Behinds the scenes for Phoenix

Here are some pictures Dan took here at Goldstone during the Phoenix landing. Enjoy our ugly faces! Uncropped and unairbrushed. :)

Half the folks in the room hid from this photo. This is WAY more folks than are normally in this room at any one time.

And here I am hard at work. Too bad you can't see what my screens are showing with these filters on the screens. Odd...

Congratulations Phoenix! You made it!

Just to reiterate, I do in fact work for NASA. So yes, I was involved with this landing, in fact I was the prime controller on the prime downlink antenna for this landing. So I know everything that happened as it happened. Which was nifty on one hand, on the other hand this wasn't the most exciting landing or event for me since Phoenix doesn't talk directly to earth, but only through a UHF relay to every other Mars bird in orbit.

So right now we're watching and waiting for the solar arrays to deploy. For me the track is a normal boring track waiting for the data relay. Here's hoping it went okay.

All of my experiences in NASA really make me realize how much most folks really don't need to know what goes on behind the curtain. It makes things a bit more boring or lose their glamor if you know how we really do things.

Update: The solar panels are confirmed opened and photos coming down! Well done!

Fun? Who has time for fun?

Wow, Gozer, you really know how to throw a challenge out there. It made me stop and think; what do I even do for fun?

First, a quick run down the list. I'm not an on-line gamer. I have a wife and two kids, so I have a lot of fun that involves them. Going to places, doing some things, but nothing in particular. When you have a family, it's often fun just to go someplace and hang out with them. The last movie we all saw together in a theater was Bridge To Tarabithia, which we liked, but it was a little weird that one of the two main characters died 2/3 of the way through. Good flick, though, and that little girl is going to be a major star.

I guess we watch a lot of television. We're big fans of kid-vid. Both my daughters are hooked on Hannah Montana, which I don't mind. The show's pretty well done, and fairly well written. A lot better, in fact, than a lot of stuff aimed at that same demographic. In fact, we watch several Disney channel shows regularly. That, Suite Life of Zach and Cody, and Kim Possible are all family favorites. Even me. Shoot, Zach and Cody is better than most of the network sitcoms. I can't get through five minutes of a Friends rerun, but Z&C is actually funny. And, it's not swimming in sexual innuendo. We also like iCarly on Nick.

For grown-up fare, I'm hooked on House. Quite simply, it's the best written show on TV. My wife's into a bunch of cop/forensic shows like CSI Miami and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. I like reruns of Crossing Jordan. I'm also an unrepentant Trekkie. Yep, Star Trek in every form, from any era. Kirk to Archer, and all the movies. Gimme Trek.

Yeah, I'm dull, and I'm out of the loop. I know what I like, though.