'Dare mighty things': hidden message found on Nasa Mars rover parachute:
Internet sleuths claim to have decoded a hidden message displayed on the parachute that helped Nasa's Perseverance Rover land safely on Mars last week. They claim that the phrase "Dare mighty things" – used as a motto by Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory – was encoded on the parachute using a pattern representing letters as binary computer code.
Reddit users and social media posters on Twitter noticed that the red-and-white pattern on the parachute looked deliberate, and arrived at the result by using the red to represent the figure one, and the white to represent zero.
[...] The challenge had been set by Nasa itself. While the pattern has a scientific purpose – it allows mission control to see the angle the parachute has deployed at and whether it has got twisted – during a live stream discussing the landing, one Nasa commentator said: "Sometimes we leave messages in our work for others to find. So we invite you all to give it a shot and show your work."
Nasa has previously used the phrase in association with its Mars missions. In 2013 it issued a trailer video of the Curiosity rover mission entitled "Dare mighty things". The current mission has also used the phrase in tweets marking the successful landing.
[...] The company's technical director, Richard Crane, told the BBC: "It is an incredibly emotional moment, when you know that millions of people around the world are holding their breath, waiting for news of a successful touchdown, and that part of that success is down to the efforts of our fantastic team here in Tiverton."
Direct link to parachute deployment from NASA.
(Score: 3, Funny) by FatPhil on Thursday February 25 2021, @03:17PM (12 children)
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 3, Funny) by DannyB on Thursday February 25 2021, @03:27PM (11 children)
You, sir, are using the wrong decoder ring in the very final step. You should be using ROT17 instead of ROT13. Because 17 is a prime number, unlike 13.
Once properly decoded . . .
Doesn't that make much more sense!?!
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 25 2021, @04:09PM (4 children)
I hope you’re going for the funny kid. But while there’s a lot of hype in the media, it’s a non-event in daily discussions.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by DannyB on Thursday February 25 2021, @04:21PM (3 children)
Now that sanity and normality might be returning to the world, I might start going for the funny like I once did.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 25 2021, @05:08PM (1 child)
Yes back to normal. Where do you think the Obama/Clinton/Biden war machine will strike next? I can't wait for a return to normalcy. If only I had a job to pay for my network connection, I could participate all the more in this glorious time.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday February 25 2021, @10:18PM
I dunno. Why don't you ask George Bush, or his handler, Dick Cheney?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 25 2021, @05:39PM
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Thursday February 25 2021, @05:05PM (3 children)
You're both mistaken, probably because you aren't running the most recent version of Decoder Ring (tm). The message actually is "Be Sure to Drink Your Ovaltine."
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 25 2021, @06:35PM (2 children)
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday February 25 2021, @10:19PM
Or "oh no, not again".
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Thursday February 25 2021, @11:43PM
Whooosh...it REALLY says "You'll shoot your eye out, kid!"
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Friday February 26 2021, @09:51AM
(Yes, the dropping of the umlaut is permitted in international communication, it's grandson (Lembit) approved - I even surprised Lembit by pronouncing his surname with its umlauts on one time I met him (he wasn't expecting a Brit to get it right, I can't blame him).)
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 01 2021, @03:39AM
Mexico will build the Wall and make Ted Cruz pay for it.
(Score: 0, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 25 2021, @03:19PM (19 children)
The Guardian article refers to "Nasa."
It's not a simple name; it's an acronym. Thus, the correct written form is "NASA."
After all, the same article refers to the "BBC", not the "Bbc."
(Score: 3, Interesting) by takyon on Thursday February 25 2021, @03:28PM (2 children)
If the cap fits: why Nato but not Bbc? [bbc.co.uk]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 25 2021, @04:25PM (1 child)
I read that justification. There is no logic there.
The simple rule is: use the same capitalization that the organization uses for itself. Besides being a simple rule, it's respectful.
Somehow the mother country seems to think it occupies a superior station to the former colonies, even if the colonies gained independence over two centuries ago and eclipsed the mother country. I guess spelling is a passive aggressive way of maintaining "superiority", no matter how small.
As an aside, Spain does this with Latin America as well. They (Spaniards) consider their peculiar pronunciation "correct" (they lisp the z and c before i or e), and they spell Mexico as "Mejico." They only relented a few years ago on their peculiar spelling of Mexico. Imagine another country telling you you aren't spelling your own country's name right! (As another aside, the peculiar, lisping pronunciation of Castillian Spanish doesn't even hold everywhere in Spain. In southern Spain, those letters are pronounced as "s." Supposedly most people who emigrated to Latin America came from this region, and that's why Latin American pronunciation is what it is.)
