NASA orbiter set for risky Mars maneuver

[Roon]

PASADENA, Calif. - After a seven-month journey, a NASA spacecraft closed in on Mars Friday on a mission to examine the Red Planet in unprecedented detail from low orbit.

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, loaded with the most sophisticated science instruments ever flown to another planet, has traveled 310 million miles (500 million kilometers) for this rendezvous. The spacecraft was set to fire its engines Friday afternoon, abruptly slowing down so it can be captured into the planet’s orbit.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11761917/

[dave29]

1. watching nasa tv - they are about to pressurize the fuel tanks

go MRO!!

[Roon]

2. It's exciting!

I hope nothing goes wrong like so many others.

[dave29]

looks like pressurization went smoothly!

Next they will switch to the low gain antenna in a few minutes

[Roon]

4. Cool! eom

[Wilms]

3. Here's the JPL page with links to video.

http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/mro

[oscar111]

5. more money wastd as nine million starve to death on earth

all so mr. Lockheed can profit off making the launcher


The pluto shot was the worst waste in this category. Who really needed that?

the one space project i would be for right now is the "orbiting sunshade".. and few are alert to the idea.
google that term for CBS news page on Lawrence Livermore lab research to end global roasting.

some few other shots might be worth it.. but most, no.

[stevekatz]

6. blah

Thats such crap
The exploration of space, and especially Mars is the single greatest investment the human race can make

[megatherium]

8. scientific research and exploration has paid off tremendously

for human kind. But I would agree that the manned space program has been a big boondoggle.

[FlaGranny]

17. Only someone

who does not understand what science has done for humanity would say that.

[arwalden]

21. E-Yup!

[eppur_se_muova]

20. It's not either/or; don't buy into that line. We can afford both.

The problem is that this misadministration doesn't WANT to help the poor and hungry, it wants to help its fatcat cronies. Cutting NASA's budget wouldn't help the poor, it would help the fatcats -- and NASA is having its budget cut repeatedly. See recent posts in Science and Environment/Energy.

[rman]

22. Less than 1/1000's of the cost of the Iraq war

720million vs 1 trillion
or
0.72 billion vs 1000 billion


There are people who could privately finance several Mars missions.

[megatherium]

7. "doppler confirms main burn has successfully begun."

or something like that: I gather it's supposed to last 27 minutes, but then there will be an hour before they're able to regain communication with the craft. Coverage through 6 pm EST; post arrival briefing 7:30 EST.

[dave29]

9. looking good!

[Wilms]

10. From a few weeks back - Mars Gets Broadband Connection

Mars Gets Broadband Connection

New orbiter will provide future missions with high data rates

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[Wilms]

11. !!!!YES!!!!!!!

They did it!

[Barrett808]

12. "Right on the money" n/t

[Wilms]

14. Came out from behind with 109% power level, too. n/t

[dave29]

13. Right where they need to be

boy those guys and gals are good.!!!

[dave29]

15. "MRO is in orbit around planet Mars"

wahoo!

[Barrett808]

16. Two-way Doppler confirms: Captured into Mars orbit n/t

[Wilms]

18. .

[sofa king]

19. Woohoo!

This is one of the riskier orbit captures I've ever seen. I'm glad the first step is a success.

[Javaman]

23. Risky maneuver, huh? is that the full layout with the double twist? n/t

[Javaman]

24. self delete, dup