2014 MU69 "Ultima Thule" flyby, For discussion of the encounter as it happens |
2014 MU69 "Ultima Thule" flyby, For discussion of the encounter as it happens |
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![]() Administrator ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Admin Posts: 5172 Joined: 4-August 05 From: Pasadena, CA, USA, Earth Member No.: 454 ![]() |
It's only 10 days now until the "Core" phase of the 2014 MU69 flyby begins! I thought it was time for a new thread. Carry on discussing distant observations of other KBO worlds in the KBO encounters thread, and use this one for MU69 until after the departure phase is officially over on 8 January.
I'll be posting a "What to Expect" article next week. -------------------- My website - My Patreon - @elakdawalla on Twitter - Please support unmannedspaceflight.com by donating here.
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#2
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![]() Merciless Robot ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Admin Posts: 8784 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 ![]() |
ADMIN NOTE: Since the encounter phase and frequent press briefings are nearly over we'll be starting a new thread to discuss the flyby results as they come in over the next 20 months, similar to what was done after Pluto.
This thread will be closed in the near future. -------------------- 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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#3
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Newbie ![]() Group: Members Posts: 17 Joined: 25-December 18 Member No.: 8512 ![]() |
Re. helping to observe and measure occultations by Kuiper Belt Objects:
A major omission from my previous links: The RECON project: http://tnorecon.net/about-us/about-the-project/ RECON is devoted to observing stellar occultations by "Trans-Neptunian Objects" (TNOs) -- i.e., bodies whose semi-major orbital axis is greater than the semi-major orbital radius of Neptune -- and which include the KBOs. Here is a quote from their website: RECON — the Research and Education Collaborative Occultation Network — will involve students, teachers, amateur astronomers, and interested community members in a citizen science astronomy research project to study the outer solar system. We are providing telescopes, camera equipment, and training to over 40 schools and education centers across the Western United States so students and teachers from these communities can help us determine the sizes of objects out past Neptune through occultation measurements. To learn more about RECON, visit http://tnorecon.net/ Funded by the National Science Foundation, RECON is run by planetary scientists Marc Buie from Southwest Research Institute and John Keller from California Polytechnic State University. You can sign up to join their project or request more information at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc...6b7X9g/viewform |
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#4
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![]() Member ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 701 Joined: 3-December 04 From: Boulder, Colorado, USA Member No.: 117 ![]() |
A few points-
- One additional big reason why we can't get down the highest-resolution images earlier, is that they are stored on the second solid-state data recorder (SSR2), which we can only access when we power up the backup computer, Given our tight power budget and other complexities (e.g. additional housekeeping data are generated and need to be downlinked when the backup computer is is powered up), we have to wait a while to power up that computer again to get at the SSR2 data. - The command loads, which each cover 2-3 weeks of spacecraft activities, are developed over a cycle that starts well over a month before execution. So to downlink jailbars and use the m to determine which images to send down wouldn't be any faster than what we're currently planning. - Yes, we get down histograms for each LORRI image, but they are quantized in a way that means that a faint target like Ultima doesn't show up in the them, in the short exposures needed for our highest resolution images. So histograms don't tell us which images contain the target. - Adding the capability to generate and downlink thumbnails, like any flight software change, would take months to develop and test to ensure it was bulletproof. Given our small team, it wouldn't be a good use of resources. - Like Alan said, New Horizons is a mission of delayed gratification. Patience is a key requirement. - The best illustration of the quality of the best images we hope to get is the Phobos-based simulation that I showed on NYE, which includes the actual expected smear and noise levels. The Manhattan image is hot intended to be a high-fidelity simulation. John |
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#5
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![]() Senior Member ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Admin Posts: 4763 Joined: 15-March 05 From: Glendale, AZ Member No.: 197 ![]() |
A few points-.... John Thanks for taking the time to weigh-in with us John during what must be the week of a lifetime for you. You guys and gals are amazing! -------------------- If Occam had heard my theory, things would be very different now.
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