Now everybody is going to the site to see the pictures....where were they LAST month!!!? Spoiling the fun for the rest of us. I just wish they'd re-run the damned press conferences again during the daytime when people on the East Coast are awake!
NASA TV/Press Office folks are quite good about responding to emails.
The rest of the globe could make the same comment about 0900 PST MER briefings needing more frequent replay. Although the Stardust mission briefings deserved timely coverage and network interview feeds understandably dominated coverage during the first hectic days, the schedule needs work.
ISS daily report are cool, and the ongoing educational curriculum commitments need to be met, but the rest of the daily NASA TV coverage has seemed to be replay of the (now nicely edited) SPIRIT EDL, and almost completely lacking in replay of the morning MER briefing.
To be fair, NTV has run some interview and assembly and "challenges of getting to Mars" segments that seemed reminiscent of the excellent NOVA special, "Mars: Dead or Alive", which itself was the 2nd in its series.
But whatever happened to the live shots of MER control at JPL?
There must be a few streams, and it's possible they're reserving access to some for offsite science team members before opening more up to the masses again.
It's likely webcast schedules will shift once Spirit gets mobile and Opportunity approaches EDL.
But i miss the geeky voyeurism of lurking with roboticists and rocket scientists.
Those pics are artificially reddened. Mars actually looks a lot more like Earth. Accurate color pics will be released around the time it is politically advantageous for "them" to do so.
How many of you folks have read the books by Robinson? How about the books by Ben Bova? I think that Bova's stuff is especially fun because he's kind of stuck in that hard sci-fi author rut of teaching a geology lesson while he's telling his story instead of JUST telling the story.
So if it's in there it's as accurate as scientific knowledge of the day would allow.
Sources said Bush will direct NASA to scale back or scrap all existing programs that do not support the new effort. Further details about the plan and the space agency's revised budget will be announced in NASA briefings next week and when the president delivers his FY 2005 budget to Congress.
It's basically a plan to junk any money spent on pure science (sure, the shuttle and the station are probably worth cutting, but there are plenty of other things), and open the coffers to the aerospace industry. Lovely.
Those pics are artificially reddened. Mars actually looks a lot more like Earth. Accurate color pics will be released around the time it is politically advantageous for "them" to do so.
Each PanCam has a colour filter wheel of 6 or 8 specific wavelengths.
Both the left and right PanCam share a "blue" and "red" filter, but the remaining filters are infrared, near infrared, and a variety of other hues designed to highlight or help increase the contrast of particular features.
The "red" filter that the current colour images are captured with is actually a shorter wavelength of red than the standard 'red' most human eyes see, so the images are not quite the same spectra our eyes detect, but close.
Bear in mind also that the Martian atmosphere, thin as it is, casts everything in a pinkish hue.
Yesterday's MER press briefing included some discussion of the calibration targets on the rover's deck (including one with coloured lego blocks), and addressed some of these issues better than I've done here.
There's a great Flash site that explains the details of the Spirit/Opportunity mission's goals...great details, great images, highly recommended viewing!
While Gusev is the technically more challenging landing (according to what I've heard on the NASA programs) it is Opportunity's site that is the most intriguing because of the grey hematite they've spotted....
Eliminating probes is a bad idea, plain and simple. Probes deliver Great Science at Cheap Prices.
Looking back, the space agency has always been subject to the whims of every administration Republican and Democrat alike - but it outlives every administration and lumbers onward.
Going to the Moon is a Big Deal. I want to see it happen. Going to Mars is a Bigger Deal, I'll be amazed if I see it happen in my lifetime but I'm on-board if it's possible.
You guys can get all huffy right now but as far as I know, nobody has read the actual proposals. Please post us a link if you have those documents, I'm sure the media would love to post them!
Yes it is, I watched that press conference. The guy on the right is explaining how Martians sneak up on you and pounce. Very scary stuff indeed.
yes, if i remember correctly he was explaining what they thought happened to beagle 2...
"first the Martian, who became enamored by this pretty little British number, snuck up on Beagle 2, quickly pounced and is right now at this very moment, we presume, to be furiously dry humping that little bugger...thus the reason there is no transmission yet from this poor, aptly named, space "probe"...
he went on some more, but i forget the rest....dang those space scientist are graphic at times...
and yes, it is funny how they talk in run on sentences
Well Opportunity is less than a two weeks from Mars. I'm really looking forward to seeing the difference in terrain between the two sites! The Panorama that JPL released tonight is fantastic!
