Sunspot
Jan 16 2010, 01:15 AM
From Twitter
HiRISE
Stay tuned, HiFans, we'll be making a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT next Wednesday...! :-o
Hmmm... is it literally something BIG, or maybe they found MPL?
elakdawalla
Jan 16 2010, 02:05 AM
Terrible teases, aren't they? What a way to drive us nuts. Frankly, given this tease, if they don't announce they've definitively found MPL or Beagle 2 or evidence that Phoenix tried to walk south for the winter (kidding) I'll feel disappointed!
lyford
Jan 16 2010, 02:54 AM
A direct tie in with unmannedspaceflight.com?
dmuller
Jan 16 2010, 03:56 AM
QUOTE (elakdawalla @ Jan 16 2010, 01:05 PM)
... Phoenix tried to walk south for the winter ...
Nah, snowboarding south!
ElkGroveDan
Jan 16 2010, 04:08 AM
QUOTE (elakdawalla @ Jan 15 2010, 06:05 PM)
or evidence that Phoenix tried to walk south for the winter
Maybe Phoenix did one-arm pushups to keep warm all winter.
Hungry4info
Jan 16 2010, 04:26 AM
Maybe they discovered water on Mars!
More seriously, I'm guessing it's MPL or Beagle 2 as well. I don't really know what else could come from HiRise to warrant an all-caps big announcement. I'm faintly thinking something about the methane sources, but I don't see how it could have been done with HiRise, unless... they imaged a bunch of animals running about.
elakdawalla
Jan 16 2010, 05:42 AM
QUOTE (Hungry4info @ Jan 15 2010, 08:26 PM)
Maybe they discovered water on Mars!
Hungry4info, I hate your suggestion, because seriously, you might be right.
eoincampbell
Jan 16 2010, 05:57 AM
Why are we waiting?
Patteroast
Jan 16 2010, 06:32 AM
How many times has water on Mars been discovered? It must be over a dozen by now.
I hope it does turn out to be one of the lost landers. That would be quite cool news.
nprev
Jan 16 2010, 06:47 AM
If it IS water, it'd better be an active geyser or a hot spring!
Stu
Jan 16 2010, 08:18 AM
I hope it isn't just the discovery of MPL or Beagle, because the press might crucify them for that - for us it would be cool, true, but finding the wreckage of a dead, failed probe would not be a "big" thing for serious media or the general public, surely?
No, I think this has to be water related.
Hey! Maybe they found some trees! Oh, wait...
Paolo
Jan 16 2010, 08:22 AM
or combining all three main themes (old spacecraft, liquid water and life) perhaps they imaged a Martian dog taking a leak on the MPL wreck...
nprev
Jan 16 2010, 08:29 AM
Stu
Jan 16 2010, 08:47 AM
Actually, to deliberately use the word "big" like that, they'd better have taken an image of a martian tripod war machine, wading through a gurgling martian gully, carrying the wreckage of both Beagle 2
and MPL in the cage beneath its belly...
Sunspot
Jan 16 2010, 09:25 AM
QUOTE (elakdawalla @ Jan 16 2010, 05:42 AM)
Hungry4info, I hate your suggestion, because seriously, you might be right.
I think it's an annual event now.
Hungry4info
Jan 16 2010, 10:04 AM
I'm unfortunately rather lacking in understanding of what MRO can do other than take great images (All it's got is HiRISE as far as I know).
If, say, MRO spotted a patch of mold or something, would there be any evidence other than HiRISE images that it's something unique? Surely they've got to be able to do some sort of spectroscopy. Maybe?
ngunn
Jan 16 2010, 10:14 AM
monitorlizard
Jan 16 2010, 12:04 PM
The best discovery would be if MRO found more money for MSL.
ugordan
Jan 16 2010, 12:41 PM
QUOTE (Stu @ Jan 16 2010, 09:18 AM)
I hope it isn't just the discovery of MPL or Beagle, because the press might crucify them for that
Are you kidding? It would be like finally solving a mysterious crime case or something! I hope it is one of the lost landers, but fully expect to be underwhelmed with something else (past news hyping up as a guide).
