Last night we went to see the new movie "Good Night, Oppy". It's about the experience of Spirit (a little) and Opportunity (mostly), MER-A and MER-B, 6 wheeled rovers on Mars.
This is a very touching portrait of the rovers, yes anthropomorphized, could be corny, but it's OK because after 17 years on Mars many people did get deeply attached to these incredible machines.
covers vintage footage of development, launch (Delta II woohoo!!!), EDL, roving ... the supposed 90 day warrantee that turned in to thousands of days on Mars. Features Steve Squyres and many members of the teams, speaking candidly. Follows the careers of several young folks from planting the seed of their planetarty exploration passion in early school, college, and joining the team...
knowing the entire story, and following it anew, I really felt all the ups and downs again. Covers most of the important parts of the story, but there's always a few things left out of any telling. That's ok, gives us something to talk about afterwards.
two thumbs up!! My GF is a teacher (5th grade), and she decided first thing Monday will recommend the movie to her 5th grade students. Yes it is such an inspiring story.
The animation around the rover really helps visualize the places the rovers went on Mars. The "R2D2" sound effects and whooshing through the vacuum of deep space are guffaws for us rocket folks, but I think adds a depth of engagement for non-nerds. so, OK overall.
Here's another article about the film: https://www.theguardian.com/film/20...py-review-spielberg-assisted-mars-documentary
Here's the preview (linked in the article):
I think this is one that may not last in the theater, so go see it if you can. After that, looks like distribution through Amazon. Hoping I can buy a DVD. (I'm still looking for a DVD of Apollo 11 from a few years ago)
just for fun, here's the launch, cruise, and EDL animation from 2003ish
EDL description:
if your heart isn't racing after this, you aren't alive.
That was so inspiring for my kids in 2003. We played with the Delta II stomp rockets every afternoon until... they fell apart. Sadly, I can't find another set on the shelf at Target...
This is a very touching portrait of the rovers, yes anthropomorphized, could be corny, but it's OK because after 17 years on Mars many people did get deeply attached to these incredible machines.
covers vintage footage of development, launch (Delta II woohoo!!!), EDL, roving ... the supposed 90 day warrantee that turned in to thousands of days on Mars. Features Steve Squyres and many members of the teams, speaking candidly. Follows the careers of several young folks from planting the seed of their planetarty exploration passion in early school, college, and joining the team...
knowing the entire story, and following it anew, I really felt all the ups and downs again. Covers most of the important parts of the story, but there's always a few things left out of any telling. That's ok, gives us something to talk about afterwards.
two thumbs up!! My GF is a teacher (5th grade), and she decided first thing Monday will recommend the movie to her 5th grade students. Yes it is such an inspiring story.
The animation around the rover really helps visualize the places the rovers went on Mars. The "R2D2" sound effects and whooshing through the vacuum of deep space are guffaws for us rocket folks, but I think adds a depth of engagement for non-nerds. so, OK overall.
Here's another article about the film: https://www.theguardian.com/film/20...py-review-spielberg-assisted-mars-documentary
Here's the preview (linked in the article):
I think this is one that may not last in the theater, so go see it if you can. After that, looks like distribution through Amazon. Hoping I can buy a DVD. (I'm still looking for a DVD of Apollo 11 from a few years ago)
just for fun, here's the launch, cruise, and EDL animation from 2003ish
EDL description:
if your heart isn't racing after this, you aren't alive.
That was so inspiring for my kids in 2003. We played with the Delta II stomp rockets every afternoon until... they fell apart. Sadly, I can't find another set on the shelf at Target...
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