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Posted by: Antdoghalo Dec 28 2009, 03:59 AM

The sixth anniversary of the MERs landing on Mars is coming soon.

Number of wheels on one of the Mars Exploration Rovers equals how many Earth years they have been on Mars.
Hopefully Spirit has this many wheels on her working soon.

Posted by: Astro0 Dec 28 2009, 08:24 AM

Stu and I will probably have something to say on that topic when we get closer to the anniversary.

EDIT: See below - post http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=6374&view=findpost&p=152742

Posted by: nprev Dec 28 2009, 08:31 AM

Yet another reason to look forward to the New Year!

Posted by: PhilCo126 Dec 28 2009, 07:15 PM

Well the anniversary calendar has already been made: http://marsrover.nasa.gov/home/calendar/MER-2009-2010-calendar.pdf

Posted by: stewjack Dec 28 2009, 07:54 PM

This is not narrowly on topic, but I don't consider it worth a new topic.

Yesterday I was listening to a Tech/Geek podcast that included a segment asking prominent tech people what they considered the greatest tech story of the decade. There were many varying replies, including the growth of wide band, the iPhone and/or the growth of Apple. The popularity of social media was also popular. When they asked Steve Wozniak, his answer was that the greatest tech story of the decade was the Mars Rovers!



Jack

Posted by: djellison Dec 28 2009, 08:05 PM

That calendar has absolutely nothing to do with the 6th Earth Anniversary and has been available for >9 months. Invaluable though it is, I am at a total loss as to why you would post it in this thread.

Posted by: Oersted Dec 29 2009, 01:07 AM

Got a link to that podcast? - Great statement by Woz!

Phil, thanks for linking to the calendar, hadn't seen it, much appreciated.

Looking forward to AstroO's upcoming commemorative artwork!

Posted by: stewjack Dec 29 2009, 04:33 AM

Well I will give you the link, but I suspect you will consider it a waste of your time. Woz apparently didn't have time to make a recording of his comment. The host Leo Laporte just mentioned it. Also the podcast is over 90 min long. The HiRez video version is 440 MB!

The download page has got a large list of links to the many recorded comments. With (.. and Steve Wozniak on the Mars rover ) without any link, since he made no recording.
Download page for: http://twit.tv/228

Jack

Posted by: alan Dec 31 2009, 08:57 PM

6 Years on Mars

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xly52Vx-_9Q&feature=player_embedded

Posted by: Astro0 Jan 3 2010, 06:39 AM

Well, here we are on the eve of Spirit's 6th anniversary.
As promised, Stu and I have come up with some pictures and words that we hope you will enjoy

Below are some examples of the posters and desktops. You'll find a bunch of other versions over on my http://astro0.wordpress.com/mer6/ at various resolutions and screen sizes.

Posted by: Stu Jan 3 2010, 06:44 AM

Love what you've done, Astro0!

6 years... where the ****** did THEY go?!?!?!?!?

Posted by: nprev Jan 3 2010, 07:02 AM

A beautiful tribute, gentlemen. Thanks for sharing it with us!

Posted by: climber Jan 3 2010, 11:20 AM

When two of the most talented and skilled USMS'ers unite, tribute to our belowed rovers could barely go better and farther.
Thanks gentlemen

Posted by: Stu Jan 3 2010, 12:36 PM

Thanks Climber! Astro0 did all the hard work, I just scribbled!

Some more scribblings on the 6th year celebration here: http://cumbriansky.wordpress.com/2010/01/03/spirit-6-years-on-mars

Posted by: Astro0 Jan 3 2010, 12:54 PM

OK, enough gushing...back on topic before Doug pulls the plug on us

The ONLY thanks should go to the men and women of the Mars Exploration Rover team.
The fact that they have kept Spirit and Opportunity running for the past 6 Earth-years is where we should be directing any praise.

Well done to all of you.
We look forward to a 7th year of MER operations.
Our fingers are crossed for Spirit. We're behind you all the way!
We await Opportunity's next leg towards Endeavour. We'll be beside her all the way!

Thanks for the past six years and we wish you all the best for 2010.

Posted by: ElkGroveDan Jan 3 2010, 06:49 PM

I hate to sound like the ungrateful beggar in the Life of Brian, but I like this one so much that I took the liberty of creating a 1680 x 1050 for the monitor I now use at home so I wouldn't have to ruin the image with a stretch. (But Astro0 will tell you I've done worse things to his artwork before.)

So if anyone else wants it, (along with a right-aligned version for people like me with cluttered desktops) heretis:

Posted by: Astro0 Jan 3 2010, 09:32 PM

Dan, you only had to ask

Posted by: Stu Jan 4 2010, 05:47 PM

Does anyone have a link to YouTube/elsewhere footage of Spirit's landing? You know, the NASA TV coverage at the time? Can't find any.

Posted by: sgendreau Jan 4 2010, 06:12 PM

On YouTube, "Mars: Two for Two" and the Nova episode "Mars: Dead or Alive" have good edits of NASA footage. (I'm assuming you mean in the control center.) The Nova episode is a riveting account of the mission and what the team surmounted to fly.

Posted by: Stu Jan 4 2010, 06:16 PM

Cheers, thanks.

Posted by: ustrax Jan 4 2010, 09:49 PM

The 5th part of the Nova documentary still brings that naughty tear into my eyes...it even has bagpipes for goodness sake...
"GO BABY!!!"

Posted by: ElkGroveDan Jan 5 2010, 02:00 AM

There's always this very cheerful beginning of the mission: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E2zwDYf_c4&feature=related