Phoenix craft lands on mars

**DimondLight** · May 25, 2008, 08:20 PM

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/26/sc...html?ref=space

Just before 8 p.m. Eastern time, mission controllers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory here received a radio signal from the Phoenix on the ground in the icy plains north of Mars' Arctic circle.

**Steven the Victor** · May 26, 2008, 01:23 AM

Boo Yah!!
Another American Interest to Protect

**LSJ** · May 26, 2008, 07:38 PM

Yay, another few billion dollars you'll never get back!
Huzzah for science!

**Syron** · May 26, 2008, 10:41 PM

Originally Posted by DarkProphet

Yay, another few billion dollars you'll never get back!
Huzzah for science!

Actually only a couple of hundred million.

And what do you mean never get back? The money goes into supporting hi-tech firms and launch service companies, the same companies that launch earth observation satellites to study little things like global warming......

**~~Exarch~~** · May 26, 2008, 08:53 PM

hurrah for mankind!!!
another stepping stone in man's steps out into space and another planet!!

(i'm not a big fan of the politicization of science, so no indicatiosn tow2ards the nationality of the launcher nation)

**illyrius** · May 26, 2008, 09:50 PM

terrific.

look at the first photo's of mars by Phoenix.

http://fawkes4.lpl.arizona.edu/images.php?gID=0&cID=8

**gambit** · May 27, 2008, 06:07 PM

Originally Posted by illyrius

terrific.

look at the first photo's of mars by Phoenix.

http://fawkes4.lpl.arizona.edu/images.php?gID=0&cID=8

Billions upon billions of dollars of technology and we can't afford color photos?

**H_man** · May 27, 2008, 07:57 PM

Originally Posted by Gambit

Billions upon billions of dollars of technology and we can't afford color photos?

Why were the first images in black and white?
The first images received on Landing Day were compressed so that we could get them quickly, and they were in black and white so that they could be viewed as soon as they were received. Color images have to be processed (created with multiple layers).

**gambit** · May 27, 2008, 08:11 PM

Originally Posted by H_man

Why were the first images in black and white?
The first images received on Landing Day were compressed so that we could get them quickly, and they were in black and white so that they could be viewed as soon as they were received. Color images have to be processed (created with multiple layers).

Well we already have the first images, now we can get creative.

**H_man** · May 27, 2008, 08:27 PM

Originally Posted by Gambit

Well we already have the first images, now we can get creative.

Well the visuals are obviously more or less irrelevant to the scientists after the initial landing, so I suppose we may have to wait for high-resolution colour images to emerge. In any case, this mission heavily excites me, as it represents just another success in interplanetary travel and colonization.

**Dayman** · May 27, 2008, 05:06 PM

Or making sure important things like your television and computer are provided with entertainment!

**Dayman** · May 27, 2008, 08:29 PM

There are a few decent high res B&W photos.

The fact that it's another planet is enough to amaze me.

**Aetius** · May 28, 2008, 02:38 PM

NASA ftw!

I approve of my tax money going there. When you really think about it, our space program is probably one of the best expenditures we have.

If you are an American you will be horrified to see how much our government wastes money elsewhere:

http://www.heritage.org/research/budget/bg1840.cfm

It says that 25 Billion dollars is just missing, and they don't know where it went.