Welcome to the Northern Plains!

This is one of the first images NASA released from the Phoenix lander which touched down early this morning up near the Martian north pole.
It's the surface on Mars; it's the horizon on Mars; it's the sky on Mars; it's Mars-vellous.

Phoenix

Is anyone else going to be up late watching to see if Phoenix lands successfully on Mars in about eight and a half hours from now? I am not quite sure why but I feel a bit embarrassed to admit that I am looking forward to watching it. Does this make me a geek?

And if so... so what!!?

The first time I did anything like this was the moon landing early one Monday (?) morning in the summer of 1969 (and yes, I am firmly convinced it happened!)


The Phoenix landing will be 'live' on NASA TV (incredibly it doesn't work on Firefox...you need IE). I say 'live' because the actual landing will happen some 15 minutes before we receive the signals from the surface of Mars; that's how far away it is (wow...that still presses those geek buttons of mine!)

Edit: This is a good link to an animation of the landing sequence.

First Teenager on Mars

I have just found a bunch of old photos on a shelf hidden behind some files!

This is quite a nonchalant me in 1971, having just arrived on Mars, leaning on my trusty astro-space-car.



(Well, it takes my mind off last night's football!)