{"id":4692,"date":"2021-02-19T22:53:13","date_gmt":"2021-02-19T22:53:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/?p=4692"},"modified":"2021-02-19T22:55:46","modified_gmt":"2021-02-19T22:55:46","slug":"perseverance-landing-pictures-from-jpl-and-mars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/perseverance-landing-pictures-from-jpl-and-mars\/","title":{"rendered":"Perseverance Landing: Pictures From JPL and Mars"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/gm0b_ijaYMQ\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20210209ff\/20200218-117pm-Mars2020NASAcoverage-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Picking up where I left off yesterday, Perseverance is on Mars.<\/p>\n<p>The UAE&#8217;s Hope (Misabar Al Amal) and China&#8217;s Tianwen-1 had already arrived.<\/p>\n<p>Misabar Al Amal is historically important. It&#8217;s the UAE&#8217;s first Mars orbiter.<\/p>\n<p>But today I&#8217;ll be talking about Perseverance, JPL, NASA \u2014 but mostly how I feel about yesterday&#8217;s and today&#8217;s events.<\/p>\n<p>Which reminds me. NASA released a couple more images today. They&#8217;re at the end of this journal entry.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/be-not-afraid-of-geekness\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20190304ff\/20090301-2011-geeks-and-nerds-collage-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\"><\/a>As for how I&#8217;m feeling, and why, what I said a couple years back pretty much says it all.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m one of those folks who read dictionaries for fun. If I had more finely-tuned social skills, I might be a geek. I&#8217;ve been told I&#8217;m a nerd. I won&#8217;t deny it&#8230;.&#8221;<br \/>\n(&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/be-not-afraid-of-geekness\/\">Be Not Afraid of Geekness<\/a>&#8221; (April 6, 2019))<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>About the pictures:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Eight are screen captures from NASA\/JPL coverage of the Mars 2020 landing<\/li>\n<li>The selfie Perseverance took during landing is from NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/li>\n<li>The image from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter&#8217;s HiRISE camera is from NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/University of Arizona<\/li>\n<li>The &#8216;geek\/nerd&#8217; cartoon is from someone using 909sickle as a moniker<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Now, the pictures and my off-the-cuff comments. Which may or may not have anything to do with the pictures.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/gm0b_ijaYMQ\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20210209ff\/20200218-216pm-Mars2020NASAcoverage-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>JPL mission control, right after I started watching. Doesn&#8217;t look all that different from the Johnson Spaceflight Center&#8217;s mission control during the Apollo flights. A tad more streamlined, different color scheme. Folks wearing face masks. Okay. That&#8217;s different.<\/p>\n<h4><a name=\"traditional\"><\/a>Traditional Peanuts<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/gm0b_ijaYMQ\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20210209ff\/20200218-226pm-Mars2020NASAcoverage-peanuttradition-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>You can&#8217;t have a mission without peanuts. Well, that actually is an option.<\/p>\n<p>But back in the day, folks at JPL did their jobs while Rangers 1 through 6 failed.<\/p>\n<p>Ranger 7 hit Earth&#8217;s moon, as planned <strong>and<\/strong> sent back pictures before doing so. Celebration ensued. And someone noticed that 1 through 6 had been peanut-free, but peanuts were available at mission control for 7: the one that worked.<\/p>\n<p>Folks at JPL aren&#8217;t, I figure, superstitious. But I don&#8217;t blame them for having a &#8220;peanut&#8221; tradition, dating back to Ranger 7. I talked about that last year. (<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/mars-2020-mission-launched\/#jpls\">July 30, 2020<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>This year was different. Pandemic precautions being what they are, JPL&#8217;s crew arranged for small peanut packs &#8211; and a reasonably cautious &#8216;one peanut under the mask&#8217; procedure.<\/p>\n<p>And Perseverance landed safely. I&#8217;m not superstitious \u2014 that&#8217;s not an option \u2014 but I have to problem with traditions. Including those involving peanuts.<\/p>\n<h4><a name=\"jpl\"><\/a>JPL Jubilation<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/gm0b_ijaYMQ\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20210209ff\/20200218-229pm-Mars2020NASAcoverage-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Another angle on JPL&#8217;s mission control. Like I said: sleeker tech, different colors. But pretty much like the Sixties, back in Houston.