yego.me
💡 Stop wasting time. Read Youtube instead of watch. Download Chrome Extension

The Launch of Perseverance to Mars


2m read
·Nov 10, 2024

Wow, this is what it's like to be at the launch of a spacecraft! We have this mission launching the Perseverance rover, and the helicopter Ingenuity is going up on a seven-month journey to reach Mars. This is just awesome, man! My first launch of a spacecraft, and I just feel like I'm the only one out here. It's me and the spacecraft, it's right over—I don't know, there—somewhere. I'm gonna put on a long line so we can see it. I think I can see it!

Holy crap, holy crap! Look at it go! That is phenomenal! You got any advice for me in terms of, like, what I should be looking out for? Or, you know, any advice for a first-timer?

So what's really interesting to me is how emotional it is. Basically, what you're going to see is almost like a miracle. You hear the countdown and then all of a sudden you see this light taking off. It's like, you know, it’s like clouds, and then you see the light taking off! Just like that, I don't hear anything. All of a sudden, you feel it in your body! The sound, of course, propagating slower than the light will hit your body and will really shake you. You know, it's this almost out-of-body experience that you're part of, really. Again, taking off from the shore of the cosmic ocean—you know, for me, it's like punching a hole in the sky.

So that was amazing, and there it is, doing its turn to the east! I felt this for the first time a couple of years ago when I saw the solar eclipse, but there are just some moments in life where you realize that you are really on this rock hurtling through space. The solar eclipse was one of those moments for me, and seeing this rocket launch to another planet just hits that home.

It's like most of your daily life you can go and just do everything without thinking about that fundamental reality, but when you see something like this, it just changes your worldview for a minute. So you can really embrace this sense that we're on this rock hurtling through space, and we just sent off a projectile to another planet, which is a pretty freaking amazing thing! I know we've done it a number of times in the past, so you know, maybe people get sort of numb to it, but it's a pretty extraordinary accomplishment every single time.

More Articles

View All
Teaching Electives with Khanmigo
Hi, I’m Michelle, a professional learning specialist here at Khan Academy and a former classroom teacher just like you. Meet Kigo, your AI-driven companion who’s revolutionizing teaching for a more engaging and efficient experience. Kigo has many excitin…
2017 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting (Full Version)
Thank you and good morning. Duh, that’s Charlie. I’m Warren. You can tell us apart because, uh, he can hear and I can see. That’s why we, uh, work together so well. We usually have our specialty. Uh, I’d like to welcome you to, uh, we got a lot of out-of…
How to Improve Your Life in 24 HOURS
[Music] If you’ve ever browsed self-improvement forums like on Reddit, then you’ll often come across some pretty good advice, some pretty questionable stuff—no doubt. But every once in a while, there’s a little nugget of wisdom that sticks with you, and …
DISTORTIONS
Hey, Vsauce. Michael here. I am distorted. The pixels you are watching have been time displaced. They’ve been mapped onto a gradient, and the darker the region they’re mapped to, the further behind they lag. The effect is really fun, but it’s certainly no…
Are GMOs Good or Bad? Genetic Engineering & Our Food
GMOs are one of the most controversial areas of science. Genetic engineering is used in many fields, but even though medical applications like GM insulin are widely accepted, the debate heats up when it comes to food and agriculture. Why is that? Why is t…
Beaker Ball Balance Problem
Here is the set up. I have a balance and two identical beakers, which I fill with exactly the same amount of water, except in one of the beakers there is a submerged ping pong ball tethered to the base of the beaker. And in the other there is an identical…