Added: 3 years ago
From: TheBadAstronomer
Views: 107,498
Sort by time | Sort by thread (beta)

Link to this comment:

Share to:
see all

All Comments (236)

Sign In or Sign Up now to post a comment!
  • your reactions while your talking makes me wanna slap you veeerrryyy HARD!

  • a idiot talk too much about a idiot picture

  • @zelez4ever Fail troll is a fail.

  • ..and what u also forget to boast is that the shot was taken even though the chute opened 7 seconds after it should'a.!!(or something like that)

  • Amazing yes!

  • "We actually go and take look"

    Nicely said, I think this picture is a milestone for human potential and advancement.

  • hey dude you need to stop smoking that shit...that picture looks like someone's jizz with thermo cam

  • this is if you´ll pardon my french fucking amazing

  • This is such an awesome video, and photo!

  • WTF ! das gehört nich heir her man !!!!!!! schwuchtel!

  • ach komm halts maul. der typ interessiert sich halt dafür. wieso sollte das nicht hierher gehören, du sack. ich bin froh, dass ich es gesehen habe!

  • It is absolutely fantastic to see there are other people out there with passion and drive for the very best that humans can accomplish. And people that know how to admire it.

    Go you!

  • ummm...little excited?

  • @billsfan125 Foool.

  • Yay for you!!!

  • Uh that's not that exciting. At all.

  • that guy is right

  • you can say bad astronomy again....

  • lol stupid?

  • wtf

  • It is admirable that you understand the impact of exploring the unexplored frontiers. Thank you for posting the video.

  • Nerd Alert

  • i see two white dots

  • bla bla bla -_______- boring video and boring man

  • Good Story Bro.

  • Yeah yeah, that's estomaching. Go to sleep.

    That make me think that scientists try to amaze us in face of things like that because they are unable to fight against the poetry of the universe, wich is only understandable by metaphysic.

  • ui, you're really clever asshole

  • Some of these comments are so elementary... when someone says they think there may be aliens on mars... they arent talking about aliens like the aliens u see in the movies.. we are talking about different life forms like micro organisms or bacteria just some form of life...People think that when u say aliens it means like aliens from aliens vs. predator or something.... I'm flabbergasted

  • I'm a subscriber now. You're not the typically blogging douchebag. It's good to see someone else appreciates this kind of thing. You articulated why I thought that photo was special, like I never could. Great job.

  • there are about 1000000 other chances of a planet like earth.... this is because where we live is just 1 galaxy of billions

  • there was life on mars no im not talking about aliens or any thing like that but there was petrified wood there and we could have already bean on another planet like the moon it has a core,mantle,and a crust it had a volcano 3 billion years a ago and has ice in north and south it has water in craters and the water there has like the sigh h2o o stands for oxegen

    and we all eventually die u got to face the truth we will all die of a reason its true jeopld f@ck u

  • Petrified wood on Mars? Most definitely not. We have not found life on Mars, but we believe there might have been bacteria there when there was water covering the planet about 1 billion years ago. That's just guesswork at this stage though, and we have most definitely not found petrified wood on Mars.

  • i hope i live long enough to see humans live on mars, even if it will be only experimental...

  • OMG to nerdy

  • great video mate. Seeing pictures like this really is an inspiration.

    I love your passion for the subject. Space facinates me, i hope that in the future (our lifetime) civilians are able to at least fly in orbit around earth.

  • I get goosebumps when I see this shot too. It brings that mission home a bit. Actually seeing a mission in action from orbit around another planet.

    Very cool!

  • Love your Passion, Ill be at Tam london and I hope Ill get to meet you.

    Best regards

    Jim

  • you sir,

    are very passionate,

    keep it up

  • OHH I GET IT! no, not really, STFU!

  • Illuminati

  • Maaaaaaaaaarssssssssssss lander EUROPE CONQUISTED MARS !!! U.S.A STUPID!! OK? YOU AND STEND?

  • oh i know what you mean...

    you are on crack

  • Yoghurt!

    love your work man!

  • Call me a nerd. But this made me cry.

  • Comment removed

  • Holy shit dude. Take the fucking hamstrer outta your ass.

  • that no matter what is one hell of a picture

  • are you going to cry or what?

  • i wanna give u 1 punch!

    u gotta black eye to me!!

  • Thanks you for this message, you might sound nerd or geek but i don't think so... this is a great message. thank you from Paris in France

  • I love your passion - and your book is great too!

  • he is a wizard!

    xD

  • Im willing to bet this is the video this guy posted on E-Harmony

  • yeah i usually like this kinda shit, but this guy is going ott to the extreme

  • Oh, wow! I see it! I seeeeee it!!!!! yes!! yes!!! oh, yes!!!!! I have seeeeen the future and it is in this photo.

