Is it the the "seven minutes of terror" moniker that is the root of my uncertainty
Dangling a $2.5 billion nuclear powered rover on a lanyard beneath a set of firing rocket engines?
Does dangling a solar powered rover encapsulated in airbags (which are to be dropped from several stories high) under a set of firing rocket engines put your mind more at ease?
Really? The dangling doesn't bother me. The chance of two engines failing on one corner of the descent stage,
Unfortunately, no public events for MSL appear on the schedule for the National Air & Space Museum in Washington or at the Udvar-Hazy center (where Discovery is housed).I would have thought that they'd do something for this event. They've had live telecast events before. Perhaps it's the lateness of the hour here on the east coast.
Museum of Flight in Seattle has a MarsFest 2012 activity from 6:30PM to 11:30PM Pacific.Event details are at http://www.museumofflight.org/event/2012/aug/11/marsfest-2012Wayne Holmes
This one's for Jim:If this was your baby what would you be sweating about during this landing?
I guess it's asking too much to have some small event somewhere in the netherlands? No harm in asking I guess.
Planetary Society Netherlands:ESA Business Incubation CentreKapteynstraat 1Noordwijk, Zuid-Holland 2201 BBNetherlandsContact: Arno WieldersEmail: [email protected]Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/390463957682489/Free event. Start of the event on the morning of the 6th of August at 6:30. It is co-organised with the Dutch Association for Spaceflight and the dutch volunteers for the Planetary Society.
I'm very excited by this, as it will be great to watch the event live in the Headquarters Auditorium with other interested folks. I asked, and no registration is required. Any other DC-based NSF folks want to go?
I don't remember those engines firing for as long, but you know what? Maybe it isn't the dangling per say, it is the dangling $2.5 billion that makes me twist in my seat a bit.