Comments
Now everybody is going to the site to see the pictures....where were they LAST month!!!? Spoiling the fun for the rest of us. I just wish they'd re-run the damned press conferences again during the daytime when people on the East Coast are awake!
Mebbe I should go read the TV schedule again....
The rest of the globe could make the same comment about 0900 PST MER briefings needing more frequent replay. Although the Stardust mission briefings deserved timely coverage and network interview feeds understandably dominated coverage during the first hectic days, the schedule needs work.
ISS daily report are cool, and the ongoing educational curriculum commitments need to be met, but the rest of the daily NASA TV coverage has seemed to be replay of the (now nicely edited) SPIRIT EDL, and almost completely lacking in replay of the morning MER briefing.
To be fair, NTV has run some interview and assembly and "challenges of getting to Mars" segments that seemed reminiscent of the excellent NOVA special, "Mars: Dead or Alive", which itself was the 2nd in its series.
But whatever happened to the live shots of MER control at JPL?
There must be a few streams, and it's possible they're reserving access to some for offsite science team members before opening more up to the masses again.
It's likely webcast schedules will shift once Spirit gets mobile and Opportunity approaches EDL.
But i miss the geeky voyeurism of lurking with roboticists and rocket scientists.
I'm a member.
muaa hahaha ha ha ha ha HA HA HA HA
Originally posted by drewprops
You know, the League of Red Headed Gentlemen.
I'm a member.
muaa hahaha ha ha ha ha HA HA HA HA
LOL
Fellows
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/mer2004/rove...epy-hollow.jpg
The mini-TES photos are pretty whacky, but if it will help them pick a way through sand traps it's a great tool!
Originally posted by drewprops
There's a new photo from the mini-TES up now:
Holy crap, Mars has been overrun by marbles! Wait a minute....
So if it's in there it's as accurate as scientific knowledge of the day would allow.
It's basically a plan to junk any money spent on pure science (sure, the shuttle and the station are probably worth cutting, but there are plenty of other things), and open the coffers to the aerospace industry. Lovely.
from Atrios.
http://atrios.blogspot.com/
Screw sience... he wants glory.
Originally posted by Ganondorf
Those pics are artificially reddened. Mars actually looks a lot more like Earth. Accurate color pics will be released around the time it is politically advantageous for "them" to do so.
Each PanCam has a colour filter wheel of 6 or 8 specific wavelengths.
Both the left and right PanCam share a "blue" and "red" filter, but the remaining filters are infrared, near infrared, and a variety of other hues designed to highlight or help increase the contrast of particular features.
The "red" filter that the current colour images are captured with is actually a shorter wavelength of red than the standard 'red' most human eyes see, so the images are not quite the same spectra our eyes detect, but close.
Bear in mind also that the Martian atmosphere, thin as it is, casts everything in a pinkish hue.
Yesterday's MER press briefing included some discussion of the calibration targets on the rover's deck (including one with coloured lego blocks), and addressed some of these issues better than I've done here.
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/flash/mars-l.../mars2004.html
While Gusev is the technically more challenging landing (according to what I've heard on the NASA programs) it is Opportunity's site that is the most intriguing because of the grey hematite they've spotted....
Originally posted by chu_bakka
Screw sience... he wants glory.
I'm a little steamed right now...
Looking back, the space agency has always been subject to the whims of every administration Republican and Democrat alike - but it outlives every administration and lumbers onward.
Going to the Moon is a Big Deal. I want to see it happen. Going to Mars is a Bigger Deal, I'll be amazed if I see it happen in my lifetime but I'm on-board if it's possible.
You guys can get all huffy right now but as far as I know, nobody has read the actual proposals. Please post us a link if you have those documents, I'm sure the media would love to post them!
Hey, is that Mars... yep.
Originally posted by drewprops
Yes it is, I watched that press conference. The guy on the right is explaining how Martians sneak up on you and pounce. Very scary stuff indeed.
yes, if i remember correctly he was explaining what they thought happened to beagle 2...
"first the Martian, who became enamored by this pretty little British number, snuck up on Beagle 2, quickly pounced and is right now at this very moment, we presume, to be furiously dry humping that little bugger...thus the reason there is no transmission yet from this poor, aptly named, space "probe"...
he went on some more, but i forget the rest....dang those space scientist are graphic at times...
and yes, it is funny how they talk in run on sentences
g
Maestro dataset 1 released ~ See what Spirit sees in your own MER Rover Sim.
as for the view from approaching twin