Curiosity Mars Landing Video?

[alfadoc]

Does anyone know a site or TV channel that will be playing the Mars landing on August 5th live(as live as a 20 light-minute distance will allow)? I've seen some sites that will live-blog it, but I'm assuming there is a camera on the lander or sky crane, and would love to see it as it comes in.

[richkat]

I would think that the NASA channel will cover it (346 on Directv). If not I know the NASA web site will ( NASA.gov )......Rich

[Retired_for_now]

The NASA TV schedule (check often for changes) is here:
NASA - NASA TV Schedule

It looks like coverage begins August 2 with review/updates. Live landing coverage looks like it begins 12AM (US Eastern Daylight Time) on 6 August. UTC time 4AM, 6 August to convert to your local time (assuming my time math is correct).

August 2, Thursday (Time U.S. EDT)
1 p.m. - NASA Science News Conference - MSL Mission Science Overview - JPL (All Channels)

August 3, Friday
6 - 10 a.m. - Live Satellite Interviews on Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity Rover Landing - JPL (Public and Media Channels)
12 - 2:30 p.m. - NASA Social for the Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity Rover Landing - JPL (Education Channel)
5:30 - 9:30 p.m. - Live Satellite Interviews on Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity Rover Landing - JPL (Public and Media Channels)

August 4, Saturday
12:30 - 1:30 p.m. - NASA Science News Conference - Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity Rover Mission Status and Entry, Descent and Landing Overview - JPL (All Channels)

August 5, Sunday
12:30 - 1:30 p.m. - NASA Science News Conference Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity Rover Pre-Landing News Conference - Rover Communication overview - JPL (All Channels)
6 - 7 p.m. - NASA Science News Conference - NASA Science Mission Directorate - JPL (All Channels)

August 6, Monday
12 a.m. - Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity Rover Landing Coverage and Commentary - Commentary #1 - (Entry, Descent and Landing) - JPL (All Channels)
NET - 2:15 a.m. - Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity Rover Post-Landing News Conference - JPL (All Channels)
3:30 - 4:30 a.m. - Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity Rover Landing Coverage and Commentary - Commentary #2 - (First Post-Landing Communication Session/Odyssey Downlink) - JPL (All Channels)
6 - 10 a.m. - Live Satellite Post Landing Interviews on the Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity Rover Mission - JPL (Public and Media Channels)
12 p.m. - Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity Rover Post-Landing News Briefing - Landing Recap and Sol 1 Outlook - JPL (All Channels)
5 p.m. - Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity Rover Post-Landing News Briefing - Sol 1 Mid-Day Update - JPL (All Channels)

[Paper Kosmonaut]

Exciting! I guess I'll have a tab open on my computer all day, annoying my girlfriend (if she's here). I am eager to find out whether the Skycrane will do his job properly. I really hope so. Thanks for the scheme, Yogi.

[Retired_for_now]

Originally Posted by alfadoc

I'm assuming there is a camera on the lander or sky crane, and would love to see it as it comes in.

Well ... yes, and no. There is a camera, the Mars descent imager (MARDI) but I don't think we'll get images in real-time.

From the "all about MSL" pages ( MSL Science Corner )

"The Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) is a fixed-focus color camera fixed-body-mounted to the fore-port-side of the MSL rover, even with the bottom of the rover chassis. The optical axis points in the +Z direction (toward the ground in the rover coordinate system). The camera will take 1600 × 1200 pixel images at ~5 frames per second throughout the period of time between heatshield separation and touchdown plus a few seconds (a period of about two minutes). The rover software issues a “start imaging” command and the camera operates autonomously until the rover software determines that landing has succeeded and issues a “stop imaging” command. The data are written into permanent flash memory in real time during acquisition for later transmission."

"MARDI’s primary objectives are to determine where exactly the vehicle has landed and to provide a geologic and engineering-geologic framework of the landing site for early operations. The rover is expected to leave the area imaged by MARDI after the first few weeks of the mission. It is likely that only a subset of the images will have been transmitted by this time (e.g., thumbnails plus a sampling of full-frame images)."