Video caption: Preview of Mars Curiosity Parade Float. Jim Green, Director of the Science Mission Directorate Planetary Systems Division at NASA Headquarters, describes the replica of the Mars Curiosity Rover on the second NASA float in Monday’s (Jan 21, 2013) presidential inaugural parade. Parade photos below
Full scale models of NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover and the Orion crew capsule are participating in the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Parade on Monday, Jan 21, 2013, in Washington, DC – representing NASA’s robotic and human spaceflight endeavors.
The fantastically successful Curiosity rover is discovering widespread evidence for the ancient flow of liquid water on Mars.
The Orion multi-purpose capsule will take our astronauts back to the Moon and farther into space than ever.
NASA is the ONLY federal agency asked to be in the inaugural parade and now Curiosity is leading the NASA group with Orion after Curiosity.
Update 530 PM EDT – NASA’s 2 floats just passed by a cheering and waving President Obama & VP Biden at the reviewing stand in front of the White House – prominently near the front of the parade. See float photos from the parade below
Walking alongside both floats are members of the Curiosity team from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory – including ‘Mohawk Guy’ – and several current and former astronauts.
The participating astronauts are Alvin Drew, Serena Aunon, Kate Rubins, Mike Massimino, Lee Morin and Kjell Lindgren, as well as Leland Melvin, NASA’s associate administrator for Education, and John Grunsfeld, NASA’s associate administrator for Science.
The marching team for Curiosity includes Richard Cook-project manager (from JPL), Bobak Ferdowsi (otherwise known as ‘Mohawk Guy’)-flight director (from JPL), Dave Lavery – program executive (from NASA Headquarters) , Michael Meyer – program Scientist (from NASA Headquarters), Jennifer Trosper-mission manager (from JPL) and Ashwin Vasavada, Deputy Project Scientist (from JPL)
Image caption: Orion crew capsule float with NASA astronauts at the Presidential Inaugural parade on Jan 21, 2013 in Washington, DC. Credit: NASA
Image caption: Curiosity float with team members at the Presidential Inaugural parade on Jan 21, 2013 in Washington, DC. Credit: NASA
Be sure to check out NASA’s Flickr stream for many photos from the 2013 Inaugural Day festivities and parade – here and here
Here’s another video about the Curiosity float:
Image caption: Orion crew capsule arrives in Washington, DC, for Presidential Inaugural parade on Jan 21, 2013. Credit: NASA
Awesome!
Now, when do you think the first crowd-funded spacecraft will be featured at an inauguration? 2017? 2021? Later? You decide!
Adam Brinckerhoff
Development Engineer
SpaceUnited
“President who? I just came to see the Rover!”
I never realised how big that rover is. The highway image gives some real good context to how massive the actual rover is!
I thought Obama closed Orion? See that’s the thing, since white guys can
‘t jump, we have to compensate by boldly going further than any black dude has ever thrown a basketball. Twould b good, if his name was Obama Kennedy, and he would let us boldly put a women, and possibly a basketball hoop there. it would go good, with the biosphere project, that is still playing in the sandpit, with the lunar car thing, and the plans for the lunar orbit station, the exploration gateway platform, the large telescope and the lunar ark proposals, all still playing in the sandpit. With the passing of Armstrong, and the republicans initiating golden spike, the company that is gonna make an advertisement about going back to the moon, china looks like it is gonna get there long before any American project. Twould be good, if all the economies in the world talking about going back co operated and went there, not because they want to win an election, but because it is becoming just as hard as it was in the first place. a write off of world debts, and the initiation of a star trek economy http://www.ted.com/conversations/13604/implementing_a_star_trek_econo.html http://cadtm.org/English
http://youtu.be/m8PlzDgFQMM