Thanks for that, Rob! And, of course, to all members of the Phoenix team who might read this we DEFINITELY aren't trying to put any pressure on you; hell, we're your biggest fans, think of us as an online support system!

Godspeed, good luck, good feelings, and hang in there!

A post just to sayt that I will be with you for the landing of Phoenix. I don't want to miss it, even if it will be late (about 4 o'clock, gargle...).
Go Phoenix .

FYI, just tried to go to the UA Phoenix site; didn't work. Think they're starting to get hammered. We (UMSF) are getting busier too...

Good luck and godspeed, Phoenix. I'll be watching from my patio in Saint Paul, Minnesota...

Arrgh! All this tension is making me go absolutely NUTS!! PEANUTS that is..

(ducks for cover)

And I'll be watching just a few miles from you, Mike, from the living room of my house in Minneapolis.

Click to view attachment




-the other Doug

I may be mixing my missions, but I stopped by Mitsuwa Market the other night to stock up and now I am ready for the landing! My local cable company no longer carries NASA TV, so I am praying the broadband stays up for the launch.

Go Phoenix!
Click to view attachment

Twitter text messages work for me in the Netherlands so they should probably work elswere as well.

T- 6 hours.

I'm not here, but here's a shot of my hometown taken about 50 feet north of the house I grew up in, looking east:

My place for observing Phoenix EDL

Edit : it seems that NASA's solar system simulator is down, no?

Do we have an active chat room ?
the one on here does not work for me

Nope; no chat. Unless somebody smart wants to start one up somewhere?

MarsEngineer: you know, probably every person on the planet with an interest in space exploration is sending the team their good luck wishes and support right now. "Win one for the Terrans!" :>

I was setting this shot up, getting the fizz out of the fridge, lining up the peanuts, the Zantac, the Monte Cristo and looking for my UMSF t-shirt... when I noticed the title of the book which, really and truly, does sit there on my desk to the left of the laptop. I come from the Provisional Wing of the 'brights', (a badly-named bunch of militant rationalists), but... I'm taking that book down and putting it away out of sight for the rest of the evening. Ahh such powerful atavistic urges...

Click to view attachment

PS yes, it's a Sun UltraSparc E4000, every home should have one!


PPS MahFL: no, UMSF chat's broken. (Any chance an admin could comment out that link?) The IRC #space channel on (I think) Undernet was mentioned as an alternative.

There's #space on irc.freenode.net. The board chat won't be available, AFAIK.

Ok I am in #space on freenode, been ages since I was in there.

Emily's doing another Video Chat on Ustream, though we probably shouldn't hijack the Planetary Society's outreach just yet*




*According to my schedule, that takeover is not planned until after MSL lands

I'll try watching the 'Guided tour of Mars landing' video on:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/main/

Watching the simulation as the real Phoenix is doing the same should be pretty cool. Then its wait for the first images, depends on how tired I get!

Munching peanuts and hiding behind a pillow....

T-...less than 5 hours and your special cookie is here!

I must admit...more than the indicated amount of beer is in place...

Rob...Veronica (you special woman!...)...never lived a day like this one...magic...pure magic!

All of you "other guys"...we're getting there!

Where have YOU been hiding? Eurovision wasn't THAT bad!

If things go well (Namely, I can get internet access), I'll try to post some things from the University of Arizona thing, on my almost dead blog at tuvas21.blogspot.com.

Look out, Veronica, he's on the prowl!
If he bearhugs men, just imagine.....

I'm watching from Maryland, across the the street from Goddard. Evidently no NASA Channel on the new cable service (Fios) but then neither did Comcast. Maybe Cspan will pick it up?
Anyway, here's my viewing station. Still have to go out to get peanuts.

Stu...13rd...I'll face that as a good omen... :

Shaka...Veronica is REALLY someone who deserves all our respect and admiration...I would hug her...definitely...
And you...and your dog...and a tree...ah well...everything!

My father ran his first marathon today, at the age of 65 [True! 6h 5m, around Edinburgh... well done, Dad! ] And you know, that reminds me of... drinking tactics. For, as your Uncle nPrev will tell you, just like marathon running, it's all about pacing yourself, making sure of reserves of energy, not wearing yourself out in the first five miles... or "doing a Paula" *)

Yep... ...gonna crack Cold One #1 in about two hours...think I'll need it just for the tranquilizing effect!