Stu
Jan 16 2010, 01:28 PM
Partly kidding, yes
I'm just worried about their use of the word "big" - in upper case, too! - raising false expectations and building up the story too much in advance. Obviously finding one of those probes would be v exciting for us, here, but I think "out there" it wouldn't be such a big deal, then the MRO team might be accused of over-hype. Guess we'll see Wednesday.
AndyG
Jan 16 2010, 02:54 PM
Why Wednesday?
Is this linked to Wednesday being the 20th, and that's the anniversary of the "Mars Polar Water is pure" story of 2009?
Andy
elakdawalla
Jan 16 2010, 03:17 PM
I assume it's Wednesday because that's when the HiRISE team releases new images.
Stu
Jan 16 2010, 03:28 PM
Is this a "covered on NASA TV" thing, or just an info release being made by MRO, anyone know? If it's just an info release it suggests 'big' isn't 'huge'...
ilbasso
Jan 16 2010, 03:55 PM
It's either (1) the S.S. Minnow, (2) Amelia Earhart's plane, (3) the Ark of the Covenant, or (4) bin Laden's hideout. Remember, you heard it here first!
elakdawalla
Jan 16 2010, 04:11 PM
No press release or impending conference or anything, just that Tweet from the HiRISE team, written in a way that they knew would drive us nuts. They're probably laughing at this thread right now.
Stu
Jan 16 2010, 04:23 PM
Yeah, I'm beginning to think this is a bit of a wind-up myself...
volcanopele
Jan 16 2010, 07:13 PM
QUOTE (elakdawalla @ Jan 16 2010, 08:17 AM)
I assume it's Wednesday because that's when the HiRISE team releases new images.
Wednesday is also the day of the week the latest issues of Nature hit the web and press releases based on papers published in Nature are posted.
Not that I'm saying that it is a paper in Nature. Just pointing that out. I've been personally watching Science (which posts on Thursdays), so I can post a certain news item on my blog.
nprev
Jan 16 2010, 07:25 PM
Hmm. Enigmatic!
Monday's probably a key day. If they announce a press conference for Wed then, that'll be an indicator of magnitude.
Decepticon
Jan 16 2010, 07:25 PM
If it is the polar lander, I would be surpised if it looks like a soft landing.
mcaplinger
Jan 16 2010, 07:58 PM
Because this is a HiRISE-only thing, I'm thinking it's not likely to be publication-related, since that would usually be coordinated with the rest of the MRO payload (and yes, there are other instruments on MRO. Sigh.)
And frankly, IMHO this is not a very professional way to "announce" anything.
nprev
Jan 16 2010, 08:03 PM
Yeah, I was thinking that my pet hope (hot spring) would probably have to have supporting CRISM data, if the resolution of the latter was sufficient enough to provide supporting evidence (presumably chemical 'staining' of the immediate area). Switching my money to MPL/Beagle.
PDP8E
Jan 16 2010, 08:03 PM
... after working my meager sources for info I have nothing... My hope it that they imaged the Mars 3 lander (sprawled out, laying on its side after a hard landing)
nprev
Jan 16 2010, 08:08 PM
Any of the lost landers would definitely be a major coup, but as Stu pointed out also only of extreme interest to the science community & aficianados such as ourselves, not the general public. That could make it Twitter-worthy but not cross the threshold of sounding trumpets.
remcook
Jan 16 2010, 08:52 PM
It's not pregnant, is it?
It's got to be disappointing.
Stu
Jan 16 2010, 08:55 PM
QUOTE (remcook @ Jan 16 2010, 08:52 PM)
It's not pregnant, is it?
Whatever it is, it's going to be disapointing after
that!
nprev
Jan 16 2010, 09:13 PM
...yeah, the headline "Mars Orbiter Transforms Into Von Neumann Machine" would DEFINITELY merit a press conference, at least...
