My son and I watched the Mars Phoenix Lander successfully touch down this evening. (We had to settle for NASA-TV's coverage — we weren't able to get to Mars in time.) We saw a simulation of the entry, descent and landing that had been timed to coincide, more or less, with the actual sequence of events. I think this made it all a bit easier for him to understand what was happening (and it was a good deal more interesting than watching people nervously waiting and occasionally cheering).
I did not, however, try to explain to him that everything had actually happened about fifteen minutes before, due to the time it takes for the information to travel to here from Mars. Fifteen minutes is an eternity to a five-year-old.
I have promised him there will be pictures for him to see in the morning.
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