http://trs-new.jpl.nasa.gov/dspace/handle/2014/7087

I've not seen any anticipated Ka band data rates, but it features in the MRO scheduling only as an experiment from time to time, so its loss is not going to negatively effect the return.

Doug

What would you have them do? They did very regular press confs, on a daily and almost daily basis for most of the primary mission...but public interest had dropped to near zero by that point anyway.

Doug

That is VERY cool

Doug

I really like the view back toward El Dorado...and the view toward McCool with that long thin ridge of rocks....and the view sort of 'behind' us up the hills to Pitchers Mound. I've grown to appreciated it more...I didn't think much of it to begin with, but I like it now. It's grown on me...it's..'home'.

Doug

Good grief - it's a one man software empire!

Doug

The scope of the McMurdo is discussed at length in one of the Pancam updates I did a few weeks ago

Doug

L7 and R1 are the deep blue / violet that has excellent detail.

Doug

Trajectory purposes I would have thought - same reason they launch polar from Vandenberg and not Florida.

Given that you are further from the centre of the earth at the equator - you start off with slightly less gravity to deal with A tiny fraction....but a fraction none the less.

Velocity advantages from Equatorial launch sites fall off with increasing orbit inclination and trend to zero for a polar orbit I would have thought.

Doug

oooOOOooo

I've emailed JB. Navcam's not his dept - but I'll ask anyway.

Is the same true of the RAD's out of the PDS?

Might be interesting to do a comparison of the JPG, and then all the various PDS products, for left and right of one observation.

Doug

We don't need to go in to the central dune field to investigate the place We didn't go into the dunes at the middle of Endurance for instance..but investigated its rocks very carefully - plenty of opportunity to investigate some good layers of rock here...I still think they should ( and will ) take a good look.

Doug

Oh - I agree - there should ( and probably will be ) an S1K / Victoria crater press conf - and also a tie in that Spirit's finished McMurdo and got through winter etc etc....I'll look forward to it

HOWEVER

I don't expect it to cause any sort of spike in mission interest...the media will probably post a few stories, but there wont be an increase in general public knowledge, understanding or awareness of the rovers.

Doug

I think there could have been better, cheaper, faster ways to learn how to do manned interplanetary missions ( indeed, Mir could, should and perhaps did teach us those things...particularly given that some people spent up to twice as long on Mir as they ever have on ISS ).

However - given that ISS is what it is, it has a role to play.

Doug

Bingo - so no big wavey press conf. is going to change anything

Doug

Overlayed a few typical search phrases ( MER, Mars Rover, Spirit, Opportunity ) and got this lot - I've tried to tie in key events to match the peaks. Notice the 1st Mars Birthday kicked a huge media response but little search response.

I think the top bar (searches) is a measure of public interest, and the bottom bar is a measure of press coverage - and to be fair - the press have spiked at many major events, whereas public interest has not.

Doug

What?

Doug

I imagine the same story as happened for Husband hill - a press conf, pretty pictures, review of recent science..perhaps around the S1K mark ?

Doug

I'd get in touch with people from www.collectspace.com - they know EVERYTHING about anything. Hell - they've even got MER airbag material (which I would sell a kidney for )

Doug

'more' information - I've not heard ANY information suggesting that the Ka band has stopped working.

Doug

Is it really necessary to attach these images to the forum when a link would suffice?

Yes - command every day as if it's the last....BUT....there could be excellent science here. If it takes two weeks to do a good investigation of a few pieces of Beagle crater - they'd be mad to turn it down. If nothing else - it's a point of reference between the Erebus area and Victoria - another point on the graph that started with Eagle and will end with Victoria. I think a verbose investigation is more than justified.

Doug

Typically - they end up a little bit ahead of the aerobraking time line - (they plan conservatively) - but the plan I believe is to get the aerobraking done before solar conjunction - and then start science AFTER solar conjunction.

Doug

I've emailed and phoned every Imax theatre in the UK and only one has any plans to show it, and they can't give me a firm date for opening. Do you know what I think's happened....they're waiting for the theatres in the US to stop showing it - so they can rent/buy/hire/whatever it is you do for an imax film..cheap. (i.e. a second hand copy )

Doug

Fred - I'm suprised they didn't release a WMV-HD format version to be honest. It's a format that's out, it works, it's cheap to build for...but nope

Science Museum in London say they'll have it this Autumn...at some point.

Doug