PaulM
Jan 16 2010, 09:37 PM
I remember that a Crism scientist once said that Crism would be able to detect a stromatolitic mat on Mars. Perhaps MRO has detected life on Mars?
scalbers
Jan 16 2010, 09:39 PM
nprev
Jan 16 2010, 09:57 PM
In order to reduce the peril of going astray, suggest everyone review the forum guidelines (esp. rule 1.3)...and, in any case, I would put the odds of some sort of biological discovery from HiRISE at basically zero.
tharrison
Jan 17 2010, 01:00 AM
QUOTE (mcaplinger @ Jan 16 2010, 11:58 AM)
Because this is a HiRISE-only thing, I'm thinking it's not likely to be publication-related, since that would usually be coordinated with the rest of the MRO payload (and yes, there are other instruments on MRO. Sigh.)
And frankly, IMHO this is not a very professional way to "announce" anything.
Hopefully it's not *another* case of something that CTX pointed out to them (or that MOC already saw) that they're taking credit for...
alan
Jan 17 2010, 01:38 AM
QUOTE (Stu @ Jan 16 2010, 02:55 PM)
Whatever it is, it's going to be disapointing after that!
They've located Al Capone's vault?
tharrison
Jan 17 2010, 02:04 AM
QUOTE (alan @ Jan 16 2010, 05:38 PM)
They've located Al Capone's vault?
Nah, it's Elvis, didn't you know he lives in the Face?
Decepticon
Jan 17 2010, 02:42 AM
Out of curiosity can they lower MRO orbit in the future to increase resolution?
nprev
Jan 17 2010, 03:07 AM
I kinda doubt it. The mapping orbit is something like 250 km altitude, think going any lower would be prohibitively expensive in terms of propellent expenditure to stay aloft due to atmospheric drag.
mcaplinger
Jan 17 2010, 03:13 AM
QUOTE (nprev @ Jan 16 2010, 07:07 PM)
The mapping orbit is something like 250 km altitude...
255 x 320 km, and no, there are no plans to lower it.
sgendreau
Jan 17 2010, 06:09 AM
They re-imaged Eagle Crater and spotted boot prints in the Oppy tracks.
Anyone seen Squyres lately?
imipak
Jan 17 2010, 06:27 PM
For the reason Mcaplinger gave, I don't expect major scientific findings. I think it's something relatively small; something of interest to us, but probably won't even make an inside page of the broadsheet press. (Did any of them run the HiRISE ""trees"" images? I've been housebound by snow & then pork-cough & haven't seen a paper for 10 days.) I reckon "Big" is misdirection, and means "spatially large" rather than "earthshaking significance". Put it this way, I'm confident it'll fall within the forum guidelines of acceptable topics.
Now, cross my palm with silicon, and old mother Imipak will gaze into the swirling cloud of sediment in this fine bottle conditioned ale. Ah, yes! the fog is lifting....
I predict that the number of posts on this thread before the announcement will be less than the number afterwards. Given my record of predictions, I recommend Doug upgrade the server and bandwidth immediately, ahead of the forthcoming flashmob heading UMSF's way on Wednesday
FWIW, I quite enjoy it when a little tease is trailed in the water a few days before the odd routine, but interesting-to-us, announcement or release. A little wild speculation and anticipation, within forum guidelines of course, seems like harmless fun... anagrams apart
nprev
Jan 17 2010, 09:09 PM
Mike, hopefully not OT, but why is MRO's orbit a bit elliptical instead of circular? Is this to minimize atmospheric drag?
Phil Stooke
Jan 17 2010, 09:48 PM
"255 x 320 km, and no, there are no plans to lower it."
How about to raise it late in the mission, to delay possible contamination?
Phil
mcaplinger
Jan 18 2010, 12:03 AM
QUOTE (nprev @ Jan 17 2010, 01:09 PM)
Mike, hopefully not OT, but why is MRO's orbit a bit elliptical instead of circular?
It's required to keep the orbit "frozen" at a sun-synchronous precession rate (this was one of many permutations possible.)
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