OT: Documentary about the Mars rover Opportunity airs on Prime Wednesday
This is clearly marked OT (Off Topic) - it has nothing to do with the Game, and nothing to do with sports. If you don't like that, read the first two letters of the title - OT - and move on.
Now then, onto business! There are a lot of nerds here interested in space so I thought some of them might like that an outfit put together a documentary of the the two Mars rovers missions launched in June 2003 - Spirit and Opportunity. These were the first two robot missions that successfully landed on Mars. They were supposed to be on a 90 day mission, but Spirit ran amuck until 2010 and Oppy dicked around the surface until 2018. They discovered water on Mars, among a boatload of other cool science. The documentary used the hundreds of thousands of still photos they took to create a life-like video presentation of their travels around the planet. It sounds like an interesting watch...
Here is the link to the article in Ars, give it a read. Might be something to watch while waiting for football. Certainly couldn't be any worse than the state of network TV offerings, anyway...
November 22nd, 2022 at 3:36 PM ^
Not to be that guy, but Spirit and Opportunity were the 2nd and 3rd rovers to land on Mars successfully. Sojouner landed in 1997 and worked for about 90 days. A former staff member at UM's Space Physics Research Lab designed the comm system when she was at JPL.
November 22nd, 2022 at 5:35 PM ^
Logged on to upvote because Science is indeed real. Plus big balls for OT’ing during this week of all weeks.
Kudos to you sir.
November 22nd, 2022 at 6:34 PM ^
The only thing worse than gratuitous lecturing by the OP, preceding a post not necessary to be posted on this blog, is then being inaccurate in said OP. What a tool box.
And thanks for making said inaccurate OP in fact factual. It wouldn’t be mgoblog without posters like you, so go right ahead and be that guy!
November 22nd, 2022 at 9:40 PM ^
LOL! Your post is so true - there's always a self-righteous asshole to point out everyone's flaws.
November 22nd, 2022 at 3:36 PM ^
you're an ARS.
November 22nd, 2022 at 3:38 PM ^
Designed to run for 90 days, hoped to get 6 months to a year out if it .... and Opportunity ran for 15 years. Incredible. Slow clap for the engineers.
Space, bitches.
November 22nd, 2022 at 6:29 PM ^
Space. Bitches. Space.
FIFY
November 22nd, 2022 at 3:47 PM ^
Space Bitches!
November 22nd, 2022 at 3:56 PM ^
Unless there's another way to watch this, think I'm finally going be forced to sign up for Prime.
Also, for anyone who hasn't yet clicked on the link, the "Spirit" comic strip, day 1 thru day 1944, alone is worthy of your enjoyment.
November 22nd, 2022 at 4:05 PM ^
Agree on the comic, but also the trailer. Can't wait to watch with my kids and thank you for posting even if it is TOTALLY inappropriate on this blog this week. /s
November 22nd, 2022 at 4:16 PM ^
Excellent, thanks for the tip.
Over the last several months I dipped my toe into YouTube on our TV, and was surprised to find out a wealth of actual real science content is available there, including lots of space-related stuff. Sure, there is still plenty of crap available, but it's pretty easy to spot and avoid.
November 22nd, 2022 at 6:30 PM ^
Please send video of said toe dipping into TV, now that is something I want to see on YouTube (wait, what?!)
November 22nd, 2022 at 4:39 PM ^
Documentaries are about true stories, not this garbage.
November 22nd, 2022 at 5:57 PM ^
You need to get out of Ohio.
November 22nd, 2022 at 6:31 PM ^
Actually seems like he fits right in with Ohio?!
November 22nd, 2022 at 5:13 PM ^
Speed in Space?
November 22nd, 2022 at 5:34 PM ^
You seem to be implying here that Zoltan Mesko, known to have a passing interest and/or emperorship of space, is a nerd? Source?
November 22nd, 2022 at 6:28 PM ^
You don’t make the rules buddy.
November 22nd, 2022 at 7:34 PM ^
I was lucky to be at it's premiere in LA and it's an incredible inside look at the mission. It's not a scientific doc, but there are some really interesting takeaways and science revelations that come up in the movie. The have a treasure trove of footage shot by NASA throughout the life of the program, and looks at how the rovers became "family" to the scientists who worked with them, and how a new generation of scientists were brought into the NASA fold because of them. It's a doc to watch with the whole family. Kids will like.
#spacebitchesspace
November 23rd, 2022 at 11:17 AM ^
- Spirit and Opportunity. These were the first two robot missions that successfully landed on Mars.
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As Wolverine In Exile pointed out the first rover to land on Mars was Sojouner in 1997. But the first two robot missions were the Viking landers way back in 1976.