Mars Landing of NASA Curiosity Spacecraft

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Damn! They actually did it. They pulled it off. They used a completely untried and incredibly bold landing technique – involving a rocket-powered hovercraft “backpack”, with the rover on rope slings below it, to lower the rover to the surface and then cut off from it and fly elsewhere to crash safely out of the way. Curiosity sits on the surface of Mars, ready to do its thing.
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The JPL/Cal Tech rocket boys and girls should be proud. Their immediate press conference – after the initial elation passed – showed them both humble and proud. They emphasized the total team effort involved, as well as the scientific rigor and hard, dedicated work. They said that “curiosity” was one of humanity’s hallmarks.
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The entire achievement is inspiring. Humanity at its best.
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-Zenwind.
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