:date: 2012-08-02 10:03 .. index:: tech, life Mars expidition =============== .. image:: /_images/images/gallery/2012/2012-placeholder/20120802-mars_curiosity.png :align: center :scale: 100 If this is really working , this is almost as spectacular than `the first warp-flight `__ at April 5th, 2063. At August 5th 2012, Curiosity is supposed to land on Mars. Yet, that next-door neighbor you haven't really payed attention to lately. Personally I think sending a probes to Mars is boring, but necessary. Why we haven't sent humans there I don't understand. It costs nothing compared to the finances that have been shoved around lately and is much cooler. Anyway, if you should come up with a high spectacular way of landing a rover you'd probably need to involve flying at night, through clouds and three times around the planet or something. I'm looking forward to see the result on coming Sunday/Monday and will be surprised if it's not working as planned. * A nuclear powered Robot, * over 1.635\ `AU `__ away, * protected with a heat-shield, * then dangling under the biggest and toughest parachute ever build, * hovering about the planet on Rocket-engines, * and letting it down on a crane while still hovering... ... what could possibly go wrong? There a two nice clips to sum up what they are planning to do: `Seven Minutes of Terror `__ and `shorter explanation from James T. Kirk `__. Links: * `Nasa Solar System Exploration `__ * `Curiosity EDL timeline `__ **Update 2012-08-06:** Yes, `they've made it `__.