I would sit here :
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/pre...-A603R1_br2.jpg
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/pre...-A625R1_br2.jpg

The everest outcrop atop Husband Hill. Nice spot to sit down - after a bit of a climb - to

Part of me would like to sit aside Endurance, but scientifically stunning though Meridiani has been, it just does not feel like the 'real' Mars that I've loved since I was a kid.

And obviously, I'd have to share it with Helen. She's put up with a lot being a card carrying mars-widow - but I know she'd enjoy the view...as long as it wasn't too cold

D

They've done it twice before remember - and it will be a very valuable set of new tools to have on board - why would it be any more risky now than in, say, 7 days time?

The actual rover software has been ready to go for several weeks (check the flight director reports at JPL to see when they finished uploading it all) - and the testing has been of the ground systems to support the stuff the rover will be producing with it.

It wouldn't suprise me to see something like this.....

Finish IDD work
One long drive to Victoria and Navcam frames to downlink for the choice between the two Capes
Boot to new software

So...those of you complaining about doing it - you might get your way.... do the software update with victoria properly in view....and imagine how you'll feel if the update has a couple of sols of kinks to iron out after being turned on...you'll be FURIOUS.. "THEY'RE RIGHT AT THE RIM AND NOW THEY START USING NEW FLIGHT SOFTWARE.. OMFG WHAT ARE THEY DOING" . It doesn't matter if they change to the new flight software today, next week, next month, next year. There is a risk of a couple of sols of fixing kinks, but safeguards are in place to ensure the long term health of the vehicle and once sorted, this new software will make the rover more efficient at collecting science data. Go-and-touch will save dozens of sols during the exploration of Victoria I have no doubt - as will the ability to detect change within images for cloud observations etc etc. Given that the software will make the vehicle more scientifically efficient - it would be madness to do anything other than get it deployed and working at the first possible opportunity.

Again - for the upteenth time - people are jumping to conclusions and making criticism of planning and sequencing when they are privy to about 0.00001% of the information it requires to run these things. I'm getting tired of it and frankly, it reflects badly on all of us. If people start with the hysteria again, I'll be getting my two big boots ready called "delete" and "warning".

dot.dk and others - you have been warned.

Doug

Jim O describes them well 'Cultural Vandals'.

I think the time from 69 till whenever the next landing is is best expressed this way.

In 1969, everyone would have expected the children of the Apollo astronauts to be walking on the moon regularly....instead, we're now at a stage where their grandchildren are designing the vehicles to go back to the moon. The exploration of space by man in some respects has missed an entire generation.

Doug

A lot of lovely MI images have been taken That's a lotta arm movement.

Doug

Well -

http://anserver1.eprsl.wustl.edu/anteam/me...MD/2C241MMD.htm

During the 18-day conjunction period that began on Sol 241, the sun will be obscuring the communications path between Earth and Mars, making communications sessions unreliable. We were able to successfully command Spirit on Sol 241, and had partial commanding success on Sol 242. We will be attempting to command Spirit on Sol 243 also. Beyond that, thru Sol 255, sequences already safely on board will perform a set of science activities on a daily basis. On Sols 256-258, the last three days of conjunction, we will be attempting normal operations again.

I would say at least a fortnight.

Doug

See - nice load of 937-8-9 images just came down

Panic over?

Doug

I can imagine, given that the Mars office has been compartively quiet in terms of 'big' news since the MRO MOI - a big press release during conjunction to unveil the Victoria panorama, the McMurdo pan, and a HiRISE / CTX / CRISM data set of one of the two landing sites would make a nice 'story' that would make most of the major newspapers.

Perhaps the order came from on high to try and grab one of the two sites if at all possible before conjunction...stranger things have happened.

But I'm jumping the gun

Doug

I would get it from Lulu - it offers a real opportunity for specialist books that might struggle to get to press to become available.

Doug

Thank you Phil - I really didn't want to go through this one again.

Doug

I don't think the shuttle would be used for these anymore. Converted Russian ICBM's make the bulk of the launch manifest for Cubesats - but using the PPOD, there's scope to launch them as a secondary payload on the other vehicles you mention, Delta 2/4, Atlas 5, Ariane 5, and in the future Vega etc. I think working with Cubesat teams is a sensible investment for the LV manufacturers. The students that build and fly these things are the same students that the major LV and astronautical engineering firms will want to employ in the future.... by spending the money on accomodating Cubesat PPOD's when volume and mass budgets allow, they're essentially giving experience to future employees - it's a good trade.