    I need a joint now.

  • omg im so high after this

  • DONK

  • Yeah

  • Nicely said :).

  • You're such a nerd to find a blurry picture so awesome. It totally is awesome, though. :)

  • fuck offf ok juste fuk off =.=

  • r ya excited a little? lol

  • Hey Phil which to you would be more significant: this picture of the first steps on the moon. I personally see the moonlandings as more of a leap for our civilization than sending inanimate objects to Mars. Nothing can replace the value of exploring another world first-hand.

  • i think mars is laughing at us all the time because of our nukes and we killing eachother you know what mars **** you

  • Indeed FANTASTIC!!!

  • Your passion is fantastic - just like that picture!

  • lets go to the gym

  • what's your point??? i go to the gym all the time and love astronomy.. what are you trying to imply?

  • he's right in every point. I just can't keep wondering. if phil is so excited about space exploration, why diden't he enter, astronautical engineering.(building and designing spacecrafts, instead of astronomy.

  • It's nice to see someone else who gets so emotional when discussing things like this. I've tried many times to explain to my friends why I'm almost brought to tears when I talk about astronomy or space exploration, and they still don't get it (As I see a few of the people here don't get). I think I'll show them this video for a PERFECT example and explanation of how I feel.

  • AWEFUCKINSOME

  • " when we try " .......

  • It's great to see someone else get so excited over this.

    However, what makes me also gasp in awe is how little reporting you could find on this on the day it landed.

    People are more interested in recent photos and video of the latest celebrity indiscretion than they are with this enormous human accomplishment.

    It's such things that make me fret for human-kind.

  • EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    me and my friend were watching this together and he says.. "i wish other ppl were as interested in space exploration such as the guy speaking

    b.t.w. my friend is a trekie :)

    BUT TOTALLY!!!!! what i was thinking at the time.. its a pitty that ppl dont realize how big this is.. it is basically the modern "christopher columbus" or "vikings" of history exploring and reaching "new worlds" literally in this matter lol... hope my son gets attached to astrology...

  • pretty sure you mean astronomy friend lol!, astrology is horoscope's and the like, know what you mean though if i could go back to school this would be the career for me.

  • hopeless romantic

  • isnt it hopeless romance??? p.s. it isn't.... just your thinking is... pitty...

  • Fuck Earth.

    I mean, just look at the retards here posting retarded comments.

    I'm moving to Mars.

  • Are you being sarcastic? Because good luck at moving to Mars...

  • No, Marcie57, people who can't spell "loser" are losers.

  • @macronencer I think the internet has ruined this generation's spelling and english skills,..."looser" means easier to slip off than others in a relitive spectrum. "Loser" distinctly indicates an individual person coasting through life halfassed and lazy trying to stay at one level of mediocrity not giving back to the community that spawned an idiot that cannot spell loser.

  • What the fuck is wrong with you?

    Are you honestly so pathetic as to have to make fun of those who are more successful and more brilliant than yourself to feel good?

  • That's a great picture, yes. Nothing like that since the moon landings, and those were a lot easier to take. 5 stars.

  • i love this guy !...he happy !...im happy !

    yeah i agree,..human ingenuity it's amazing !

    we're amazing !

    burp,..i just burped

  • Lots of math and a little luck.

    The background is black because of the exposure levels. If you take the image file that was released and boost the brightness/contrast you can see Mars behind the probe.

    Dumbass.

  • That picture fucking blew my mind when I first saw it... I am really excited that by the way things seem to be going, there will be people on mars in my lifetime. When I was little I wanted to be the first women on the moon and the first person on Mars, but I'm definitely not NASA material... I will be content to see someone do it though :)

  • umm ok?

  • Can't program your VCR, can you?

  • YOU ARE DUMB!!HOw can you say this is FAKE??THERE ARE about 1000 IMAGES TAKEN BY THE Phoenix Mars Lander.YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE ANY KNOWLEDGE ON WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!!!!!You don't even know the physics,engineering,propulsion and etc about this Lander...

  • Wow nice comment Jonkiddth, That is his life. You take what we have done for granted. planes, Cars, boats, cell phones, DVD's, Everything was made by people with a passion for what they love to do. Try for the next level. Not sit around making stupid comments, Cause you dont have the brain power to do it yourself. Or maybe your just a rich kid who figures my dad made money, so I can be lazy and brainless. If it was not for Phil and others. you wouldn't have the computer you are on now.

  • Sorry man you sound like your having an orgasm here.

  • Mr. Plait is the real DOCTOR Phil.

