"How To Build A Mars Rover" -- The Applied Sciences Story Of Curiosity's Ride To Mars

This past August, in silence, we celebrated 40 full years since our first soft landing on Mars. And it was exactly ten years ago, yesterday, that the Mars Reconnaissance spacecraft entered orbit around the red planet.

By August of this year, the Curiosity rover will have been on-site, driving around on Mars -- and drilling, and sending data back to Earth -- for five full years. . . long beyond the expected lifespan of its applied science marvels.

Available on AmazonTV is a new documentary -- in an hour (or so) of high def -- all about Curiosity's jaw-dropping journey, and ongoing work. Do go see it -- free to Amazon Prime members.

. . .Mars, a coal of fire is rising,

Rising slowly in the summer twilight sky

Fierce it glows beyond the pine trees,

With a redness all its own,

Rising lonely, while the night breeze

Stirs the branches, with a moan. . . .

-- Catherine Cate Coblentz,
Mars Hill, Lowell Observatory
Flagstaff, Arizona 1924

And here's a two minute trailer:



This is of course offered in our continuing series of posts aimed at highlighting careers in STEM, and in our post series about the wonder that space science offers to younger viewers, more generally. Onward -- with a perma-grin, ear to ear. . . Whoosh, I'm out.

नमस्ते