Curiosity

(no one, not even robots, can resist a good self-portrait.)



have you seen the photos coming back from Mars? MARS!

i'll admit, i was the typical average American who took slight notice of the Curiosity landing last month, and have only paid peripheral attention to the photos coming back. it just got lost amidst all the other news- Olympics, RNC, DNC, etc. but if i stop to think about it (or actually read an article from start to finish) it begins to sink in... we flew an unmanned craft all the way to Mars, landed it successfully, and now it's tooling around, taking photos, streaming music to & from Earth... everything it does is groundbreaking, history making stuff.

speaking of the photos that are coming back, they are amazing. obviously, because they are flying through millions of space miles, but aesthetically they are really moving and emotional. i was scrolling through this slideshow this morning, and the photos totally convey the sense of desolation, exploration, and uncertainty of the mission. they remind me of the early photographs from the 1800's, of frontiersman exploring the West. from an artistic standpoint, i think they're really successful. here are a few that gave me pause (click the photo for larger sizes).