MSL landing sites |
MSL landing sites |
Apr 5 2007, 11:27 PM
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#1
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Member Group: Members Posts: 428 Joined: 21-August 06 From: Northern Virginia Member No.: 1062 |
As there are some pictures being released from HiRISE of proposed MSL landing sites, I thought I'd give you what little I know about the process. As of the HiRISE team meeting a month ago or so, there were about 40 proposed sites to land MSL. These sites were prioritized, and are being photographed roughly in priority order. Each site requires a picture from each of the 3 main cameras (CTX, CRISM, and HiRISE) in their highest resolution in order to proceed. If it's determined that there can be a safe landing site, as well as interesting science targets, then they will advance to the next level, where I presume they will "wallpaper" the areas with HiRISE and CRISM (CTX, well, they get the whole landing ellipse in one shot, I think...). They likely will also photograph science areas near the proposed sites to look for interesting targets. After that, well, your guess is as good as mine. Note that none of this is official, but it's what I would expect. Also note that the landing site selection is still opened to new suggestions, the ones they have so far are not a complete list. The priority also doesn't mean anything right now other than they are the targets which will be photographed first, these priorities are still subject to change. But, well, I thought I'd send this out there for you all sink your teeth on, it really is quite interesting!
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Aug 3 2008, 09:38 PM
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#46
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Member Group: Members Posts: 691 Joined: 21-December 07 From: Clatskanie, Oregon Member No.: 3988 |
Depending on what NASA's "Major" finding's that they plan to announce, and the final science results from the phoenix mission, Im wondering if Vastitas Borealis could be added to the allready 6 final landing sites for MSL?. Phoenix's landing site looks sofar VERY science rich, and worthy for exploration for another mission .
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Aug 3 2008, 11:10 PM
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#47
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Member Group: Members Posts: 706 Joined: 22-April 05 Member No.: 351 |
Depending on what NASA's "Major" finding's that they plan to announce, and the final science results from the phoenix mission, Im wondering if Vastitas Borealis could be added to the allready 6 final landing sites for MSL?. Phoenix's landing site looks sofar VERY science rich, and worthy for exploration for another mission . I believe that anything that far north would violate the minimum temperature limits. -------------------- |
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Aug 3 2008, 11:30 PM
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#48
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2517 Joined: 13-September 05 Member No.: 497 |
I believe that anything that far north would violate the minimum temperature limits. True, though the limits are not entirely based on temperature. All sites must be within 45 degrees of the equator and meet other constraints. See http://webgis.wr.usgs.gov/msl/Engineering.htm -------------------- Disclaimer: This post is based on public information only. Any opinions are my own.
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Aug 4 2008, 12:24 AM
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#49
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Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8784 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
Mike, could you go into more detail about the lat limitations? Only thing I can think of besides temp is relay satellite availability, and that's far from guaranteed during the mission timeline; it's a somewhat puzzling constraint.
-------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
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Aug 4 2008, 02:13 AM
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#50
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2517 Joined: 13-September 05 Member No.: 497 |
Mike, could you go into more detail about the lat limitations? It's mostly to do with total energy for heating of things that aren't warmed by the RTG waste heat. There are also DTE and relay geometry constraints. The site I linked to has details (in the PDF document http://webgis.wr.usgs.gov/msl/docs/MSL_Eng...uide_v4.5.1.pdf .) -------------------- Disclaimer: This post is based on public information only. Any opinions are my own.
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Aug 4 2008, 08:49 PM
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#51
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Member Group: Members Posts: 691 Joined: 21-December 07 From: Clatskanie, Oregon Member No.: 3988 |
For DTE, how far above or below the horizon at the phoenix landing site would earth be?.
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Aug 4 2008, 09:27 PM
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#52
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Founder Group: Chairman Posts: 14433 Joined: 8-February 04 Member No.: 1 |
PHX doesn't do DTE But Earth on Sol 69 is moving from 4.7 degrees above the Northern horizon at 10pm local, to 47.8 degrees above the Southern Horizon at 10AM local
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Aug 4 2008, 09:39 PM
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#53
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Member Group: Members Posts: 691 Joined: 21-December 07 From: Clatskanie, Oregon Member No.: 3988 |
I was saying DTE for MSL hypothetically if MSL were to land at the phoenix landing site .
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Aug 4 2008, 09:41 PM
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#54
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Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8784 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
It's mostly to do with total energy for heating of things that aren't warmed by the RTG waste heat... Interesting, gotcha; thank you! -------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
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Sep 17 2008, 08:30 PM
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#55
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Member Group: Members Posts: 568 Joined: 20-April 05 From: Silesia Member No.: 299 |
I wish nice reading !
Third MSL Landing Site Workshop Cruise stage Descent stage. Images from Site Selection Process and Schedule by Mike Watkins -------------------- Free software for planetary science (including Cassini Image Viewer).
http://members.tripod.com/petermasek/marinerall.html |
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Sep 17 2008, 09:03 PM
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#56
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Founder Group: Chairman Posts: 14433 Joined: 8-February 04 Member No.: 1 |
WOW - more funky flight hardware!!
I hope when it's all shipped to KSC, it's still in pieces. Watching that final ATLO stuff via KSC webcams was fantastic... Phoenix didn't really have much of that. Of course, what I hope more, is that it all comes together well, and on time |
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Sep 17 2008, 09:07 PM
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#57
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Senior Member Group: Admin Posts: 4763 Joined: 15-March 05 From: Glendale, AZ Member No.: 197 |
That thing does NOT look stable.
-------------------- If Occam had heard my theory, things would be very different now.
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Guest_Bobby_* |
Sep 18 2008, 04:56 AM
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#58
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Guests |
I found this article about The Potential MSL Site: Miyamoto Crater
It explains a lot about the geology of the site and the pluses and minuses of the site. The article is dated September 16, 2008 and was put out by The Martian Chronicles http://martianchronicles.wordpress.com/200...iyamoto-crater/ |
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Sep 18 2008, 06:43 AM
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#59
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1281 Joined: 18-December 04 From: San Diego, CA Member No.: 124 |
-------------------- Lyford Rome
"Zis is not nuts, zis is super-nuts!" Mathematician Richard Courant on viewing an Orion test |
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Sep 18 2008, 07:07 AM
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#60
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Special Cookie Group: Members Posts: 2168 Joined: 6-April 05 From: Sintra | Portugal Member No.: 228 |
Looks like reactions weren't all the same...
"After the vote is revealed, there is some discussion of whether things were fair: (Diana Blaney: Is there a bimodal distribution related to who is in the room -- basically the 'spectroscopy' sites have sunk to the middle from comparatively favored position at early landing sites...Steve Ruff: Why did the vote go on the questions tailored in this way? A pure ranking would have been better)." "A bunch of people are bummed out by the results (quite openly), but some are happy (less openly)." Here. -------------------- "Ride, boldly ride," The shade replied, "If you seek for Eldorado!"
Edgar Alan Poe |
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