve and much more people talking about Spirit legacy as well as a lot of little stories we all enjoy here.
Since the link point to "home page" of spaceflightnow.com, it'll probably not last long but I didn't find a better one. -------------------- |
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Jul 24 2011, 03:56 PM
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#66
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Senior Member Group: Admin Posts: 4763 Joined: 15-March 05 From: Glendale, AZ Member No.: 197 |
Here's the direct YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkHyBzOjvjg...player_embedded
-------------------- If Occam had heard my theory, things would be very different now.
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Jul 24 2011, 05:34 PM
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#67
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Member Group: Members Posts: 754 Joined: 9-February 07 Member No.: 1700 |
Some top scientists and engineers are also able to form a compelling narrative to outline their aspirations and accomplishments. This is a wonderful example! Thanks for sharing.
It's interesting to hear SS speak before Spirit had landed on Mars: Planetary Radio December 2003 SS making sure his team got flu shots: "This isn't a sprint, it's a marathon. It'll last for months!" |
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