(imagine a teletype in the background - yes, they are still in use somewhere)

Yesterday, before its landing, mission controllers acknowledge that they are receiving telemetry data from the spacecraft. The mission controllers are using two spacecraft orbiting around Mars to track Phoenix. Acquisition of the Phoenix signal by the two spacecraft is verified.

The mission control center for Phoenix announce at about 6:47 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) that the spacecraft had entered the atmosphere of Mars. Several minutes later, controllers report that the spacecraft had gone through peak heating of its body.

The initial Mars descent and landing of Phoenix is being controlled by the mission control center at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. Afterwards, the mission of exploration of the planet will be controlled at the University of Arizona at Tucson.

At 6:52 EDT, controllers at JPL report that Phoenix is operating nominally, with an altitude of 1,700 meters above the surface of Mars.

At 6:54, touchdown is announced. Phoenix is on the surface of Mars!

The controller yells out: “Phoenix has landed! Phoenix has landed!” Wild applause is heard from the control center.

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All of this reminds me of the days when I got to play hooky from school to see launches - the launches used to be newsworthy, and were covered by at least 2 of the 3 major networks.  Exploration of space gave this country something to be ‘up’ about - a national pride that is suspiciously absent today.  Perhaps a bit more in the coffers at NASA, and some television coverage would do wonders for more than a few things. (not everyone gets the NASA channel - if we can show Survivor: South Central on television, some time for science and exploration would not be too much to ask.)

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Quote of the day:

Knowledge is power, if you know it about the right person. - Ethel Mumford

[tags] landing on Mars, Mars rover, Space program, NASA, exploration [/tags]