Photo of Curiosity's parachute high above Mars taken by High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment
camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance orbiter.
An image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance orbiter captured the Curiosity rover still connected to its 51-foot-wide (almost 16 meter) parachute as it descended towards its landing site at Gale Crater.
"If HiRISE took the image one second before or one second after, we probably would be looking at an empty Martian landscape," said Sarah Milkovich, HiRISE investigation scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "When you consider that we have been working on this sequence since March and had to upload commands to the spacecraft about 72 hours prior to the image being taken, you begin to realize how challenging this picture was to obtain."
The image of Curiosity on its parachute can be found [here].
The image was taken while MRO was 211 miles (340 kilometers) away from the parachuting rover. Curiosity and its rocket-propelled backpack, contained within the conical-shaped back shell, had yet to be deployed. At the time, Curiosity was about two miles (three kilometers) above the Martian surface.
"Guess you could consider us the closest thing to paparazzi on Mars," said Milkovich. "We definitely caught NASA's newest celebrity in the act."
Blast from the Past. At Daily Kos on this date in 2011:
In June, the National Labor Relations Board proposed a rule change to streamline union representation elections by reducing frivolous litigation and bringing the transfer of information into the 21st century by allowing electronic filing. The proposal would slightly reduce the ability of corporations to drag out the election process unreasonably, without increasing penalties for abuses or making major changes like allowing electronic voting. Already, the proposal has drawn ridiculous, contradictory objectionsat a hearing and an outsourcer's bill of rights in the House. Now, the US Chamber of Commerce says that if the proposal passes, they'll sue:
“I think it’s a given that we would go to court and challenge the regulation, depending on how it comes out, of course. Maybe it will come out differently than we suspect,” said Randy Johnson, the Chamber’s senior vice president of labor, immigration and employee benefits. “Whether or not we seek an injunction against the reg, we probably would.”
Of course it's a given. The NLRB's proposal would make things incrementally easier for workers, therefore it must be crushed lest anyone get any ideas about making things substantially easier for workers.
Tweet of the Day:
Next time someone says, "Where has big government ever gotten us?" the correct answer is "Mars."
— @BorowitzReport via web
Tune in Monday to Friday from 9-11 AM ET for Daily Kos Radio, hosted by David Waldman a/k/a KagroX. You can listen
here. You can listen to Monday's podcast
here.
DemFromCT and
Steve Singiser both appeared on Daily Kos Radio this morning, and we delved into some great material, including the latest Twitter Political Index, the Tennessee Senate debacle, and more. And you might just enjoy the discussion of
this load of crap from Peter Beinart. Nearly Jennifer Rubin-esque!
Non-Flash link
High Impact Posts. Top Comments.