Oh, silly me! I thought alcohol equals fun!

May be not worth a drink but I'm looking forward to see Ed Weiler's face during EDL. I don't think he'll stand it!

It can do, sure, but I'm just mindful that UMSF is read by some of the Phoenix team, and didn't want to encourage any scenes like this...

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...Just for that, Stu, I'll be sure to emit a celebratory burp upon landing!

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 Clairette de Die 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?

Neither any celebrities nor Ed Weiler will be in mission control. Celebrities aren't permitted in mission control until after a successful landing, becuase they'd be too distracting. Weiler was supposed to be at Planetfest, actually, but now says he has a more important engagement, meeting with the head of the Canadian space program.

--Emily

Amazingly enough, CNN is even going to run special coverage of the landing beginning @ 1900 EDT (2300 GMT).

Glad to see additional exposure; maybe public interest is increasing?

Honestly, I doubt it. Cable news isn't as reflective of public interest as you might think. I'd be more tempted to believe CNN will cover the event with a certain interest because Miles O'Brien, their science correspondent, has a major interest in the landing and has been effective in selling the coverage to his superiors.

O'Brien has been a worthy successor at CNN, overall, to John Holliman, the late science correspondent who was at the top of NASA's list in its informal Journalist in Space considerations many years ago. It was (and is) a tragedy that Holliman was killed in a car accident, but O'Brien has maintained CNN's committment to carrying major space events. (And no, I don't think it's because he happens to share a name with a major Star Trek character...)

-the other Doug

I will now get myself away from the internet to get a good night sleep...
But I would like to leave you guys with the music thatwill wake me tomorrow...
Maybe we can get somehow tuned all across the globe listening to this...powerful...great...just great...

WAKE UP!

That was actually a joke, Emily Though I'd pay good money to see Paris Hilton in there tomorrow night, complete with yappy little dog peering out of the bling-encrusted bag under her arm, looking utterly bemused by the whole thing...

Quick clip for WEST WING fans... this should bring back some happy memories... Forget that the probe in the series, um, failed... that's not the point... the point is that , for me, this little scene captured the drama and, yes, nobility of space exploration, and whenever I hear Sam reading out this passage I genuinely feel touched.

I miss THE WEST WING so much. So much.

At work. No TVs, no PCs

Maybe you can take a radio in or something? Or sign up to the Phoenix Twitter page for text updates to your mobile?(not sure if that's a US service only...)

If that fails, open a window at the appropriate time... if you hear shouting and whooping and hollerin' that'll be UMSF members celebrating! If you hear nothing, well...

That was an excellent episode. However, this clip doesn't contain my favorite exchange from it.

The Galileo V mission being presented is a barely fictionalized version of the MPL debacle, complete with the DS2 penetrators. Someone is explaining to Josh how the penetrators were supposed to work -- falling unrestrained by braking systems to smash into the ground at hundreds of km per hour and penetrating into it, after which they were expected to work perfectly. At which point, Josh says something about how he didn't think NASA spacecraft depended on the Acme school of physics...


Me too, Stu. Me, too.

-the other Doug

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.

Nice that is the most Viking-like landing since - well - Viking!

Steve

Hello Folks
As a (very) long time lurker, registration has finally been prompted by the upcoming events.
As someone involved in research chemistry for the last quarter of a century I'm well acquainted with the ups and (many) downs of the scientific process and yet I have to say I can't even begin to imagine how nerve-wracking the upcoming event must be for those at the sharp end, or even the many on here who, while not directly involved, are clearly utterly smitten by the event thanks to their prowess in the field. Professionally, I’m used to being in a situation where the answers come pretty quickly and you can always have a hands on part to play in the outcome; to be effectively helpless at the key phase of the experiment must be awful - but then the satisfaction all the more glorious when it works.
What astonishing times we are in when the information on events such as this is accessible so immediately; I’m trying to convince my 10 year old nephew to stay up and monitor it - perhaps if it was marketed as a Dr Who event by the BBC he might listen! (Stu, he’s just down the road from you in Carnforth - have a word!!). But seriously, the educational potential - and really, therefore, the inspirational potential (for future players in this field) - of events such as this are now colossal. And I have to say UMSF more than plays its part in that.
As for me on the night? Well to beer or not to beer, that is the question….

