Thread by @People_Of_Space

So on this day of days..... I will tweet some more prime Mars content..... and woke up to hear my own voice.....

https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/1362307536607711238?s=20

So it is really the day!

#countdowntoMars #Mars #Space

So along with my fabulous co-author @howellspace, we have spent the last couple of years thinking of Mars - and our book @search_mars has the benefit of over thirty-five years of reporting - originally by me and now by Elizabeth
(who has been to Mars - well a simulated base)

And she got to see #Perseverance and boy was in a sulk*

https://twitter.com/howellspace/status/1362063276683780099?s=20

* only kidding. Between us both we have seen every Mars rover ever built at JPL and as you can see below I couldn't get away from Curiosity on my last trip to JPL

As I type this, the Perseverance rover is less than a million of your Earth miles from Mars. It’s the middle of the night in Pasadena.

By the time the sun rises, it will be what some call “The Longest Day”, nerve wracking -- and edge of the seat stuff. And what I thought I would do is share some thoughts about not only who willingly goes through this. but more importantly - WHY?

Only 40% of missions make it all the way down in one piece – so when people say “the media overdramatize things”, I reply “Oh really. How much f**ing drama do you want, then?”

Because that – the sheer gutsiness of building something to achieve the impossible - is what space exploration is all about. Having the stones to do that when common sense would tell you not to do it.

That journey – in emotional terms – is something we can all understand. Even if we don’t understand the actual complexities of how landing on Mars is done – or what might be found, or how very fancy instruments work

Exploring is a universal experience – and something that should be left to storytellers (admittedly I am biased) and not self-regarding twerps or – heaven forfend – pedants and people who talk loudly in restaurants

And here is another uncomfortable truth for some of you. It isn’t about the science or the engineering, it’s about the achievement. It would be pretty remarkable if you sent a probe halfway across the solar system to land in Swindon/Oshkosh/

* fill in universal butt of jokes.

And that achievement is what our book is about - and storytelling, too. It’s about trying to understand the people who are willing to go through all this – not once, but many times of getting their... consults notes... #AsstoMars

And for those who detect a certain asperity in these tweets, probably ... all I can say is I wouldn't have missed any of it for the world