I dont think I've seen an image showing such a small payload on such a large rocket in that sort of ratio since the Apollo command module on top of Saturn V

Quick Q about what I guess is the -Y / Aft LGA

is it the same as the +Y / Fore LGA - i.e. simply held there atop the three structures, but not using any sort of reflector underneath - and infact what looks like it might be a parabolic reflector for it is the bottom of a spherical fuel tank? The Fore +Y LGA is simply atop a small reflector because that's what the MGA uses below, and the LGA doesnt use that in any way.

Is the MGA for up/downlink in Early cruise - it looks similarly boresighted to the HGA but I guess it has a much wider beam.

And will the whole thing be wrapped up in similar insulation to the back of the HGA - I love that stuff A friend sent me a small sample cut-off from the Beagle 2 insulation

I think there's an excellent case to be made for duplicate hardare for any key mission to be honest. It's worked beautifully with MER, and may well be employed with MSL. It worked with P10/11, V1/2, Vi1/2 as the PPT says. It does seem a bit nuts to build some excellent hardware and only use the design the once - and a sister spacecraft offers excellent value for $ if you consider the bigger picture. An NH2 would make for good value for people on the ground as well - commanding the two would make operations more streamlined etc. When you get to play with two spacecraft, you get better at doing it twice as quickly.

You may have to buy the guys at the DSN some drinks first though

Doug

Well - attitude is all done with thrusters (no reac. wheels) , so I guess it'll be spin stab for much of the cruise - despinning for observations as and when appropriate - Alan will fill us in I'm sure

Doug

For those trying to get their bearings - we're looking at the side onto which the RTG will be mounted. the SWAP instrument is sticking out on the right by the bunnysuited engineers. ALICE and RALPH are sort of hidden round the corner on the left - and above SWAP on the right just under the HGA is PEPSSI

I hereby award NH with the Acronyms-of-the-Year award

Doug

$$$

Could surface winds be determined from Doppler at the instant before touchdown?

Given the 3 minutes design surface life - an anemometer wouldnt have been much use.

Doug

The lander + skycrane will drop out of the backshell, much like Viking, MPL, and Phoenix
. Fire the pyro bolts that hold it up there, and because it's drag is very low compared to the now light backshell and chute - it drops out. Probably a second later, the engines will start up to do the powered descent


Doug

Interesting - but not very MSL like Pseudo-Fiction 'MSR' looks cool though

Doug

'Good' News isnt sexy. If the US media is anything like the UK media - then they love talking a story up ( NH getting funding to go ahead ) then smashing it to pieces. They do it with sports stars, governmental projects, anything

And they'll never set the record straight when things pan out properly.

Doug

Thanks for saving my DNS from working for a living

Doug

Neither work here in the UK via Zen or Plusnet

Doug

Put it this way.

Theres about 5 gig on there.

10 people download it all - thats 50 gig

50 gig would kill THIS website instantly.

Doug

These were taken ages ago ( sol 300-320ish iirc ) - remember, I did a bad mosaic from them

VERY cool pictures though - VERY cool

Doug

Looks like a bit of soil from the stickey-out-bit fell off and landed underneath.

Possibly due to the contact sensor on the MI disturbing the soil near by?

Nothing unusual anyway

Doug

http://mer.rlproject.com/enc_ir3_g_uv.jpg

http://mer.rlproject.com/enc_narrow_1.jpg

Doug

Not sure exactly what it means - but if I de-interlace it in photoshop, it goes away

Doug

It's not missing - it's interlaced

I've found out the data volume (compressed ) of the Cohokia Panorama..

Can you believe it's 588 Mbits

Doug

150 WHrs per sol for basic housekeeping and nothing else.

250 Whrs per sol would allow for daily operations of some nature I'd imagine.

350 Whrs per sol allows for a tiny bit of science obs

Spirits on 400ish I think, and Oppy is way up there somewhere on 600ish

Doug

I wonder if they might be able to drag something out of it given time and processing. I'm assuming it's totally impossible, but then, 7 years ago it was assumed to be totally impossible to get any signal at all

Doug

I was thinking that actually - dreaming of the data-budget you could return on hour-long MRO passes whilst it's still in an elliptical orbit during aerobraking

at 256kbps - it's just over 900 Mbits, and MRO MOI is in March '06 - so that would be something like Sol 750 - 760. Heck - perhaps they could test out the payload in the weeks preceeding MOI as a navigation tool.

Doug

When compared to

Sol 58 still attached
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all...30P2215L6M1.JPG


Sol 71 still there
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all...22P2281L2M1.JPG


Sol 122 still there
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all...09P2266L2M1.JPG

Then yup - strangely, after surviving launch, and multiple whacks on landing, looks like one of them has disconnected after a year of nothing. Probably the chill-bake dynamics finally got to it

Doug

You could argue that that's the backshell ( more likely to be visible imho )

Doug

They tend to do a blind drive, followed by autonav drive.

The first 50m or so will probably take only 20 minutes, but after that they'll take another hour to do the next 50m because autonav is very slow - stopping every 10cm to check terrain ahead.

If they can take 20, 30% off the autonav time, they can cover a lot more ground

Doug

Perhaps with local terrain being what it is - they're reprogramming auto-nav to do 20, 30, 50cm steps instead of 10cm steps?

Doug

It didnt get it from West Spur - so I doubt it

Doug