Dawn approaches Vesta, Approach phase, 3 May to 16 July 2011 Options

[Astro0]

Jobs' would stick an Apple logo on it, tell you that it's better than the previous asteroid version even though it has no craters on it and is incompatible with other space debris

From a marketing approach, I agree that the broader public is more likely to want to have that 'bang' here's asteroid Vesta fully resolved and beautiful.
Sadly they'll still go *yawn* "So what!?". For that audience there is little interest in either increasing pixels or hi-res shots.

Where the images of DAWN's approach would be useful is through their use by Outreach professionals.
As has been said above, building the anticipation of the journey/approach is important. It helps build the story and the relationship with the viewer.
Using a series of approach images and comparing it to a simulation or a side by side with Hubble's observations and other projected views all help with developing the interest.

If people can be a part of the story by seeing what the scientist sees then they make an investment in continuing find out more as the story develops.

[tanjent]

Well, if is some kind of scripted marketing ploy, I suppose we, the core constituency, have an assigned role to play not unlike what we are actually doing.
Dawn's mysterious PR consultant is likely counting on us to raise a clamor and be like the fans who are photographed pitching their tents impatiently outside the theaters fighting for tickets to this "world premiere" screening. That would make this one case where it's definitely OK to complain, and the louder the better.

To extend the iPhone analogy, at some point (hint, hint...) they might let a supposedly "stolen" photograph slip out and we could have a controversy about whether it's authentic or not. Somebody on the inside at DSN could be observed showing it off in a bar after hours...

[SFJCody]

http://www.dawn.mps.mpg.de/typo3temp/pics/597c539696.jpg

http://www.dawn.mps.mpg.de/typo3temp/pics/df12f3db68.jpg

http://www.dawn.mps.mpg.de/typo3temp/pics/f260f082ba.jpg


I see neither rhyme nor reason in these image names. Shame, was considering giving wget a go (hey, it worked on Cassini before they started releasing the raw images... )

[centsworth_II]

...for someone who doesn't know that Dawn even exists, could the approach images have an inoculation effect and actually reduce the overall public profile of the mission....

Don't worry. Every approach shot could be released to the DAWN website and 99 percent of the public would remain blissfully unaware until they were slapped in the face by a widespread press release photo of Vesta in all her glory. At which time perhaps 10 percent of the public would become aware.

But that 1 percent of the public that wishes to see each and every image is an important group. They act as unofficial ambassadors to the general public, pointing out and explaining with enthusiasm aspects of missions that do make it to the general press, going into deeper detail where interest warrants.

[djellison]

Marketing and Outreach are not the same. There is some marketing within the best practices of Media Relations, but that's not outreach either.

This isn't a case of trying to 'sell' something. We're already sold. What we want now is the product to be delivered. We've already paid for it.

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

In the past NASA have had "Solar System Ambassadors" - enthusiastic amateurs that have gone out to the public/classrooms with education in mind. I think they could try a similar thing in regards to getting high quality images out to the public/media etc. Of course, it would only work in there is no embargo on public access to images, but if they can't release/process lots of images because they don't have time it could be a solution. There might have to be some strict guidelines on how the images can be processed perhaps. The work people here have done with MER mages is a good example.

I don't think there would be any shortage of volunteers though.

[Norm Hartnett]

The silence seems to be drawing some attention.

http://nasawatch.com/archives/2011/06/why-is-jpl-sitt.html

[belleraphon1]

Am sending the same message to Emily's blog email (so the email can be counted).

I was around for the early missions of exploration …..

There was always tremendous excitement for me in seeing the Mariner, Viking, Voyager image releases. But also great frustration that these image releases had to wait for when team scientists thought a release was appropriate. Back in those pre digital pre internet days there really was no other way to do this.

But now, in the days of internet, there is no excuse for holding onto images. The thrill of discovery is not in ‘pretty pictures’. It is in seeing a dot grow large in the field of view, as ‘non-optimized’ as the exposures may be.