Rui, thanks for posting my very lately-submitted column. In an act of shameless self-promotion, if anyone would like to read it it's at spacEurope.


Go Phoenix!!!

You know...we Portuguese are used to REAL beer so it won't be today that I'll be KO...
Also...I'll get myself a nice Carne de Porco à Alentejana meal...no problem...

Nick...are you there?...

Terrific to think that has I write this words Phoenix is, actually seing Mars bigger and bigger and almost entering its domains...how cool is that?!

I'm here, Captain my Captain...now clean them beer butterflies off of your stomach!!!

How cool is that?

As cool as a nice SuperBock beer straight from the fridge!

Mars currently occupying 8 degrees from Phoenix! And very rapidly growing...

P.S. - does anyone know if cashew nuts work as well?

PPS - I loved the line from the recent New Scientist story:

Definitely a good thing to have a process to go through!

I am quite shocked that the local stations here (Tucson) aren't covering the landing live. I was half expecting that.

Three hours, forty minutes to go. The Canadian news is quiet, which is surprising since there is a Canadian contribution to the mission. Here in Kelowna, BC, we are opening the new bridge and there's a big bridge party. So, alas, my sister visiting, I'm going to have to do a delicate balance of partying and watching the landing.

Yeah, really! When I lived there the community was very pro-space, even to the point of passing that light-pollution law to preserve Kitt Peak's capabilities.

Carpe Diem!!!
Never a Super Bock cause damage to me...

Well...less than 4 hours to go and I'm a bit lost...(oops...you tricky SuperBock...) where's the place to be now?...

EDITED: Just seen it...a cool guy in brown with two guys I don't know in white...following it while inaugurating a cheese...

EDITED 2: Gonzz!!! Are we sharing Super Bocks now?! Where are you?!
We must gather after all this is over!
Sent a PM a few minutes ago...

Here in Akron, Ohio, will be watching from the internet on NASA TV. At 55, and having been around for the media take on past missions (from Ranger to MRO) do not trust public airwaves.....

Just glad have a link to NASA TV and YOU FOLKS at unmannedspaceflight...and the Planetary Society blog from Emily and company....

SO.... I have the jar of peanuts.... Great Lakes Beer (Elliot Ness), and a flask of Jack Daniels for touchdown!!!!!!

May those footpads grace the alien regolith, and deliver some secrets to us all.....

go Phoenix...

Craig

Okay, I'm a geek, I admit it... I've hooked up my PC projector to give my front room that "Mission Control" look...

Click to view attachment

ha ha nice. I just got myself a shiny new 24" iMac to watch on

Ha ha ha Stu, great. Just put on your head a headphone with micro. "Report status from here, ear you me?" .

I began to be more and more excited . Ahhh, Phoenix... .

What happened to the chat?

chat is not being used, we are on #space on freenode irc

Thanks! I'm going to install ChatZilla!

Turns out I'm going to be at my desk at home. I have my viewing station ready (Two computers, many web browsers, and Orbiter simulator) and I have my jar of peanuts ready. According to tradition, what is the proper peanut deployment sequence? When should I open them? What should I do with them? It would be awful to have peanuts and to do them wrong

Love the setup, Stu!

Mars now 11 degrees wide and growing...

The real-time simulation has 2,500 site views in the period of 35 to 9 hours prior to landing ... between 9 to 2.5 hours to landing, it's already been 5,500 visits. I'm too scared to look at the page views.
I managed to wake up, so that's good.
Stu, Fredk ... all that's missing is the view of Mars in the background of the script, isnt it :-(
Go Phoenix!

For just a second I thought it was the MST3K guys in front of the movie, Stu. :-)

Emily's ustream presentation was awesome... looking forward to the next one.