Just as an aside Andrew - is there any chance of the 1/2U, 2U and 3U chassis CAD files making it onto the website? I'm not a potential customer ( unless I win the lottery in which case I'll be turning into a philanthropist and funding several UK universities to start cubesat projects ) - but I do like looking at these things - even if just from a creative standpoint for making pretty picture http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.p...ost&id=1588

Doug

LOL - the rule still stands - as it has stood for a long time ( and plenty long enough for people to have changed their minds ) - and I still maintain that until we stop to have a proper look, we've not 'arrived'

Doug

It's in progress.

I'd would expect the weekend to be where we are now - hopefully no IDD faults like we've suffered before - and then driving next week.

Doug

There's a huge difference between not having images or tracking data, and having 'no data turn up for 3 days'

We've seen the same symptoms a dozen times. A script falls over, a server needs a reset etc etc - it's nothing unusual. I can say with convinction - there is nothing wrong with Opportunity.

It's silly to try and make a call on what the spacecraft is doing from a LACK of information.

What information do we have in the public domain?

From imagery on the groundwe see..
931 - Targetted remote sensing and short drive
932 - 935 - Targetted remote sensing
936 - Putting interesting target in IDD work volume
and nothing from then on out...

From tracking data, we see what has been commanded

935 - Targetted remote sensing
936 - Bump drive imaging to put something in IDD work volume
937 - Untargetted remote sensing and imaging of magnets (good stuff for a restricted sol while looking at FHAZ from 936)
938 - not much going on.
939 - a HUGE sol of Ratting, pre and post rat MI images, APXS and Mossbauer work.

939 has only just finished. If there was something wrong with the rover - would they have scheduled a hugely busy day on 939?

940 I would imagine more IDD work - good integrations for Mossbauer etc.

Seriously - you're clutching at less than straws. All the information that we actually HAVE is indicitive of a very very healthy rover ( I've not seen a day as busy as 939 for a long time). To then negate that information and suggest there is something wrong with the rover because the pipeline of imagery, which we know to be unreliable at times.... that's a bit silly.

Doug

http://athena.cornell.edu/news/mubss/



Doug

I think they're a fantastic development. I don't think they're in the realm of good science observations ( some interesting measurements, but no optics etc) yet..but 2u/3u sats could certainly include something interesting

For your average private individual - it's still not 'cheap' - I've seen lots of figures from about $10k to about $200k for a full project. It depends if you have generous suppliers etc etc

I'd say it takes a handfull of experts - more than just one person - but not a huge team. It's not easy - and there's no guarentees ( as the tragic recent launch failure reminds us all ) - but it's a fascinating and exciting developmetn and I'm always interested to see what the inginuity of students and universities can think of to do with the platforum - and what Pumpkin have done is make it even more accesable by producing a kit.

Doug

I quite agree - a long duration net lander mission for met.obs and hopefully seismic study would be a very very valuable feather in the mars exploration cap.

Doug

Fixed landers can be just as scientifically able...but they cannot conduct exploration

Olivier is an UMSF regular

Doug

Steve:. And you know, I mean if, you're in the U.K., I'm in Ithaca New York, if, as long as the scripts are running well and we're updating quickly (and it's often we don't but we try our best). You know, if you're awake and I'm asleep you can see pictures...

Doug: Before you do.

Steve: ...from Mars before I do, and I think that's great! And I hope that other projects in the future will do the same thing.

From last autumns Q'n'A

Doug

And as we should all know by now - that tells us exactly nothing.

Doug

Well - at 1.5m/pixel - MOC is approx 3km across and as much as 10km long.

HiRISE at 33cm/pixel has a maximum of 6.6km across and 13.2km long.

Doug

The 70m Madrid DSN dish is currently down.

Doug

I would have thought that the pre-conjunction imaging would be of basically, whatever they can grab, much as with the pre aerobraking imaging. I don't think there's the time to schedule sequence and command something more specific than that.

Doug

Restricted sols and DSN congestion - we've only mentioned a few times The sort of constraints whereby targetted remote sensing and IDD work are the most efficient use of the rovers time.

Doug

www.insideksc.com