# not mundane, Phoenix lander in the air **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 28, 2008, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mundane-phoenix-lander-in-the-air/450865 "2008-05-28T11:59:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2008, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mundane-phoenix-lander-in-the-air/450865/1 "2008-05-28T11:59:45Z")
NASA sure knows how to have fun! check out this photo: [http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/phoenix-descent.php](http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/phoenix-descent.php) The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter took pictures of the Phoenix lander while it was still using it’s parachute. cool. ---
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2008, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mundane-phoenix-lander-in-the-air/450865/2 "2008-05-28T12:22:09Z")
It’s hard to express just how amazing this photo is. Well done NASA! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2008, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mundane-phoenix-lander-in-the-air/450865/3 "2008-05-28T12:33:08Z")
Oooooh, that **is** something! Dramatic and momentous-feeling. I sure wish this space-exploration stuff could happen just a little faster. I know that’s childish and unreasonable. But, it’s so exciting! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Them](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/898d66/32.png) [@The\_Them](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Them)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2008, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mundane-phoenix-lander-in-the-air/450865/4 "2008-05-28T13:46:38Z")
All warm ‘n’ fuzzy…more. This place has photos _of the lander on the ground_ AND _the remnants of the heat shield, the top-thingie and the parachute._ From orbit! 😃 Couple clicks required, but they’re obvious. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2008, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mundane-phoenix-lander-in-the-air/450865/5 "2008-05-28T13:58:21Z")
God, I love our robots. A quarter of a light-hour away, one of our robots, orbiting Mars, takes a picture of another of our robots as it descends to the Martian surface. Both robots are there solely to advance human knowledge. For violent chimps with oversized brains, we do all right sometimes. (I say “we”, like I’d ever qualify to work at JPL.) ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2008, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mundane-phoenix-lander-in-the-air/450865/6 "2008-05-28T14:35:39Z")
[QUOTE=The Them] All warm ‘n’ fuzzy…more. This place has photos _of the lander on the ground_ AND _the remnants of the heat shield, the top-thingie and the parachute._ From orbit! 😃 Couple clicks required, but they’re obvious. [/QUOTE] Too many Ts in your link… ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2008, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mundane-phoenix-lander-in-the-air/450865/7 "2008-05-28T15:13:39Z")
[QUOTE=Baldwin] God, I love our robots. [/QUOTE] Aw, shucks. ---
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2008, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mundane-phoenix-lander-in-the-air/450865/8 "2008-05-28T15:41:11Z")
[QUOTE=The Them] All warm ‘n’ fuzzy…more. This place has photos _of the lander on the ground_ AND _the remnants of the heat shield, the top-thingie and the parachute._ From orbit! 😃 Couple clicks required, but they’re obvious. [/QUOTE] Fixed [link](http://www.spaceflightnow.com/) ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2008, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mundane-phoenix-lander-in-the-air/450865/9 "2008-05-28T15:41:19Z")
Wow, it looks like it’s going to land right in that big crater, though I know it landed on a plain. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2008, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mundane-phoenix-lander-in-the-air/450865/10 "2008-05-28T15:46:02Z")
[QUOTE=teela brown] Wow, it looks like it’s going to land right in that big crater, though I know it landed on a plain. [/QUOTE] Yeah, It looks like it’s gonna be Sarlacc chow for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2008, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mundane-phoenix-lander-in-the-air/450865/11 "2008-05-28T15:55:51Z")
Here’s our own [Bad Astronomer’s](http://www.badastronomy.com/bablog/2008/05/26/phoenix-descending/) video blog on the descent photos. 🆒