Ceres High Altitude Mapping Orbit (HAMO), Late summer through fall 2015 |
Ceres High Altitude Mapping Orbit (HAMO), Late summer through fall 2015 |
Aug 17 2015, 01:42 AM
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#1
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Member Group: Members Posts: 544 Joined: 17-November 05 From: Oklahoma Member No.: 557 |
DAWN arrived in its new lower mapping orbit on August 13th. The DAWN team is preparing to resume science observation tomorrow on the 17th.
From the Current Mission Status page at the DAWN website: QUOTE August 13, 2015 - Dawn Arrives in Third Mapping Orbit
Dawn completed the maneuvering to reach its third mapping orbit and stopped ion-thrusting this afternoon. This was a little ahead of schedule because the spiral descent went so well that some of the allocated thrusting time was not needed. Since July 14, the spacecraft has reduced its orbital altitude from 2,700 miles (4,400 kilometers) to approximately 915 miles (1,470 kilometers). The orbit period has correspondingly decreased from 3.1 days to 19 hours. Dawn is scheduled to begin its new observations on the evening of Aug. 17 (PDT) and continue for more than two months. First, however, the mission control team will measure the actual orbit parameters accurately and transmit them to the spacecraft. |
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Guest_Steve5304_* |
Aug 17 2015, 01:57 AM
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Guests |
Cant wait to see spot 5
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Aug 22 2015, 09:57 AM
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#3
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Member Group: Members Posts: 423 Joined: 13-November 14 From: Norway Member No.: 7310 |
In the latest Dawn Journal it is mentioned that pictures and other data from HAMO have started arriving on Earth, so it shouldn't be that long now before we get a look.
Nothing at all negative about the image release policy, but I have long since got bored of seeing the same terrain with the same resolution from a slightly different angle. (HAMO and LAMO are of course more promising in this regard) -------------------- |
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Aug 25 2015, 02:13 PM
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#4
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 8 Joined: 20-April 15 Member No.: 7446 |
The first three HAMO images have been released: http://www.nasa.gov/jpl/pia19631/the-lonely-mountain
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Aug 25 2015, 02:37 PM
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#5
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Member Group: Members Posts: 292 Joined: 29-December 05 From: Ottawa, ON Member No.: 624 |
For a world that we expected to have slushy ice, that sure looks like a rocky surface. I was expecting a Calisto kind of look but that sure looks like the Lunar surface to my untrained eye.
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Aug 25 2015, 02:59 PM
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#6
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 71 Joined: 3-February 11 Member No.: 5800 |
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Aug 25 2015, 03:30 PM
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#7
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Member Group: Members Posts: 112 Joined: 31-January 15 From: Houston, TX USA Member No.: 7390 |
... To me it looks like the bright material could be deposited from several vents found on both the mountaintop and flanks. It is interesting that within the bright streaks there does not appear to be any craters, even though outside of the immediate area there is a good small crater population. Whatever is going-on must be a very localized event, at least on the surface. Andy |
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Aug 25 2015, 03:42 PM
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#8
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Member Group: Members Posts: 423 Joined: 13-November 14 From: Norway Member No.: 7310 |
Consistently in the three images, slopes (whether on mountains or crater walls) have few to none craters. This is presumably due to mass-wasting, relaxation or similar. I believe this is the norm on celestial bodies.
The summit itself looks like it could be cratered, but several shapes certainly look elongated. -------------------- |
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Aug 25 2015, 04:10 PM
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#9
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Member Group: Members Posts: 495 Joined: 12-February 12 Member No.: 6336 |
Yes there's craters on top, and that area looks as old as the surrounding terrain that IMO gives the impression that the mountain have been created by a force from below. In short, that it is a pingu or created in one somewhat similar process.
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Aug 25 2015, 04:39 PM
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#10
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 21 Joined: 30-June 15 From: Brooklyn NY Member No.: 7543 |
If I have my compass bearings right, it's now clear that the North, West and East slopes of the mountain are not only "shiny" but craterless in contrast to the Southern slopes (partly in shadow) and plateau which appear heavily cratered. Presumably young versus old. Along the Western slope there is a circumferential discontinuity about halfway down, broken by a thick ridge that appears to have a splash of debris at the bottom. There appear to be two or three bright spots on the plateau, far from the slopes, and one partway down the cratered slope on the Eastern side.
I can't wait to read speculation on all this. What's going on? |
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Aug 25 2015, 10:28 PM
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#11
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Member Group: Members Posts: 866 Joined: 15-March 05 From: Santa Cruz, CA Member No.: 196 |
yes, its all too fascinating.. it really looks like some sort of plug thrust up pingo-style, slowly covering the surface outward as it grew, with one side becoming too steep and wasting down to erase craters and reveal underlying brighter material.
Many craters appear to have been gently lifted up along with the mountain surface (green arrows) a few of those higher up the incline appear to have been elongated by slippage. Some landslide splashing out across the floor at the foot of the mountain (yellow arrows). Apparent large mass-wasting event on shadowed side perhaps was too slow to disturb its surface. hard to say whether the splash smudge at the bottom post-dates that event (red arrow). |
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Guest_Steve5304_* |
Aug 25 2015, 10:45 PM
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#12
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Guests |
yes, its all too fascinating.. it really looks like some sort of plug thrust up pingo-style, slowly covering the surface outward as it grew, with one side becoming too steep and wasting down to erase craters and reveal underlying brighter material. Many craters appear to have been gently lifted up along with the mountain surface (green arrows) a few of those higher up the incline appear to have been elongated by slippage. Some landslide splashing out across the floor at the foot of the mountain (yellow arrows). Apparent large mass-wasting event on shadowed side perhaps was too slow to disturb its surface. hard to say whether the splash smudge at the bottom post-dates that event (red arrow). I see less of a indigenous mountain...more like a snowball hitting a wall. Thoughts? |
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Aug 26 2015, 01:38 AM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3009 Joined: 30-October 04 Member No.: 105 |
http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19631
Whoa. It's the Big Rock Candy Mountain. THE most primo example of pareidolia I've seen in a while. Subsequent HAMO and LAMO images ought to be interesting... --Bill -------------------- |
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Aug 26 2015, 02:49 AM
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#14
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2113 Joined: 13-February 10 From: Ontario Member No.: 5221 |
Imagine the surface view on that tiny flat strip between the base of the mountain and the crater rim. A big hole right next to a enormous mound; what a bizarre little world!
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Aug 26 2015, 03:02 AM
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#15
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Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8789 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
Absolutely bizarre. Note also the large landslide of dark material on the top edge of the crater immediately adjacent to the mountain.
Haven't got a clue what's happening here. -------------------- 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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