You're doing well Rui.
We'd better all switch to SpacEurope
Getting prety exited too

Oooohh - you've got me drooling now. Your script as a heads-up display in front of the solar system simulator...
Click to view attachment

My setup. Rigged up at the last minute with me and my wife's laptops after my Pc's PSU died on Friday

Click to view attachment

I had thought, better do it early than late.
This is UMSF control center. I'm gona check if every body's ready to go.
Here is where you're supposed to be and now starts the poll :
(no answer needed BTW )

tuvas
I am planning as of now to be at the LPL event at the University of Arizona. It should be interesting. I can only be there for about the hour around the landing time, but that's alright.
Stu
I'll be sat in my living room here in Kendal, in "Computer Corner", from around 9pm right through until 4ish next morning, basically monitoring everything. In between I am probably going to be doing a few "slots" on the phone with my local BBC radio station, Radio Cumbria, updating listeners on what's happening/happened, and there's a chance I might be on Radio 5 Live too, but haven't heard back from them about that. Luckily I'm off work all day Monday so I'll be able to follow post-landing events and coverage too.
ustrax
Unrestless as I'm feeling I won't be capable of staying in one single place...
but home...mostly...I still don't know if I'll head to the office to wait for the post landing press conference...
volcanopele
I will probably at the Sonnet building on the U of A campus. Or at the event in the Kuiper building.
Phil Stooke
As luck would have it, flying from Ontario to Vancouver, BC that morning, and with uncertain access to the internet over the critical period. Still, I'll be on the West Coast, and that's good in itself.
dvandorn
I'll be in my living room with NASA-TV running on my TV (I've got a great cable system, and I don't say that just because I work for them) and UMSF running on my computer. I'm hopeful we'll have the UMSF chat room running so we can exchange info and emotions.
Ngunn
I've got a terrible confession to make. I'll be asleep. I'll turn on the BBC news in the morning.
djellison
I'll be in Patrick Moore's dining room bouncing off the walls probably.
nprev
Sittin' at home, TV on CNN probably because I don't get NASA TV, the (terrible swear word describing cable company removed)s, one hand on the computer monitoring all the sites, two hamds typing in the UMSF chat, one hand holding a beer, one hand holding a stogie, and one hand popping peanuts into my mouth. (I'm having the extra hands installed on Friday; this is LA, after all, capital of unnecessary surgeries!)
dmuller
I'll be making the 4 hour trip to the next town, which happens to be the Canberra DSN station (well, 45 mins out of Canberra). Hope to catch the landing there, but if I run late, I'll be watching it from a friends house in Canberra on the way to the DSN and go to the DSN for the first image.
mchan
At a wedding banquet for a relative where I will probably get weird looks by sneaking off to the bar and tipping the bartender to change the channel to CNN. I would probably get dirty looks if I had a mobile internet device.
elakdawalla
Y'all know where I'll be
climber
I'll be home watching the landing using as many links as possible, UMSF & Nasa-TV & Emily's blog from the web been the 3 priorities, and YES, Rui, I'll watch SpacEurope too
kwan3217
Same place I was when Opportunity landed, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. It's much more fun to do one of these events with many people around.
DDAVIS
I will be at JPL, assuming the role of a journalist. I have been there for every Mars landing except Viking 2.
remcook
I too will probably be sleeping.... Need my sleep! Will try and wake up early though to catch up on UMSF.
Tesheiner
I will be zzzzzzzzz and will follow the whole EDL not in ERT (Earth Received Time) or SET (Spacecraft Event Time) but in LMABT (Late Morning After Breakfast Time).
Skyrunner
I'll be at home eating peanuts until 6 am (western Europe) watching NTV and the websites posted here. It's gonna be an allnighter
MahFL
I will be watching on the PC at home as we don't have nasa TV on cable.
Zvezdichko
I'll be sitting right in front of my monitor, probably with a glass of beer in my hand and of course, eating peanuts
Oersted
I will be in dublin, ireland, visiting friends, borrowing their computer sunday evening....
fredk
I'll have as many computers going as I can find - I may even dig out my old windows '98 dinosaur.
Doc
I will probably be sleeping when the EDL starts (East African Time 2am), But I guess I can spare a whole hour just for Phoenix. I hope however my almost insignificant alarm can wake me up in the middle of the night. My choice of drink will probably be strong coffee from the slopes of Kilimanjaro
Juramike
I'm all set.I got a bag of roasted-and-salted in shell peanuts (will give me something to do to decrease nervous tension)
