🚀 go-pugleaf

Jon Kirwan wrote:

> On Mon, 06 Aug 2012 16:15:32 +1000, Don McKenzie <5V@2.5A>
> wrote:
>
> >Been there, done that :-)
> >
> >http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-06/nasa-celebrates-successful-mars-landing/4180454
>
> I started watching the NASA channel about 4 hours ago and
> stayed with it. (Still watching, while they are doing the
> news conference event and just finished congradulating each
> member of the EDL team (entry, descent, and landing.)
>
> Australia was part of this success, as well -- at least in
> terms of participating in the very much needed communications
> portions.
>
> What impresses me the most is that this trip was about 350
> million miles, ending in a tight coordination with two
> orbiting satellites, the ODY and MRO, and deploying novel
> technologies to land a 1 ton vehicle (if I heard correct.)
> Hard to believe that all of this could come together as well
> as it did.

I like many watch the landing  coverage. There are two
things that really impressed me.

1) The navigation to get them there on a really small landing
    footprint

2) With all of the technology in the systems to land this
successfully, one number still is impressive. There were still
250 single point possible failures. The math against it working
was astronomical. If there was anyone involved reading
this I am all ears and you have my congratulations.

Listing to the systems readout after the landing showed it
almost everything was nominal.

Congratulations all

Walter Banks