[X] My Assistant

[dshaffer]

Thinking about Emily's question about what could be improved, as I note my own impatience and watch the media practically groan out loud when M. Mallin mentions a week more before better images are released, I find myself wishing JPL would put out (if it doesn't already exist) a high quality animation of Curiosity driving up to Sharp intercut with the best images available of some of the layering, landscapes and topography that will (hopefully) be seen later.

I'm afraid in a week there will be no one but Emily at the press conferences.

Roy

Don't be afraid...they will stop the daily press conferences after tomorrow.......

[Josh Cryer]

Todd Halvorson asked a question about whether they can do "other things" while the software update was happening and Mike Malin says to Mike Watkins at the end of that Q&A that, "We are going to have a downlink, aren't we, through that?" (Verbatim.) Mike Watkins nods. Malin tries to state to the announcer that this will be the case, but he's not aggressive enough and they go on to the next question. So as far as I understand the upgrade will not completely interrupt all other activities.

[antipode]

Matching between the panorama of the rim of Gale crater acquired by Curiosity's Navcam and the CTX observations drapped on topography. These last observations have been obtained on Explore Mars : http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/explore/curiosity/
On the bottom picture, the distance from Curiosity to the various features identified are indicated.

Fabulous! So between points 3 and 5 on the rim is the large clearly incised outflow channel that created the alluvial fan we are on?

I wonder if Mastcam will be able to pick out any (admittedly highly foreshortened) details in that direction? There are also several other outflow channels nestling between peaks on that rim - but that seems to be the big one...

P

[dmg]

Don't be afraid...they will stop the daily press conferences after tomorrow.......

Which will make the updates we get on UMSF, Emily's blog, Twitter, and other sources all the more important for us Mars junkies in between the few and far between press conference briefings that will ensue for the rest of the mission!

[MahFL]

PSP_015073_1755 but that image set is down for the moment.

Paolo

That image is now available again.

[imipak]

Hope this audio works outside the UK...

With Nasa's Curiosity rover finally safe on the surface of Mars, the team that put it there has had time to reflect on their efforts. Adam Steltzner, who led the group that devised the "crazy" landing system, says he hopes the achievement will stand as a huge inspiration to people. He told our correspondent Jonathan Amos what the moments before landing were like.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19198193

Includes Adam's walk-through of the sequence of cryptic calls, looks, nods and pokes before "Touchdown successful" was called.

[Josh Cryer]

Wonderful imipak, works here in the US. Adam Steltzner is an amazing guy. I really loved what he said at the post-landing panel. He really put things into perspective. When he said "A corner, a piece of humanity. Not the end all." I just beamed with pride at that humble display.

Anyway, this may have been posted before but NPR did an awesome article on Adam Steltzner which is much more comprehensive.

[akuo]

Explore Mars : http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/explore/curiosity/

This software is funky and funny, but also really useful. Going around in the free-rover mode really brings home the scale of this place. You can zoom into places that at the moment are tiny hills in the navcam panorama and find breathtaking vistas. You might want to have a look at the dunefield, which looks "flat" at the moment. Also the distances are enormous, I think we will never scale the top of Mt. Sharp. It is no Husband Hill.

[Explorer1]

It shows daily min-max temps too, Phoenix-style, like I'd hoped.

[jmknapp]

Google Earth provides a way to visualize a rover traverse as a movie. Here's one:

 MSL.kmz ( 44.24K ) Number of downloads: 374


Opening up the kmz file brings up Google Mars with four placemarks defined (MSL, parachute, backshell, skycrane, heatshield) along with a track (called "traverse") that tools around in the alluvial fan area a little bit and then heads for the hills. If you click on "traverse" in the Places menu and then press the "Play tour" button to the far right of the Places search box, it should (after a few seconds of loading) "fly" along the track.

The slope map of the area is overlaid. Google has recently added HiRISE imagery to Google Mars which competes with the slope map. These standard HiRISE images can be turned off by unchecking "Rovers and Landers" in the Layers menu.

Under Tools->Options various Touring parameters can be set such as fly height, angle, speed, etc. For a more rover-eye view, change the camera tilt angle to 80 degrees and the camera range to 12 meters.

[Josh Cryer]

Google Earth provides a way to visualize a rover traverse as a movie. Here's one:

That's quite impressive. I particularly like that it uses the science targets from this presentation. Is this your work? If not may I ask for the source?

edit: found this part in the file: MSL Slope Map: MSL landing area Gale Crater; Slope Map from HiRISE/DTM images by JMKnapp; Adapted to GE by Eduardo Tesheiner

Thanks again for sharing.

[jmknapp]

That's quite impressive. I particularly like that it uses the science targets from this presentation. Is this your work? If not may I ask for the source? I would hate to mis-attribute something that has clearly taken some time to put together. Thanks again for sharing.

Yes, just put it together today. But notice that it doesn't take too much effort to create a track and play around.

If you're seeing the science targets that's Google's work--that's cool too, but to see the slope map uncheck "Rovers and Landers" in the Layers menu. Slope of course is key for figuring out what's traversable. Not that the track I put in doesn't go over some questionable terrain!

Just noticed that I left off a placemark for MSL, but it's located of course at the beginning of the track.

[Tom Tamlyn]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19198193

Includes Adam's walk-through of the sequence of cryptic calls, looks, nods and pokes before "Touchdown successful" was called.

Really neat to learn how they boiled down all that river of telemetry to three landing success criteria (not falling, not dragging, not smooshed). It's probably obvious to folks who have experience in engineering or complex operations, but I don't, so it's catnip to me.

More importantly, Steltzner's interview was a particularly moving and insightful reflection on Curiosity's landing. Many/most BBC audio/video features function in the U.S. for only a short period of time, if at all. You should listen to this clip now before it's gone.

TTT

[Josh Cryer]

If you're seeing the science targets that's Google's work--that's cool too, but to see the slope map uncheck "Rovers and Landers" in the Layers menu. Slope of course is key for figuring out what's traversable. Not that the track I put in doesn't go over some questionable terrain!

Ahh, yes, I had a brain fart, thought you did the whole thing. The slope map actually was showing for me without having to do anything special. I think the route you chose is quite plausible. I think that you were cheeky in a few places though (going through little sharp spots that are potentially risky)! See 137° 25' 7.47'' S, 4° 36' 56.41'' E for an example. Still I'm sure it took you quite a bit to make that track, it's attempting to follow a plausible track.

[MahFL]

You should listen to this clip now before it's gone.

TTT

A good audio clip indeed, I was wondering what exactly Adam was doing, and just how exactly how they knew the rover was safe, before the thumb nails came down of course. I still can't really believe it worked and we are all so lucky to have Curiosity safely landed and in one piece, on Mars.