Great site to track Spirit landing...

[Heyo]

For those interested... up to the minute updates if you keep refreshing the page.

http://spaceflightnow.com/mars/mera/status.html

:yourock:

Go Spirit go!!!

We're with ya little buddy!... Godspeed!!!

-Heyo

edit: Duh. :dunce:

[shawn703]

1. Link? n/t

[TheZoo]

2. Stop posting white on white links

:evilgrin:

Link por favor? I'm interested in it also

[Heyo]

3. Sorry 'bout that folks...

I edited my first post, and here's the link again.

http://spaceflightnow.com/mars/mera/status.html

Enjoy,
-Heyo

[shawn703]

13. Bouncing on Mars right now!

So far so good!

[wa state wanderer]

4. Found this link

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/spiritrightnow.html

[newyawker99]

36. Hi wa state wanderer!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Gloria]

5. Kick...this is great!!!

eom

[soothsayer]

6. so far the score is Mars 32, Earth 3

let's see if earth improves

[Heyo]

7. So far so good...

-snip-
0325 GMT (10:25 p.m. EST)
The turn to entry attitude for the spacecraft has been completed. This was a critical event prior to Spirit making the fiery plunge into the atmosphere by turning to put the heat shield facing the planet. Had the turn not occurred, the craft surely would burn up during entry.

0321 GMT (10:21 p.m. EST)
The spacecraft has about two degrees remaining in this turn.

0319 GMT (10:19 p.m. EST)
Mission Control reports the Spirit spacecraft is about 8,500 miles above Mars, traveling at a velocity of 7,500 miles per hour. Time to atmospheric entry is one hour and 10 minutes.

0314 GMT (10:14 p.m. EST)
The Canberra tracking station in Australia is locked on to the spacecraft's signal, which is 10 bits per second.

0310 GMT (10:10 p.m. EST)
This turn is estimated to take 14 to 20 minutes to complete.

0308 GMT (10:08 p.m. EST)
The rotation is confirmed to be underway by Mission Control.

0304 GMT (10:04 p.m. EST)
The turn to entry attitude is scheduled to begin now. This rotation will orient the spacecraft such that the heat shield is facing the atmosphere. Prior to this time, Spirit was flying with its cruise stage solar panels pointed at the Sun and communications antenna in line with Earth.

-snip-

Heyo

[Heyo]

8. Kick.

Nobody cares. :cry:

j/k

Heyo

[PsychoDad]

9. Just waiting to see....

If the red planet will claim another lander....

[Corgigal]

10. here watch it live

http://www.unitedspacealliance.com/live/nasatv.htm

[frogfromthenorth2]

11. Sweeeeet!!!

[frogfromthenorth2]

12. 6 minutes before atmosphere!!!

[Ksec]

15. damnit ,servers at capacity

[punpirate]

16. Well, keep in mind...

... that it's not exactly live--all the data coming in now was transmitted roughly a half-hour ago. Thanks to the distance, we're on a really slow instant replay, so to speak.

Cheers.

[shawn703]

14. Was bouncing on Mars, now link lost...

May come back in a few minutes though

[Ksec]

18. has landed and stopped bouncing

waiting on some kind of word This is exciting.

[punpirate]

19. Ten minutes after landing...

... still no signal. This is after the time that it should have stopped rolling and continued to signal status.

[Minstrel Boy]

17. 0445 GMT (11:45 p.m. EST) - damn...

"Now 10 minutes after the touchdown on Mars, officials are still waiting for some signal from Spirit. The lander should have rolled to a stop by now."

[Heyo]

20. Im so nervous

:scared: :scared: :scared: :scared: :scared:

[alfredo]

29. they have made contatct!!

Yeee ahhh hoooo!!!

[Corgigal]

21. DAMN it

this is so stressful. I so want this to work, this time.

[shawn703]

22. Possible signal received!

From above site:

0451 GMT (11:51 p.m. EST)
The radio telescope at Stanford University reports it may have received signal from the lander at time it would have been on the surface.

[Corgigal]

23. YES

it landed and it's working. Wonderful, we need a nice story for mankind now and then. Using NASA for what it was meant to be.

[theoceansnerves]

24. cnn

watching on cnn... they just went ballistic in the control room. looks like it's landed successfully!

[Ksec]

25. strong signal recieved!! woohoo!!

[Heyo]

27. Woohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:D :-) :7 B-) :party: :toast:

:toast:
:toast:
:toast:
:toast:
:toast:
:toast:
:toast:

-Heyo

[newyawker99]

37. Hi Heyo!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[punpirate]

26. Strong signal reported....

0452 GMT (11:52 p.m. EST)
SPIRIT IS ALIVE ON MARS! A "very strong signal" is now being received from the Spirit rover from the Gusev Crater on the surface of the Red Planet!

[Heyo]

28. sweet...

It landed with it's base pedal down...

(right side up)

-Heyo

[Ksec]

30. isnt this amazing

were watchin history here

[punpirate]

32. News at eleven....

0500 GMT (12:00 a.m. EST)
With Spirit on the surface, it will use motors retract the airbags. This operation could take an hour to complete. Then the lander will open up like a flower, lowering its petals to reveal the rover tucked inside. Since Spirit has landed with its base petal down -- the best case scenario -- the opening will take less time.

Next, the rover will deploy its power-generating solar panels. Then it can begin taking some pictures of the landing site. Those initial images, if snapped this evening, could be released by NASA within hours.



So, there should be photos by Sunday morning.

Cheers.

[economic justice]

34. JPL

I am so excited for a friend of ours who works at JPL. He has been telling us about these twin missions non-stop for months! VERY exciting!!

[Ksec]

31. last heard

0500 GMT (12:00 a.m. EST)
With Spirit on the surface, it will use motors retract the airbags. This operation could take an hour to complete. Then the lander will open up like a flower, lowering its petals to reveal the rover tucked inside. Since Spirit has landed with its base petal down -- the best case scenario -- the opening will take less time.

Next, the rover will deploy its power-generating solar panels. Then it can begin taking some pictures of the landing site. Those initial images, if snapped this evening, could be released by NASA within hours.

[Heyo]

33. Way to go Spirit.

We knew you could do it, lil' homie!

:grouphug:

Heyo

[Ksec]

35. agreed. And finally some positive news