Dec 4th News Conference |
Dec 4th News Conference |
Dec 3 2008, 08:58 PM
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#1
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Founder Group: Chairman Posts: 14433 Joined: 8-February 04 Member No.: 1 |
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/dec/H...MSL_Update.html
From the wording of this announcement, MSL is clearly still on, which is a good thing. We'll have to wait and see. Doug |
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Dec 4 2008, 09:36 PM
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#2
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Administrator Group: Admin Posts: 5172 Joined: 4-August 05 From: Pasadena, CA, USA, Earth Member No.: 454 |
I just got an official reply to my question from Dwayne Brown, the PAO for SMD.
QUOTE The orbiting assets that are expected to be available to support MSL operations when it arrives at Mars (on the revised schedule) include MRO, Mars Express, and Mars Odyssey. Although two years later, it is still expected that these orbiters will be in place and available for communications relay support for MSL.
Having multiple relay-capable orbiters in place allows the continuation of MSL support if one (or even two) of them should become inoperable. In the very unlikely event that all three orbiters should become unable to provide comm relay support, the MSL rover still has the ability to utilize direct-to-Earth (DTE) communications. Albeit slower, the MSL mission could be completed utilizing the DTE link only. -------------------- My website - My Patreon - @elakdawalla on Twitter - Please support unmannedspaceflight.com by donating here.
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Dec 4 2008, 09:53 PM
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#3
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Member Group: Members Posts: 710 Joined: 28-September 04 Member No.: 99 |
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Dec 4 2008, 10:25 PM
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#4
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 63 Joined: 18-November 08 Member No.: 4490 |
So it sounds like they can use MEX too. I did have the idea I read (at the time) that Beagle was going to use MGS/MO for long term comms too..
To me, this sounds like: "The Galileo mission could be completed utilizing the LGA link only." It would be rather better than that - it would be a high gain antennea, all be it direct DSN comms. The low gain on Galileo was 160 bits/sec (up from 16bits thanks to DSN), vs 134 Kbits/sec for high gain. It will be less, but not 1000 times less! However there is a good point in there - doesn't MSL plan to generate much more data than MER? In that case having MRO there will make a big difference - the others have much more modest computing/transmission capacities.. |
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Dec 4 2008, 10:55 PM
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#5
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Member Group: Members Posts: 206 Joined: 15-August 07 From: Shrewsbury, Shropshire Member No.: 3233 |
Does the two Year delay change the time of Year at which MSL would land at Southern Hemisphere landing sites?
I ask the question because I understand that if MSL had landed in 2010 at the Southern Hemisphere Eberswalde and Holden crater sites then the landing would have been in the depths of Winter and MSL might have been virtually immovable for the 6 months following the landing. Does landing in 2012 move the time of landing in Southern sites to a more favourable season of the Year? |
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Dec 5 2008, 09:11 AM
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#6
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 4279 Joined: 19-April 05 From: .br at .es Member No.: 253 |
Does the two Year delay change the time of Year at which MSL would land at Southern Hemisphere landing sites? I ask the question because I understand that if MSL had landed in 2010 at the Southern Hemisphere Eberswalde and Holden crater sites then the landing would have been in the depths of Winter and MSL might have been virtually immovable for the 6 months following the landing. <snip> Don't forget that MSL is nuclear powered so seasons are not a constraint for power generation. |
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