I wouldn't be suprised to see a full circumnavigation - think of the reasons why you would want to..

1) Image all sides of the crater from 3 pan positions
2) Generate an excellent DEM for planning
3) Use identified slopes for positive power
4) Mobility is VERY easy around the rim, 50-100m/sol it would be perhaps a 3 month trip to lap the crater and have 3 pan stops en route. ( 2500 / 70 = 35 driving sols. Double for restriction + 3 x 5 sols of imaging = 85 sols )

THEN - you can decide where best to go into the crater when we're getting toward mid Spring.

Considering that it's FAR from certain we'd get out of this thing, it would make sense to document the hell out of it before we go it would it not?

I would be certain of 120 degrees of circumnav - I'm expecting as much as 180 degrees because the southern side may well present the best entry options when looking at the MOC dem - and I would not be suprised at 240 degrees +

Doug

For the love of god don't let a rover driver see this or we'll be attempting to jump Victoria in the rush to get there

Doug

Great pictures tied in with the highest res. topography of the hills in that area we've ever had and obviously showing, yet again, the purely natural nature of what we see. Of course, the fact that this is a German instrument on a European spacecraft won't becalm the conspiratorial nuts, and the artifact nuts will still find something to talk about I'm sure....pity...because without the hoaglanderati going hysterical over this stuff it's actually a fascinating and beautiful vista.

Doug

OO yeah - gimme gimme - that's getting laminated

Doug

Deployed and taking data...of which we've seen very very very little.
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/express/gallery/martianterrain/


Doug

I think you might be on to something

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2006-110

Doug

Well - both on the way to and the way back from the ISS - they do a complete survey of the heatshield using Canadarm and OBSS - that takes a full day.

So it goes..

Up
Launch Day
Survey Day
Dock day

then down again
Undock Day
Survey Day
Entry Checkout Day
Landing Day

The CAMERAS on the arm are currently under the control of the ground, but I don't believe that Canadarm ( unlike Canadarm 2 on ISS ) can be controlled from the ground. What they had the crew do is un-stow the arm and put it in a position whereby the cameras on it ( which they can control from the ground ) can be moved around so that the ground can survey quite a lot of the orbiter while the crew sleep.

I must admit - when I read the word 'crane' I cringed - that's just crap journalism imho.

Doug

You're doing a lovely job of getting rid of the vignietting on those Mike - any pointers?

Doug

You have that right.

Doug

So we don't get a double-thread-confusion-thing going on again...

This way gentlemen...
http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?showtopic=3205

Doug

I'm going to change the subject title...because, we're not quite there yet

Doug

That's the near side rim jutting out.

Doug

To be honest - while the idea is quite romantic - there's probably little you would end up feeding forward from the MER design into a lunar rover. The requirements are quite different - particularly thermally I'd have thought. You would want realtime video requiring serious bandwidth etc etc. Perhaps the mobility system could be used - but not much else I wouldn't have thought. I seem to remember this debate already happenign though

Doug

Nice touch

Doug

Thing is - if it works fine for one person using that config - but doesnt for you - then I'd have thought the problem has to be at your end

However - there are quite a few Safari vs Invision board problems over at the support forum ( most to do with the Admin control panel )

Doug

You know what - you're right. I've always read Visodom, and in my brain it's always sounded 'Visudom' half way between idom and odom - so when I type it - I get it wrong. Well picked up.

Doug

Actually - I think we all know what we'll all say when those first images come down

****




Doug

Not really the right thread for it - but

MRO isn't expected to be used for UHF relay until the relay phase of its mission which will be when Phoenix arrives as I understand it.

Doug

I've had a look at the Invision support forum and there's quite a bit of mention of Invision + Safari being troublesome for some....so I've added the comments here into the mix

Doug

That's been done for a year or more. It's called 'visidom' and it's why you see lots of down-sized Navcam images from time to time.

-Long drive ( a couple of metres )
-Navcam images
-short drive ( a few 10's of cm's )
-Navcam images
-compare first and second Navcam images to estimate distance covered in short drive
-Compare distance covered with distance commanded to calculate slip
-Continue or halt drive.

This flight software will improve that code to make it faster and more efficient (true for much mobility), and also let it 'track' distance targets. Combined with the 'go and touch' I guess that could reduce the 'par' for target approaches by a sol or two

With the new flight software - I would be expecting a couple of things

- The drive NOT being right up to the rim..several 10's of M short to give them 'play room' to try the new features without driving straight over a cliff.
- The images NOT being too quick down the pipeline. They've have drouble with the image pipeline for a couple of days a couple of times recently - and tie that in with the flight software update and I would be cautious when hopiing for images too soon
- If you thought the crater-fever was bad now - imagine what it'll be like with a few days of flight software testing that much closer to the rim. I would suggest medicinal therapy to manage the stress.

Doug

I think this one's been done to death in the past.You'd have to have arrays ( which would get driven over ), power management, a 'cpu' box, the instrumentation, the transponder, the antenna, all in a lander deisgn which is over mass budget and packed tight already. Even if it was physically possilble to put in in there ( which I doubt ) without going over budget ( which I doubt ) - given the chronological and financial constraints on the mission that were already beyond a joke - I don't think they'd have had the time or cash to do it.....and at some point someone's going to say "OK - you can have 10kg on the lander...what are you going to take off..." and the first thing would be the entire rover science payload

Doug

No - that 'other' arm is the OBSS (the 'boom') for surveying for tile and rcc damage.

Doug

Only problem is - that's the OLD solar arrays up there - the new ones would be behind the astronaut taking that picture - the other space-walker is working on the top of the SARJ. Nice stitch though

Doug

In honour of the late great Steve Irwin.

"CRIKEY!!"

Doug

One accuracy problem - there's only the one SARJ on each side of the truss - but hey, it looks alright

I don't think the astronaut office would fancy having to undo the launch restraints on 4 SARJ's ( that'd be about...I think...1000 bolts )

I've done another one...

http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/gallery/image.../s115e06707.jpg

This one really isn't very accurate - radiators all over the place...but it's still interesting.


Doug