  • Well said, Phil. Looking at this photo immediately reminded me of a moment in the short lived (but well written) TV show, Sports Night. At the conclusion of the epiisode, a character is sharing a sandwich with a homeless man as they watch the network coverage of an Everest ascent. He simply turns, smiles and says, "Look what we can do."

    Indeed. I look at what we can do as a people, and I smile.

    Hope to meet you at TAM6!

  • I see the trolls have been around lately.

    Excellent photo, Phil. Simple, but very significant.

  • I would say "AMEN!" but that word doesn't mean much to either of us. So, instead, may I submit "WORD!"

  • ok carl, errr... phil.

  • Randi sent me here and it was worth the trip - great example of what people can really do and not a trace ow woo-woo in sight. Thanks.

  • Phil. I was in hospital so missed the whole Phoenix landing shebang. THANK YOU so much for this (and all your posts on this momentous event) As always I LOVE your enthusiasm excitement and sense of wonder and achievement. Sometimes (not often)we Humans do things that make me proud to be here.

  • First saw the picture on RLV news. Totally stunned by the idea. Just a beautiful moment to contemplate what was accomplished.

    JPL, big respect!

    Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm Phil.

    A glass of a fine Riesling raised to you from down under.

  • Why do all of Randi's "enemies" always have such terrible grammar?

  • May there be more pictures to add to your list, Phil :)

  • This is wonderful! I love that we've been doing this and cannot wait until humans take their first steps on another planet. I hope I live to see the day when we have permanent colonies on Mars - or any other planet. Hell, I'd even volunteer to go... What an achievement!

  • Same could have been said for teips to the moon, orbital, space travel, expditions to the rain firest, everest, darkest africa....

  • Quite.

  • It's got to do with education, science and an IQ over 45, so it's just not for you. Don't eat yellow snow.

  • Great attitude, man.

  • I see what happened here, too many people tolerating your banal stupidity, gulling you into thinking your POV is valid. Your question is moronic, you should be ashamed of yourself and yet for some reason you expect an answer.

  • "but could somebody please explain how it makes this planet a better place? Thanks."

    Thats an entirely uncalled for unimaginative and uninsightful bore of pessimism. But if you actually need an answer.

    One poem, that is considered one of the greatest ever written in the english language, goes something like this:

    "We need to expand in NEW directions in order to grow."

  • " none but the rich will ever inhabit."

    Perhaps if you spent less time indulging in snarky class-baiting and paranoia, you might have taken time to discover how many inventions and advances that everyone enjoys today were created as a direct result of the space program (GPS for the over-your-head obvious example). But I can see from your cliche ridden response that you're more used to fermenting convenient assumptions than actually researching a well-informed opinion, pretending you're clever.

  • I invite you, without the rancour you seem to wish to provoke, to list these inventions. GPS over my head? Is that a joke? What a boon it has been to the military, however. And let's hope Virgin Mars bring their prices down really soon.

  • "GPS over my head? Is that a joke?"

    Well why did you need someone else to bring it up? Its common technology used by police, firefighters, and ambulances everyday, not to mention totally available to the average joe. Since you didnt bring it up even though it was the obvious answer, you obviously didnt know about it, or were too busy fear-mongering to look it up.

  • You mean, 'fomenting', btw.

  • If you think "expanding in new directions" is a dumb idea in general, that says a great deal about your rather bland imagination and ignorance of most of the advancements of the human race.

    I noticed how your superficial response wasnt actual able to refute the point, rather hiding yourself behind transparent pseudo-intellectualism that'll only get you laughed at.

  • Just because it's in space, a long way away, doesn't mean it's in a new direction. What about deep sea exploration?

  • "Just because it's in space, a long way away, doesn't mean it's in a new direction. What about deep sea exploration?"

    We've already mapped the sea floor, already sent subs as deep as we can, and already know there's life down there.

    That translates into a big "so what?"

    Finding life on another planet however, has far more exciting scientific, philosophical, and ethical avenues of discovery.

  • Simple Space Program ideas such as Satellites (Cell Phones, Communication, Wireless Internet etc) or Rechargable Batteries (Cell phones again, Laptops etc etc) surround us every day had you bothered to look into it. If you use any of the above devices then I guess I'm justified in calling you a hypocrite, and would expect you to dump all such devices immediately.

    There are people who get to imagine the new technology of the world, and may we all be thankful that you'll never be one of them. ;)

  • As I predicted, you can't help being hostile. God help the Martians when you get there.

  • "As I predicted, you can't help being hostile"

    As opposed to your digging up a dead and buried argument from MONTHS AGO? And blabbing away in utter anger as if everyone was hoping on baited breath to start the argument all over?

    Dude, its been MONTHS. Its over with and done. Responding this late only points out your own fanaticism with starting arguments whereever you can.

