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Spirit Takes Snapshot of Earth

ControlFreal writes "On its 66th Sol on Mars, Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has obtained its first full view of crater Bonneville. In doing so, Spirit achieved its primary travel destination, as set out in its initial itinerary. Furthermore, Spirit has now travelled more than 300 meters, thereby fulfilling its minimum mission success criteria. With this, and Opportunity halfway through its primary mission, and having discovered very strong indications of a wet Martian past, NASA has truly many an astonishing interplanetary succes story! See the overview at the Mars Rover site for more details." Another reader writes "Among the 'money-shots' from the Mars rovers would have to rank the 'pale blue dot' image released today--a view looking back towards Earth. The larger image also includes the horizon and Sun, which because the Earth is seen as an inner planet closer in towards the Sun from a martian perspective, is difficult to photograph without saturation by solar glare."

30 of 257 comments (clear)

  1. YAY by Killjoy_NL · · Score: 4, Funny

    I CAN SEE MY HOUSE FROM HERE :D

    Lameness filter encountered. Post aborted!
    Reason: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING.

    --
    This is the sig that says NI (again)
  2. They're not fooling anyone... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    we all know the earth is flat and the "moon landings" were faked.

    1. Re:They're not fooling anyone... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
      Oh come on!

      We all know the earth is a disc on the back of a turtle.

  3. Check it out... by loserbert · · Score: 5, Funny

    If you turn down your screen resolution so everything is bigger, you can see yourself waving.

    1. Re:Check it out... by ideatrack · · Score: 5, Funny

      I was blinking, can they take it again?

  4. Infinite perspective vortex? by CoolVibe · · Score: 1, Funny

    Heck, and I thought it involved fairy cake. Turns out you need to travel to mars first. Oh well.

  5. Re:Congratulations! by Roger+Keith+Barrett · · Score: 5, Funny

    thanks for taking me there--at least in spirit.

    So you were a stow-away on Spirit?? How is your internet conncetion up there?

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  6. Re:Congratulations! by (void*) · · Score: 0, Funny

    So grateful for the opportunity to be there, in spirit.

  7. In case the image gets /. 'd: by Jase_000 · · Score: 5, Funny
    Here's the image in ASCII representation:

    . <-- You are here
    1. Re:In case the image gets /. 'd: by itsme1234 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Ok, but where's the Moon ?

  8. Pic of Earth. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Dang. They could have told us when to say cheese.

  9. Zooming in... by Punk+Walrus · · Score: 2, Funny
    ... you can see the Great Wall of China! No, really! Just use the zooming software used in shows like CSI or movies like Blade Runner.

    Before I get mail...

  10. Kairos by Hungus · · Score: 2, Funny

    The place where the Thirteenth Tribe of Man lives "on a shining planet known as Earth."

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  11. Re:Congratulations! by CoolVibe · · Score: 4, Funny

    I think he gets decent speeds, but the latency must be a bitch.

  12. Well.. by hookedup · · Score: 4, Funny

    You have to love the "You are here" caption on that image of earth from mars.

    Who says nasa scientists dont have a sense of humor.

  13. Re:hmmm by BillFarber · · Score: 4, Funny

    Based on your slashdot Friends list, I'd say that's about right. ;)

  14. Re:Congratulations! by Bromrrrrr · · Score: 5, Funny

    and looking at JPEGs of something on the net isn't the same as seeing it in person

    It isn't?? There goes my love-life then.

    --

    What a rotten party, have we run out of beer or something?
  15. Re:It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's a... Spacecraft by meringuoid · · Score: 3, Funny
    Wow... a genuine UFO picture from NASA. Who'd have thought it?

    Then again, with the number of dead spaceprobes around Mars it's perhaps not so surprising if they've spotted one of them. Now, if they could find the Beagle we'd be tremendously pleased...

    --
    Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
  16. Re:Waste of Time and Money by meringuoid · · Score: 4, Funny
    Imagine the night sky on Titan!

    OK, I'm imagining it. I'm imagining sitting there on Titan and really kicking myself for going all that way for a closeup view of Saturn and then picking as my vantage point the one and only moon in the entire Solar System with a thick smoggy atmosphere so that I can't see a damn thing ;-)

    --
    Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
  17. Re:Time will tell? by OwlWhacker · · Score: 5, Funny

    That would depend on how long it takes them to edit out the Martians laughing at our puny attempts to look at their planet.

    You can imagine them all standing around spirit and saying stuff like:

    Martian 1: "Look! It's moving!"

    Martian 2: "Where? I can't see anything..."

    Martian 1: "It's slow, but it is moving, can't you see?"

    Martian 3: "Geez! Haven't you guys got anything better to do than poke around with that thing?"

  18. Picture is obviously a fake! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    I mean, how on earth could NASA position such a large arrow, big letters and a magnifier in space?

  19. Martian Money Shots by mykepredko · · Score: 1, Funny

    Maybe because of porn thread yesterday, when I saw the term Money-Shots in the introduction, I immediately got a vision of appolectic Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson when they find out that not only is there life on Mars but their reproductive processes are similar to ours (with the same predillictions for watching them).

    Spam of the 21st century: "Grateful, teenaged Martian sluts eager to thank you for taking them away from their dry, cold, dark homes."

    Laugh - it's friday.

    myke

  20. I feel so insignificant by Woogiemonger · · Score: 2, Funny

    We are infinitesimal specks on an infinitesimal dot amongst the infinite expanse of our universe. How ever did Zaphod Beeblebrox cope with such a horrific concept?

  21. Re:But the cultural impact... by the_Bionic_lemming · · Score: 2, Funny

    Unfortunately if you look back at the Earth you're looking towards the sun.

    Sheesh - all they have to do is wait till it's night and take the picture! I hear that's how they're gonna make the first solar landing - might work you know - everything cools down when the sun goes down... :)

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  22. Re:Congratulations! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    I think I see my house...

  23. Re:It's a breath taking picture by basingwerk · · Score: 2, Funny

    Judging by your post, there isn't.

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    I stole this .sig
  24. DNA by FrostedWheat · · Score: 2, Funny

    If only they'd put 'Mostly Harmless' instead of 'You Are Here'.

  25. Re:Very humbling indeed by Eccles · · Score: 3, Funny

    Can we have your liver, then?

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    Ooh, a sarcasm detector. Oh, that's a real useful invention.
  26. Re:Waste of Time and Money by moltar77 · · Score: 2, Funny

    As someone who lives in Nebraska, I can tell you these pictures are far more exciting. I mean, there's HILLS on Mars!!

  27. Re:Congratulations! by cmdr_beeftaco · · Score: 3, Funny

    I was taking a picture of Mars at the exact same time this photo was taken. This gives me the distance record for a photo-of-you-taking-a-picture-of-me-taking-a-pictu re-of-you-taking-a-picture-of-me.