and a bottle of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clairette_de_Die_AOC chilled and ready for the celebration.
I just gotta make the tough choices: NASA-TV or Science channel?
What websites do I flick between and how quickly can I flick while flipping channels on the TV and shelling peanuts?
Spirit
At work. No TVs, no PCs
scalbers
I'll probably be at home. With a DSL connection and laptop I can pipe NASA TV into my TV and stereo to get a good display.
Rakhir
At home with my two laptops, watching Nasa TV, UMSF, blogs updates... all the night until 5am (Central Europe Time) when I have to leave for the airport to Torino.And on arrival at Torino, first thing to do: open my mobile to check for Twitter updates.
karolp
For the first time in history of Mars landings, I will be in front of the computer with NASA TV and UMSF on. A great time to be alive.
MarsEngineer
I will be at JPL tomorrow but, unlike the last three Mars landings, I will not be in the Mission Support Area (MSA) for EDL this time. I will be watching monitors in one of the conference rooms very near by in an adjacent building with some Caltech guests. I will pop in about a half hour after landing to give them congrats. Being in the MSA during EDL can be a tad stressful and besides, this is the Phoenix team's time to shine. I am very excited for them. They have worked very hard and I am proud for them.
I also plan to swing by Planetfest that evening. I will fly to Tuscon early on Monday where I will spend a few days to make sure all is well (they really do not need my help! But I will cheer them on.)None of us are smart enough to predict the future, but I believe that the Phoenix team has done everything they could have done (short of starting from scratch) to get this machine to work.
vmcgregor
I'll be at JPL as I've been for the past four landings. The first two (Pathfinder/Polar Lander) I was covering for CNN (producing for John Zarrella/John Holliman/Miles O'Brien). For the last two (Spirit/Opportunity) I had the pleasure of working for JPL. So this makes 5 - wow, I can hardly believe it! For Phoenix, I may be in the press room, or perhaps in mission control (escorting the press photog-- someone has to do it, right?) but no matter where I am I'll definitely be twittering updates. I have two jars of dry-roasted peanuts ready to open at the appropriate time... I only wish I could down a beer with them (a Belgium Duvels would be lovely) but alas, no alcohol allowed at work! Don and Emily, I'll see you at the briefing tomorrow. And we'll be thinking about the rest of you on UMSF and hoping that your kind thoughts and best wishes help guide Phoenix to a soft landing. It's been a real boost the to Phoenix team to know that so many people are cheering them on!
tedstryk
I really regret planning a road trip this week. I probably won't see a TV or computer until Monday morning. Oh well...
edstrick
I'll be in front of the TV where I've been for all but one "televised live" planetary landings since Surveyor 1 (Later Surveyors weren't live), recording multiple video streams. NASA-TV, and either Science Channel or CNN (probably) for DVD recording, one other channel, maybe the Science Channel for hard-drive recording
Reckless
Not as exotic as many of you but nonetheless here's Mission Control Jersey UK with MER model keeping it's eyes on the main screen.
Bill Harris
I may still be busy away from the 'puter, but I'll catch the evening news.
eeergo
It will be a bit late for me over here, considering on Monday I have classes, but that's what laptops are for! I'll be watching from bed, although I'm afraid with all the excitement I won't be able to sleep as fast as I should once we get the news
tim53I
have internet access for a bit, so am checking in. Turns out we won't have an internet link at the Riverside Telescope Makers Conference, but we'll be watching on Satellite TV!
Gonzz
I'll be working at home and following the landing at the same time, absolutely glued to the computer screen (but not necessarily glued to my work)
Ant103A
post just to sayt that I will be with you for the landing of Phoenix. I don't want to miss it, even if it will be late
mhovard
Good luck and godspeed, Phoenix. I'll be watching from my patio in Saint Paul, Minnesota...
dvandorn
And I'll be watching just a few miles from you, Mike, from the living room of my house in Minneapolis.
ElkGrovoDan
watching home with Sony big flat screen
Pete B.
I'm watching from Maryland, across the the street from Goddard. Evidently no NASA Channel on the new cable service (Fios) but then neither did Comcast. Maybe Cspan will pick it up?
belleraphon1
Here in Akron, Ohio, will be watching from the internet on NASA TV. At 55, and having been around for the media take on past missions (from Ranger to MRO) do not trust public airwaves.....

HA!!!! Great summary, Climber!

Well, me & Ustrax got a buzz on already; guess that's the NEXT poll....