Loughborough....fairly damn close to Leicester

Fortunately, you wont here the roof come of my house with the cheers of succesfull EDL, as I'll be in Selsey

Doug

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.

well I just checked and it's only about 140 miles away, so if I keep my front window open there's a good chance I'll hear something if the wind is in the right direction Fingers crossed

If r is the radius of Mars, and d our current distance to the centre of Mars (not the surface), then the full disc of Mars will subtend an angle 2*arcsin(r/d). Here arcsin is the inverse sine, also written sin^(-1).

Doing the calculation with the current distance, I get that Mars subtends 1.5 degrees right now. That agrees with the solar system simulator:
Click to view attachment
The disc will rapidly increase in size now. Fasten your seatbelts!!

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.

Arrghh silly me ... that's just first grade trigonometry, now isnt it. Brain to mission control - need more coffee! Thanks Fred.
Daniel

There are now less than 24 hours to go until landing, spacecraft event time. Hasn't the time gone fast...

Not yet! 24 hours and five minutes, as I type this...

-the other Doug

In exactly 24 hours from this moment, I'll either be celebrating, or feeling incredibly sad...

-the other Doug

Hi all,

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.

have a fun weekend!

-Rob Manning

Thank you ustrax! I'd never heard of The Arcade Fire before. I'm a richer man now. Sleep well and dream of a smooth landing.

Brian

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!

Thanks Veronica, it's REALLY nice to get messages from you, one insider. It make me feel personaly very close to the Team and the event.
I've found people in a very good mood in the today's conference, both the press as well as the scientists. Peter asking A.J.S. Rayl if she was trying to date him today was hillarous .This contributes to, I hope, a good mood for all UMSF'ers here.
For the ones that didn't get to see the conference: http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/vide...nce/replay6.php

I really regret planning a road trip this week. I probably won't see a TV or computer until Monday morning. Oh well...

Holliman's enthusiasm for Pathfinder was infectious. He'd love the spirit and the intelligent discussion UMSF brings to these already exciting moments in space exploration.

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.

I was on a 2 1/2 week vacation for Pathfinder and my (imagined) mental deteoriation began with the brain-burning frustration of having absolutely no significant radio reception from where we were: north of the Grand Canyon, driving east to cross the Colorado River and go climbing through slot-canyons the next few days. It wasn't till we barely heard a on-the-hour newscast that we heard that Pathfinder had landed.

Hi all

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.
Just above the desk are to moon landing panaramas.

Roy

Rob, Veronica, thanks for popping in here with a few words for us space enthusiasts!

Sunny day in Dublin, Eire, where I`ll be going on a long countryside walk with a lovely Irish lass... So hopes are high for both Phoenix and... no, I`d better stop here...

From a NEW SCIENTIST story today...

"In addition to the peanuts, lucky blueberries will also make an appearance - a nod to the Opportunity rover, which found iron-rich spherules, nicknamed blueberries, soon after it became the last spacecraft to successfully touch down on Mars."

Blueberries too?!?! I am NOT going to Asda again! They're going to think I'm scouting out the place for a robbery!

Oersted: that's a soft-focus Corrs video, right there...

He was by far the best space reporter the mainstream media had to offer. His loss was tragic.

Mark...T minus 12 hours...

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. Not incredibly glamorous, but that will have to do

They should cancel the classes at my faculty, after all I study physics and this is a really important scientific moment... or at least organize a Phoenix party so that waking up wouldn't be so painful? Having breakfast with blueberries is another option.

Alright then.... I dont expect to visit UMSF for a while from now. So to all those with us now let us pray for a safe landing and a chance to finally see the arctic region from the surface.

Once again GOD SPEED TO PHOENIX.

Keep your digits crossed, folks!

I 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!

-Tim.