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Thursday February 25 2021, @04:42PM
That explains the lisp, but not their fondness for home decorating and musicals.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 25 2021, @04:30PM (1 child)
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Thursday February 25 2021, @05:02PM
I agree with the sentiment of your post, but this particular point may be more true in the Commonwealth than it is in America, where "BBC" is read out by letter.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Thursday February 25 2021, @04:58PM (8 children)
Have you ever written "laser" instead of LASER? Have you ever written "sonar" instead of SONAR? Have you ever written "scuba" instead of SCUBA? Have you ever written "US" instead of the correct and proper "USA?" Have you ever referred to "Germany" instead of its proper acronym, "FRG?"
We could go on (again, BTW, since we have this discussion about twice a year). Or we could not get persnickety about this kind of thing.
Nasa thanks you.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 25 2021, @05:33PM
(Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 25 2021, @05:40PM (5 children)
Wrong arguments, friend.
The Guardian would have you write "Laser" and "Us" if you follow its strange, inconsistent rules -- not what you wrote. Those initial uppercase words look like names, don't they? If only there were some unambiguous way of showing those were acronyms... hmmm... like capitalizing every letter? Now, in the case of "laser", that is a word that has passed into common usage as a word known by everyone, and is now an ordinary noun. Fair game to not have any initialization at all on it (as Guardian rules would require -- initialize first letter); the word is a common noun at this point. "NASA" however is not a common noun, but the name of an agency. It's still an acronym and not a regular, proper name like some foreign person named "Nasa." Plus NASA spells it NASA, so that is its correct spelling.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 25 2021, @09:04PM (3 children)
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 25 2021, @10:09PM (2 children)
Way to not respond to a single one of my points.
And BTW, genius, your example is wrong. "Nazi" is not an acronym. It is a clipped version of the official party name "Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 26 2021, @12:01AM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 26 2021, @04:08AM
No need to be a FUCKING BITCH about it.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Friday February 26 2021, @09:59AM
More bullshit. "US" is pronounced "yoo-ess", not "us", and thefore remains an initialism in caps.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Thursday February 25 2021, @11:46PM
Oemgee.
:)
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 1) by anubi on Thursday February 25 2021, @10:14PM (2 children)
Although I usually consider grammar nazi threads offtopic, I do not moderate them as such, but I found this discussion quite insightful.
You guys brought up a lot of stuff that I had to reconsider..
Thanks! I learned from this visit to Soylent today.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 26 2021, @12:08AM (1 child)
(Score: 1) by anubi on Friday February 26 2021, @11:02AM
I am not so self-centered as to think that only American spellings of common English words are correct. Actually, I feel both grateful and sheepish to admit my ignorance of the other people on this planet's ways. You know... Like the person everyone else has to go out of their way to accomodate this special person's needs, as they never considered "when in Rome, do as the Romans do".
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Friday February 26 2021, @09:55AM (1 child)
NATO is pronounced "nato", as if it was a word, so it has become a word.
BBC is pronounced "bee-bee-see", the components of its initialism, so it remains an initialism.
I can't say I particularly like it, but it is logical and consistent, which makes it better than most of the language.
Oh - your use of the word "correct" is inappropriate - English does not have a languange academy and proscriptive rules.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 26 2021, @02:30PM
If my organization is named NASA, and you spell it Nasa, you are incorrect. You don't get to decide how I spell my name. That is arrogance on your part.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 25 2021, @03:59PM (9 children)
Probably a straight cisgendered wh*te male. UGH when will the STRAIGHT WH*TE MEN STOP HOLDING DOWN OUR BLACK AND BROWN BODIES
This message brought to you by Coca-Cola, who reminds you to try to Be Less Wh*te. [duckduckgo.com]
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Thursday February 25 2021, @04:47PM
Sometimes black and brown bodies *like* being held down by straight white men.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 25 2021, @05:10PM (1 child)
He did say "show your work" which is definitely a symptom of whiteness.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 25 2021, @05:35PM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 25 2021, @06:00PM (5 children)
Mattel's just decided to give Mr Potato Head gender re-assignment surgery.
(Score: 2) by Tork on Thursday February 25 2021, @07:51PM (2 children)
You guys pick weird times to not be pro-freedom.
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 25 2021, @09:47PM (1 child)
Shut your mouth and take it up the ass, you bigot.
(Score: 2) by Tork on Thursday February 25 2021, @09:58PM
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 26 2021, @12:14AM (1 child)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 26 2021, @04:14AM
Also public hair and that awful stench. There's no point sugar-coating it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 25 2021, @05:42PM
If Martians now think that Earthlings are the dumbest bunch of tards in the universe.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 25 2021, @08:03PM (2 children)
A code within a code:
Dare mighty things*
* the amount and number of things is dependent on Congress allocating our requested budget
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 26 2021, @04:29AM
Ah-ha! The code in the code... I see it. Dare Might Things Rend High My Tit Sag
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Friday February 26 2021, @10:03AM
Dare mighty things = Dry nighttime shag
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 26 2021, @05:17AM
--nomsg