Victoria and her features, Okay folks, what can we see already - and what will we see when we get |
Victoria and her features, Okay folks, what can we see already - and what will we see when we get |
Apr 15 2006, 11:28 AM
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The Poet Dude Group: Moderator Posts: 5551 Joined: 15-March 04 From: Kendal, Cumbria, UK Member No.: 60 |
So far images of Victoria - from orbit and from the ground, as Oppy approaches - have been tantalising at best, and frustrating at worst. What does everyone think we've seen so far, and what features do you think we'll see as Oppy approaches and later, when she finally arrives?
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Apr 15 2006, 09:17 PM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 267 Joined: 5-February 06 Member No.: 675 |
I checked the data on images R1400021 and R2200640 at the USGS catalog of MOC images and found there isn't data on image orientation, and hence on the convergence of the images.
There is, however, the altitude of the spacecraft and the slant range to the image center. A little trigonometry and we find R1400021 deviates from the vertical by 24.0° and R22000640 by 15.8°. Depending on the geometry, the images converge by anywhere from 39.8° to 8.2°. Although a larger convergence would be great, either should give enough elevation information to fill in some of the gaps in the MOLA data. Does anyone of the experts here know a source for image orientation parameters to get a better convergence figure? |
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Apr 15 2006, 09:29 PM
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#3
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2488 Joined: 17-April 05 From: Glasgow, Scotland, UK Member No.: 239 |
Here's a shrunken version of the image above.
If there's a way in, I'd say the on-ramp is at 9:10 (on a clock face). I see zero in the way of impact features - this is all about mass wasting. Bob Shaw -------------------- Remember: Time Flies like the wind - but Fruit Flies like bananas!
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Apr 16 2006, 09:30 AM
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#4
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Member Group: Members Posts: 214 Joined: 30-December 05 Member No.: 628 |
Here's a shrunken version of the image above. If there's a way in, I'd say the on-ramp is at 9:10 (on a clock face). I see zero in the way of impact features - this is all about mass wasting. Bob Shaw This picture in Bob's post #25 and others like it make it appear that on approach from Erebus, Oppy will come in on the difficult side if she is really going to try to descend into the crater. It is hard to gague what role is played by the lighting, but most of the other potential entrance ramps seem to be in the 2:00-5:00 sector. That would be a difficult trek around the rim, so we should hope that the 9:10 feature allows safe access. Stu's simulated images make dramatic eye candy but underscore that the engineering team will be faced with some very tough choices! It also appears that the interior slopes all around are much sandier than at Endurance. If prospects for entry appear barely possible but without hope of exit, is there any good reason why we should not be content to see the mission end this way? Alternatively, how much science would be sacrificed by simply remainig up on the rim, given the shaky condition of the IDD and the depleted state of the Mossbauer radiation source? Peter |
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