  • That wasn't its goal. Rather, I think part of its goal is to make homo sapien a better species. At least to give them more knowledge of their universe.

  • And thos who want better videos of the whole thing can very well go develop that themselves and put them in orbit and do all the math for themselves.

    Don't criticize these accomplishments.

    Do you want some cooler footage or something?

    Do you realise how hard it is, to just get these things off the ground? And the difficulties only augment from there!

    Have some respect for what we can do with what we have.

    There's so much in this picture and you're whining about the quality?

    *sigh*

  • And when they zoomed out of that picture, there's a huge crater in the backround!!!

    I must say that the picture actually affected me emotionally, and I can see that I'm not alone in that.

    I agree, this picture shows humans in action. That picture is like the point of view of an alien and they could say "Oh, there's those humans at it again!"

    I loved the preciseness of the whole endevour as well.

    PS: Phoenix was launched on my birdthday!

    I hope it finds something. Fingers crossed!

  • You guys have to grasp the concept of what this picture means. This is a picture of a man-made machine about to land on another planet. Its not about color or getting an HD shot, it is Man breaking through scientific boundaries.

  • But who will pick up the trash after the mission is finished? I mean can we just leave parachutes, modules and rovers all over the place?

  • I can't think of words to describe how stupid your comment is.

  • Are you really that ignorant? MRO was designed to take pictures of Mars' surface, not to take pictures of a descending lander. The distance of 280 million kilometers to Mars doesn't exactly make it easy to send a goddamn video feed from a spacecraft that never was even designed to take pictures of nothing but the fucking surface. Get a grip.

  • "This shit is fucking lame!"

    Incorrect. It's actually quite awesome. :)

    "They fucked up the previous two missions, now to me it's totally clear why that happened..."

    ... and that would be? Apparently, using an instrument in a way it wasn't specifically designed to be used (ie. to image another spacecraft) = obvious reason as to why previous missions failed? I'm afraid your train of thought makes no sense.

  • "This ...." What a small minded person to post this. Where does your mind spend all it's time, crappy music, celebrity gossip, video games? Do the world a favour, don't pass on your DNA.

  • Was your comment directed to me or semiliteratedgod? I can't quite tell - you appear to have quoted him yet you replied to my comment.

  • Sorry, it was to Semi-

    I replied to the wrong post.

  • that semiliteratedgod is soooo DUMB!!He/she doesn't even know anything about this lander and etc.

  • Yeah...this is a very cool picture:) think about how little raw pixel information it contains, and how much story and other information is there at the same time.

  • That is just fantastic, absolutely amazing, you never really realize how outstanding that really is that is unbelievable.

  • PZ said it great today. Science is Imagination with grappling hooks.

  • love it ...great work..keep it up!

  • What I think many people need to remind themselves, is science is built on math. Math is a power that humans can use to bring life, and take it. Math is one of the greatest powers humans shall ever have.

  • When I heard that it had landed safely, I was overcome with joy. We are beings with unlimited potential. Its amazing what we can do if we put our minds to it.

  • Your enthusiasm is contagious. =)

  • That's pretty sweet if you really think about it! I want to go to Mars! The power of the human mind is truly amazing. Imagine where we will be in even 50 years!

  • how does the high altitude subsonic parachute work? on earth a parachute doesn't deploy over 15000ft due to low air pressure. mars 0,0043psi, how many pounds would the parachute hold up?

  • Was für ein mitreißender Enthusiast ist dieser Phil! Super!

  • Yea, it's an awesome picture. The first version I saw was overexposed, but when that's adjusted it's simply stunning. The detail is surprising, the engineering to get the shot is just mind boggling.

  • Awesome.

    Off-topic: Phil! I wonder what books are on your shelf. I see Astronomy for Dummies and something by Carl Sagan. What else have you got hiding there? :)

  • I got goosebumps now.

  • This is the most inspiring snapshot (and yours the most inspiring words) I've had the pleasure of grasping, for a long time.

  • Holy haleakala, Phil -- have you seen this one?

    planetary s3 amazonaws com/misc/PSP_008579_9020_desce­nt.jpg (fill the dots) -- it's "Phoenix against Heimdall crater as it lands" as described by Emily Lakdawalla!

  • Leporidus says "Holy haleakala, Phil -- have you seen this one? (Bad URL Here) -- it's "Phoenix against Heimdall crater as it lands" as described by Emily Lakdawalla!"

    new URL is: planetary . org/blog/article/00001547/ This one explains how the instrument captured the image noting causes of (photographic) artifacts in the image.

  • Great picture dude i was lookin' 4 something like this cuz what we always see is computer animation and...this is real dude!!!....i just don't want 2 see ur reaction when men land on Mars...