Can someone explain what represents the marking on Curiosity next to NASA logo (middle part, white circle). It is present all over the robot.
I think it indicates moving parts.
Mars 360-degree panoramic view from Curiosity
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Re: Mars 360-degree panoramic view from Curiosity
#72Earlier quoted context omitted.
The bandwidth to the orbiters is up to 2 Mbps, but because they're in low orbit they're only in sight 8 minutes per day. http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/communicationwithearth/...
I think it may be time to put a dedicated communications satellite around Mars. These rovers do seem to last a long time so it probably would be worth it.
There is, that's the role MSO is performing, no?
What you'd need is a whole series of them to increase coverage.
Re: Mars 360-degree panoramic view from Curiosity
#73Earlier quoted context omitted.
When the $100 camera fails in Mars you can't just replace it with another one. You can't take it to the repair shop either. You can't try to "shake it a bit". Hell, you can't even bang it on your knee: http://www.pechorin.com/m/2006/06/13/SONY_Cybershot_E6100_ER...
You know, I didn't claim to understand the reasons behind the technical limitations, but the reactions of some of you are puzzling to me. We can go on and on about familiarity considerations, and planning considerations, and instrumentation considerations, and scientific concerns, etc. It all sounds like excuses after a bit. Let's reformulate the question: Why not keep the same enclosure, the same lens assembly, the…
> Let's reformulate the question: Why not keep the same enclosure, the same lens assembly, the same mechanical parts and simply swap the 2MP sensor for a 20MP sensor?
You do know that a 20MP sensor is significantly (~10 times) larger than a 2MP sensor, right? So the mechanics would probably simply not fit.
Re: Mars 360-degree panoramic view from Curiosity
#74Why is it all black-and-white? Is it because color cameras are too heavy/expensive to take or because color photography is for some reason impossible under those conditions?
All camera sensors are actually black and white. To obtain color information, the sensors have a color filter. This filter is optional/interchangeable in this camera. To obtain a color photo, you take three shots with three different filters (R,G,B). This way you can also get UV, IR pictures - and more.
To clarify that a bit more: consumer camera's use a Bayer filter, which is an alternating R/G/G/B filter over your pixel array. So, with a consumer camera you take just one picture, and then software assembles that into a color picture.
For space missions you would definitely prefer a camera with interchangeable filters, because then you can also have filters for other spectrum ranges.
Re: Mars 360-degree panoramic view from Curiosity
#75Here are some more pictures (including color) http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/targetFamily/Mars I wonder what the sky of mars looks like. Can we see earth?
> Can we see earth?
At night, as a pretty bright star, I'd guess. That would be an awesome picture, especially if they expose it long enough.
Re: Mars 360-degree panoramic view from Curiosity
#76A quick take on the project. Software Architect: "Hello sir! As you know, it has taken millions to billions of dollars and years of time to develop your project. We are ready to launch! As you know, it will take a year to actually deploy it in production, during which point a bug or misconfiguration of the software during the transfer, installation, or activation stages would cause it to fail. If a failure happens, w…
What are you talking about?
Re: Mars 360-degree panoramic view from Curiosity
#77I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that this piece of metal traveled 350 million miles through space and then landed on Mars.
... using first aerobraking, then a giant balloon, and then a sky crane with thrusters.
Re: Mars 360-degree panoramic view from Curiosity
#78Can someone explain how/why a $2.6 billion piece of equipment appears to have cameras that can't match a $100 digital camera? I know it takes a long time for data to travel from there to here, but I am sure a lot of people wouldn't mind waiting for 1080p, full-color video footage of the red planet. Instead, we get these 1-megapixel, black-and-white shots that need to be stitched together to create a half decent panor…
If they had used a $100 dollar camera, it would already be broken, much less last 2 more years.
Yeah. I'm not even sure the mechanics of a $100 can survive a vacuum, much less deep space and Mars reentry.
Re: Mars 360-degree panoramic view from Curiosity
#79Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's so plebian to complain about the image quality, especially when we haven't seen any full images from the rover's main camera yet.
It may even be "plebeian" to ask questions about the technical features of a data collection instrument named "Curiosity". I should have been an aristocrat instead of an engineer ; I could marvel at everything wrapped in the bliss of my ignorance. And for the record, I think it is amazing and wonderful to receive these images. I am so thankful for that. But, for a data collection instrument that cost $2.6 billion to…
The rover has been there for only a few days. They probably even haven't turned most of its instruments on!
Re: Mars 360-degree panoramic view from Curiosity
#80Can someone explain how/why a $2.6 billion piece of equipment appears to have cameras that can't match a $100 digital camera? I know it takes a long time for data to travel from there to here, but I am sure a lot of people wouldn't mind waiting for 1080p, full-color video footage of the red planet. Instead, we get these 1-megapixel, black-and-white shots that need to be stitched together to create a half decent panor…
I remember somebody who worked for NASA telling me it cost 750K to test the fluorescent lightbulbs for the spaceships. The crappy technology (by Earth standards) is mostly due to testing constraints, from what I understand.
Just think of age testing - they probably want the camera to last at least 5 years. If the camera you want to send up has been developed in the last year, how do you really do that? In a lab, for reliability testing of new components, typically you temperature cycle equipment, up and down every couple of hours, to simulate time passing, in order to try and compress the time frame required to test the aging rate, but we all know it doesn't really achieve what we want it to too well.