MECA (microscope) Images |
MECA (microscope) Images |
May 30 2008, 08:19 AM
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Senior Member Group: Admin Posts: 3108 Joined: 21-December 05 From: Canberra, Australia Member No.: 615 |
Doug I know this isn't exactly a "sub-element activity", but it's certainly a small image.
Can someone tell us anything about this MECA plaque. They don't seem to have captured the entire thing in their shots and it would be nice to fill in some of the blanks. I've inserted some assumptions in the attached merged image. Just love these sort of personal touches which have stories linked to them. My name is on the mini-DVD...who else on UMSF signed up? Astro0 |
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Jul 22 2008, 01:09 PM
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Rover Driver Group: Members Posts: 1015 Joined: 4-March 04 Member No.: 47 |
For those who haven't seen it yet, there's a new installment in Tom Pike's BBC blog:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7408033.stm Interesting bit about the AFM: "The particles, though, are much more difficult to image. They tend to be pushed about by the sharp tip of the AFM, frustrating our attempts. On Earth, we'd be able to turn a few knobs to minimise the forces between the tip and the particle. For Phoenix, each "tweak" of the computer code takes hours to prepare and the results from Mars aren't known until the next sol. We also have to book ahead to be able to run our microscopes on Phoenix. What takes just a few minutes to run on the testbed in our laboratory in Tucson takes several sols to complete on Mars. A good deal of patience is a requirement for any member of the science team. " |
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Jul 22 2008, 03:24 PM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1465 Joined: 9-February 04 From: Columbus OH USA Member No.: 13 |
"The particles, though, are much more difficult to image. They tend to be pushed about by the sharp tip of the AFM, frustrating our attempts. On Earth, we'd be able to turn a few knobs to minimise the forces between the tip and the particle. Roadblocks on all fronts, it seems. In the BBC blog, I wonder what the point is of making soil/ice mixtures in one's kitchen--not exactly Mars conditions. -------------------- |
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