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/gm0b_ijaYMQ\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20210209ff\/20200218-237pm-Mars2020NASAcoverage-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>One of the folks manning JPL&#8217;s mission control in 2021. Wait a minute. &#8220;Manning??&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Some things have changed.<\/p>\n<p>I don&#8217;t yearn for the &#8216;good old days,&#8217; and I&#8217;ve talked about that before. A lot.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/gm0b_ijaYMQ\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20210209ff\/20200218-256pm-Mars2020NASAcoverage-confirmedlanding-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Touchdown confirmed. Perseverance on Mars and apparently in good shape.<\/p>\n<p>Carefully-spaced celebration back on Earth.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/gm0b_ijaYMQ\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20210209ff\/20200218-259pm-Mars2020NASAcoverage-firstimageengieeringcamera-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>First image from Perseverance. From, I gather, an engineering camera. Not the best quality, in part because dust from the landing hasn&#8217;t settled yet. I think I heard that the transparent lens cap was still on, too.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/gm0b_ijaYMQ\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20210209ff\/20200218-301pm-Mars2020NASAcoverage-secondimageengieeringcamera-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Second picture from Percy\/Perseverance. From another engineering camera. I don&#8217;t know why both are black and white &#8211; bandwidth, maybe??<\/p>\n<h4><a name=\"selfie\"><\/a>A Selfie and a Snapshot<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov\/news\/8866\/nasas-perseverance-rover-sends-sneak-peek-of-mars-landing\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20210209ff\/20210219-8866_1-PIA24428-1280-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Now <strong>that&#8217;s<\/strong> a selfie! Perseverance being lowered into Jezero Crater.<\/p>\n<p>I have one word for this. And the next picture. Wow.<\/p>\n<p>Or would that be two words? One wow for each? Never mind.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov\/news\/8866\/nasas-perseverance-rover-sends-sneak-peek-of-mars-landing\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20210209ff\/20210219-25610_PIA24270-HiRISE-touchdown-annotated-1200-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter&#8217;s HiRISE camera caught this view of western Jezero Crater and the Mars 2020 mission&#8217;s parachute descent phase. Like I said, wow.<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s about it for now. I wanted to share those pictures, and my enthusiasm for what&#8217;s happening on and around Mars, and I&#8217;ve now done that.<\/p>\n<p>Next, the seemingly-inevitable links to somewhat-related stuff:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/perseverance-on-mars-february-18-2021\/\">Perseverance on Mars: February 18, 2021<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\n(February 18, 2021)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/exploring-mars-looking-for-life-and-still-learning\/\">Exploring Mars, Looking for Life: and Still Learning<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\n(February 14, 2021)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/new-years-eve-2020-i-imagine-we-will-survive\/\">New Year\u2019s Eve, 2020: I Imagine We Will Survive<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\n(December 31, 2020)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/mars-2020-mission-launched\/\">Mars 2020 Mission Launched<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\n(July 30, 2020)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/skydiving-and-lent\/\">Skydiving and Lent<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\n(February 11, 2018)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Picking up where I left off yesterday, Perseverance is on Mars. The UAE&#8217;s Hope (Misabar Al Amal) and China&#8217;s Tianwen-1 had already arrived. Misabar Al Amal is historically important. It&#8217;s the UAE&#8217;s first Mars orbiter. But today I&#8217;ll be talking &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/perseverance-landing-pictures-from-jpl-and-mars\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[192],"tags":[27,164,40,39],"class_list":["post-4692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-journal","tag-history","tag-mars","tag-solar-planets","tag-space-exploration"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Dwtw-1dG","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4692"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4695,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4692\/revisions\/4695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}