MSL FAQs and USEFUL DOCUMENTS, But remember to Google first - the info is out there! Options

[Astro0]

HANDY TIPS

Throughout the various MSL threads, there has been a lot of noise generated by questions being asked and answered over and over again.
So we are going to try and compile here a lot of the frequently asked stuff, plus links to the abundant documents and websites that are available.

If you have a specific question or want clarification on something, then we highly recommend following these steps:

1) GOOGLE YOUR QUESTION FIRST!!!!!!
Too often people just don't bother with this easy process.
Try phrasing your question in a few words or just use some key words related to your query.
TIP: Look further than page 1. If you don't get the answer, try some other words.

2) GO TO THE MISSION WEBSITE
If Googling your question didn't already take you there, then just search around the MSL website.
There are plenty of pages with useful details and tons of documents available on both the NASA and JPL versions of the MSL website.
TIP: The NASA and JPL sites have Search capabilities built in.

3) READ BACK THROUGH THE THREAD THAT'S MOST RELEVANT
Members have been talking about MSL's mission for quite a while now and lots of information has been collected.
Read back through the thread in question and you'll most likely find the answer.
TIP: UMSF has a search capability and/or you can always search UMSF using Google.

IF AT THIS POINT YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR ANSWER, THEN POST THE QUESTION TO THE MOST APPROPRIATE THREAD.
Remember though that what UMSF is about is contributing information, rather than supplying it.
We are blessed to have a number of the mission team members as active contributors to the Forum.
While they are often happy to give their input, they are not here to support us, we are here to support them.

IMPORTANT NOTE
The UMSF Administration and Moderation team will be hard at work keeping an eye on all discussions.
If the Forum signal to noise ratio becomes an issue, we will not hesitate to delete posts, close topics or warn members for breaches.

[Tesheiner]

MSL EDL TIMELINE

A detailed EDL timeline in several timezones: http://www.spaceflight101.com/msl-edl-timeline.html

[Astro0]

MSL IMAGE RETRIEVAL TOOLS

Links from the Curiosity Image Retrieval Tools Thread.

Please note that we do not guarantee any of the programs listed.
They are links provided by or programs/website developed by members.
Please use them at your caution.

A shell script that allows you to download all images from a given sol - (link to download tool ) Available here

Curiosity RAW Get - (link to download tool) Available here

Star Downloader - (link to external website) Available here

Mars Ogler - (link to external website) Available here
Check out the 'grid' view in the menu options.

DownloadThemAll plugin for Firefox - (link to external website) Available here

Automatically updated RAW images online - (link to external website) Available here (link updated 4Jan'13 - Thanks Ludo)

A basic web interface listing images for a particular Sol - (link to external website) Available here

Web interface to the raw images - (link to external website) Available here

[Astro0]

MSL CAMERAS and INSTRUMENTS

A bunch of useful links to documents provided by member Winston.

The Mars Science Laboratory Engineering Cameras - PDF

THE MARS SCIENCE LABORATORY (MSL) NAVIGATION CAMERAS (NAVCAMS) - PDF

THE MARS SCIENCE LABORATORY (MSL) HAZARD AVOIDANCE CAMERAS (HAZCAMS) - PDF

THE MARS SCIENCE LABORATORY (MSL) MARS DESCENT IMAGER (MARDI) FLIGHT INSTRUMENT - PDF

THE MARS SCIENCE LABORATORY (MSL) MARS HAND LENS IMAGER (MAHLI) FLIGHT INSTRUMENT - PDF

MEDLI System Design Review Project Overview - PDF

Advances in Thermal Protection System Instrumentation for Atmospheric Entry Missions - Powerpoint

A relatively short but very interesting document about the engineering challenges of landing on Mars which discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the various possible methods - webpage

The Sample Analysis at Mars Investigation and Instrument Suite - PDF

CHEMCAM official website - webpage

[Astro0]

MSL WEATHER REPORTS (REMS)

To follow the weather data from MSL, here's the link:
http://marsweather.com/

EDIT: Thanks to member Chris, here's a link to a document on the REMS instrument - PDF