Mars Curiosity Rover Sings 'Happy Birthday' To Itself

[KittyWampus]

Source: Cnet.com

One Earth year ago, the Curiosity rover completed a dramatic descent and landed safely on the surface of Mars. Cheers went up from space watchers around the world. On the back of a successful year of scientific exploration, it's time to celebrate once again.

NASA thinks of August 5, touch-down day, as the rover's birthday. Since nobody is willing to deliver a cake to Mars, the rover team had to settle for the traditional singing of "Happy Birthday." This was accomplished using Curiosity's Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument. It "sang" the song by vibrating at different frequencies.


The song was tested in an identical SAM unit here on Earth before the instructions were sent to Curiosity. Since the song was played on Mars, it should be challenging for licensing agency ASCAP to shake down the rover for royalties.

"This is a first for NASA and for the world and music brings us all together, so this is fun," said Florence Tan, the SAM electrical lead engineer. Since one Mars year takes about 687 Earth days, perhaps Curiosity can look forward to another birthday party before its next Earth-years anniversary comes around.

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57597122-1/mars-curiosity-rover-sings-happy-birthday-to-itself/

[burrowowl]

1. Happy Birthday Curiosity!

Wow!

[jberryhill]

2. Want it born before landing on Mars?

[DreamGypsy]

3. And many more birthdays to come, many more birthdays to come

May your adventures continue, Curiosity,
until your work is done.

I hope you enjoy your cake:



mars cake for a special 5th (sic) 1st birthday celebration

I had envisioned a fun alien cake, but Boy-o wanted a planet. He wanted marble cake, frosted red, like Mars, but he didn't feel the need to be terribly literal, so I gave our planet a ring. I call this, "playing fast and loose with science." Our planet had stars and a moon, Buzz Lightyear next to his space shuttle, chocolate rocks (cute, but not terribly tasty), an alien in a spaceship, craters, and a few friendly, fondant aliens.

[Rowdyboy]

4. How about a nice thick piece of "Jupiter Cake"

[TlalocW]

5. Enough of this frivolity!

Get back to drawing penises on the Martian surface!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/24/mars-rover-penis-draws-nasa_n_3148422.html

TlalocW

[alan_phillips]

6. Happy birthday Curiosity!

The grow up so fast

[sinkingfeeling]

7. Happy Birthday! Hope you're not too lonely up there.

[Javaman]

8. "Mars Curiosity Rover Sings 'Happy Birthday' To Itself"

then cried in its beer.

While I'm delighted that it's been there for a year, I can't help that the headline sounds a little sad.

[Lugal Zaggesi]

9. He probably dreams

about meeting a cute little rover around the next crater...


Hey ! Was that me, or is there somebody else roaming around these lonely hills ?

[KittyWampus]

12. Awww, you have the soul of a poet.

[marshall]

10. Who paid the royalty?

Or is Mars covered?

[FSogol]

11. "Satellite's gone way up to Mars, Soon it will be filled with parking cars

I watched it for a little while, I love to watch things on TV" - Lou Reed, Satellite of Love