I'm gonna do digits, eyes, legs, everything I can think of!

BTW...T minus 10 hours and counting...

I may still be busy away from the 'puter, but I'll catch the evening news.

This is a far cry from the first Mariner flyby. A few 200x200 pixel images that took four days to be transmitted to Earth. The first view of Mars was via newspaper halftone a day or so after the flyby.

Same thrill, though...

--Bill

T -9:00; ...is the Solar System Simulator down, or is it just me?

I could not get the simulator working yesterday.

T-8 hrs.

Didn't work for me earlier today, either; wonder if they're getting hammered.

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 ) .

Tonight is going to be an all nighter, I'm absolutely confident on a sucessfull landing, go Pheonix! Almost there now

See all of you folks later here at UMSF to start the celebrations!

Here at Mission Control Kendal preparations are well underway for the Phoenix landing... Pluto (as in "... is still a planet", my much-travelled mascot Outreach mascot ) is sitting on top of Monitor A which is showing the Daniel Muller countdown, and a big bag of NASA approved dry roasted peanuts is next to Monitor B, displaying UMSF...

Click to view attachment

Tick tick tick...

I have to second Veronica's comment. Even though these teams work in a "fishbowl", when you are on the inside it is surprisingly easy to think that you are all alone and to forget that there are people outside of the bowl who are cheering for you.

Back in 1994 when we were designing and testing Mars Pathfinder, we were (mostly) all holed up on the 2nd floor of windowless building 230 (just a few feet above the MSA room where you will see tension and cheering this afternoon). For some reason we thought we were the only people on the planet who were interested in building a lander and a little rover to go to Mars. For me that impression was forever washed away (in a good way) in Oct of '94. That was when a few of us engineers joined some scientists (like Matt G) and teachers on a field trip to the channeled scablands of eastern Washington state (my home state). After a week of imagining our spacecraft bouncing and driving over these rough terrains, we were asked to stop by a junior high school in Spokane to talk to students and the locals one rainy friday night. We had few materials to share but neither did we expect many visitors. To our complete and utter amazement, we were overwhelmed with excited kids, parents and teachers. They heard about our visit via a small notice in the local paper. Interest had spread like wildfire.

After that we were transformed. We suddenly realized that we were not alone on that crowded 2nd floor. We stopped doing this mission for ourselves and instead realized that we were doing it for a lot of people (people like you). It scared us but it made us more commited than ever to succeed.

I have occasionally reminded the Phoenix team members to step outside their fishbowl and look around them (UMSF is one of my examples). As it did with me in 1994, it also scares them to see so many people watching over their shoulders, but it also helps bring an intense focus and an unselfishness to their work. It is no longer about making their "bosses" happy, it is about being entrusted to try hard and good things for our precious humanity. Its a big, proud hat to wear, but one that is not easily earned. I think this team has earned its hat, regardless of what happens today.

Your enthusiasm and support for what we humbly attempt makes a huge difference for us. Thank you all.

GO PHOENIX!

-Rob

Me too. But according to dmuller's real time simulation, I calculate the current angular size of Mars to be just over 4.5 degrees. That's nine times the diameter (more than 80 times the area) of the moon from Earth! Just imagine that view out the "front window" of Phoenix! I'm sure you could pick out many land features by eye now...

Mars Pathfinder made me fall in love with space exploration.

I was sitting at home, late night, watching CNN live, waiting for those precious little images of a new world.

When I first saw them they changed me, they changed the way I understood Earth, Mars and the Universe. Outer space became real to me. A physical reality, no longer an abstraction. I was in awe.

You made me peer outward, for that I am tremendously thankfull.
Thank you so much

Thanks for that Rob. And if any of the Phoenix team get to read this whilst lurking in the UMSF shadows (when they REALLY should be working on a safe landing!! Oi! Get back to work and stop skiving!! ) then can I wish you all a successful night, and just let you know that we are already in awe of what you've achieved, and proud of your determination and drive, regardless of which numbers the cosmic dice show in 7 hours time.

Go get 'em guys!

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