Releasing images as soon as possible lets us all truly ride along and invests far more of our imaginations and ‘spirit’ in the mission itself. We grow to feel a real part of the discovery process. We get invested in the vision, we become ardent advocates for the mission.

Holding onto images is old school thinking.

DAWN Team - Please release images as often as possible. Let us all ride along together.

Craig

[jsheff]

I totally share the desire to see as many images as possible, even the uneventful opnav images. Not being in the loop as far as the thinking inside the mission goes, it's hard to say what's going on. It occurs to me that from the viewpoint of the mission investigators, it would be easy to see the public in a monolithic way; there's us and there's them. I'm not saying they are antagonistic to us - not at all. It's just that, from their point of view, they may not be troubled to make the distinction between, say, UMSF members and Joe the Plumber. In other words, they may not know enough about us or appreciate what we can do. What they may not realize is that , as someone else pointed out, they don't have to sell US on how cool the mission is. We KNOW how cool the mission is.

[jsheff]

Actually, the Flight Operations Team has been very good about keeping the public informed, with the periodic Dawn Journals. And they seem to appreciate the importance of these first blurry images. Here's Marc Rayman from the latest Dawn Journal:

"So far, the images reveal little more than the desired important information of where Vesta appears against the background of stars. And yet, in a sense they show much more. After its long and lonely voyage through the vast emptiness of interplanetary space, most of the time far from anything but bits of dust and the occasional insignificant rock, an alien world is finally coming into view. Although too far now to do more than illuminate a handful of pixels in the camera, the small disc of Vesta stands out as the brightest and largest object visible to the explorer except the master of the solar system, the sun. The pictures are visible proof of Dawn's progress from an intriguing concept not so many years ago to a distant spaceship about to orbit an uncharted protoplanet, the second most massive body between Mars and Jupiter."

So, yes, more, please!


- John Sheff
Cambridge, MA

[Bjorn Jonsson]

I thought image release policies like Dawn's had become a thing of the past but clearly I was wrong.

As Discovery missions, NEAR (an old example) and Messenger (a recent example) are nice examples of how things can be done. In both cases some early low-res images were released shortly after they were obtained. It was interesting to see them, especially when knowing that in a few days/weeks one would know more about the nature of some tantalizing markings visible in the early images.

The single Dawn image that has been released is interesting. It may even show some hints of Vesta's nonspherical shape (but I wouldn't bet my money on it). And even if not, by now Vesta's nonspherical shape should be obvious in recent images. Some very large scale markings are probably visible as well. Once the resolution equals HST's resolution things get *really* interesting. Seeing the tantalizing and fuzzy features of the early images gradually 'evolve' into something well resolved is one of the exciting things about following these missions.

Never in my adult life have I been able to follow a space mission as it discovered a large new world for the first time.

The last (and in fact also the first) time this happened to me was back in 1989 when Voyager 2 encountered Neptune and Triton. I didn't see any images from that flyby until I received an issue of Sky & Telescope a few months later. Not since back in 1989 has a really big world been explored for the first time from close range. And I'm getting a sense of deja vu: Despite some changes over these 22 years (in particular the Internet/WWW) in a way I feel like it's 1989 again.

One thing though: I'm not a US citizen so maybe I shouldn't be complaining. But I'm pretty sure there are Americans that share my opinions on this issue.

For example, how would Steve Jobs handle the Dawn photo release?

By changing the name of the mission to iDawn.

[ElkGroveDan]

For example, how would Steve Jobs handle the Dawn photo release?

By changing the name of the mission to iDawn.

...and replacing all the controls with just one button.

[lyford]

Actually, the Flight Operations Team has been very good about keeping the public informed, with the periodic Dawn Journals.

I have to say that I have enjoyed these immensely and look forward to Marc Rayman's writing each month. Very informative and I have learned quite a bit since they started in 2006!

[Decepticon]

Im not to worried about pics yet.


When dawns resolution surpasses HST is when I start get annoyed at no images.

[djellison]

Then get worried - that's right about now.