Phoenix landing: The homecoming
Immediately after finishing the press conference at JPL this morning, Phoenix PI Peter Smith rushed over to LAX and hopped on United Express flight 6498 to Tucson. Arriving at 3:30 pm, he hopped in a car and worked his way over to the Science Operations Center. A crowd of about 50 scientists and reporters -- and even the mayor of Tucson -- were waiting.
“This is sort of like when our basketball team wins a championship,” said Bill Boynton, the PI for the TEGA instrument, which will bake samples and look for organics. Smith gave out hugs and handshakes as the crowd sang, 'For he's a jolly good Martian.'
Smith patiently answered the TV reporters' questions for the umpteenth time: “How do you feel? What does this mean? Will you find life on Mars?”
He really is a jolly fellow. There's something about that silvery hair -- or maybe it's the mustache and soul patch -- that adds to the mystique. He could have a long career as a Santa Claus if he ever runs out of planetary science to do.
