OT: Lots of cool things happening in 2004 in space - Stardust today (Jan. 2nd)!!!

[OhioDude]

Stardust intersects Comet Wilt on Friday, January 2nd, 2004 - TODAY!!!!

Spirit (hopefully) lands on Mars on Saturday, January 3rd, 2004.

Opportunity (hopefully) lands on Mars on Saturday, January 24th, 2004

Cassini enters orbit around Saturn on Thursday, July 1st, 2004. (BTW - One of the brightest objects currently visible in the night sky is Saturn.)

January events at NASA/JPL

Cassini home page at NASA/JPL

🙂

[EDIT]

View the Stardust webcast here beginning at 11:00 AM PST (2:00 PM EST, 7:00 PM GMT):

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/webcast/stardust/jan04.cfm

 

[titanmiller]

I'm looking fowards to those mars landers, its too bad that Britans Beagle 2 didnt work (yet) though.
I cant wait until a manned mission to mars is officaly in the schedule, I'm sure it will easily happen in my lifetime

 

[RustyNale]

What great times we're living in...🙂

 

[CurtOien]

I'm sure it will easily happen in my lifetime

I was about 10 years old when the Apollo missions were bringing man to the moon.
I was dissapointed when I saw the movie 2001 A Space odyssey, because I was sure that we would be living more like StarTreck by that time. Now I hope just to see a man step on Mars.

 

[RaySun2Be]

😎

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: Curt Oien

I'm sure it will easily happen in my lifetime

I was about 10 years old when the Apollo missions were bringing man to the moon.
I was dissapointed when I saw the movie 2001 A Space odyssey, because I was sure that we would be living more like StarTreck by that time. Now I hope just to see a man step on Mars.

Sadly this is true.

We certainly have had no Kennedy around 🙁

 

[Spacehead]

In May, the MESSENGER spacecraft basts off towards Mercury to become the first probe to orbit the planet.


Sunday morning, January 4th - Sky watchers in western Europe and eastern parts of North America will have the best view, weather permitting for the Quadrantid meteor shower. Predictions are for 25 to 60 per hour.
Evenings from mid-March to early April - Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter & Saturn are visible in the evenings.
June 8 - Venus transits the Sun at sunrise for the Eastern 3rd of the U.S. & Canada and during mid-day in Europe.
October 27 - a total lunar eclipse throughout North America.

 

[OhioDude]

In case anyone is interested, the Stardust webcast can be seen here:

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/webcast/stardust/jan04.cfm

It begins at 11:00 AM PST today (January 2nd, 2004).

🙂