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New images of Jupiter

missionjuno.swri.edu

51–60 of 85 posts

Re: New images of Jupiter

#51
post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, they had to fight so hard to get that camera on there! It was not included in the initial designs since it wasn't necessary for the science objectives.

Makes me wonder what it costs to send a "simple" camera along. Factors that make it probably not so simple: even 200 grams of camera (and extra solar panels to supply +10W while operating) probably costs many thousands of euros in rocket fuel and emission taxes. The engineering time to properly fixate it onto the spacecraft, integrate the software, and test the whole thing cost probably a few ten thousands in salarie…

Yeah, you got a lot of it and the ripple effect of things that go out from it. In addition to the extra mass of the camera and solar arrays, there is extra mass for the harnessing to connect the camera to the computer and engineering design for that as well. Integration of anything else on the spacecraft will have to go through Failure Modes Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA). Basically, this gets in to pretty detailed circuit design analysis and makes sure that any failure on the camera itself (like a short circuit or babbling idiot data bus) won't impact the rest of the spacecraft.

Potential cost of increased storage onboard the spacecraft if it is significant data volume. Cost of downlinking the data to the ground, time on the DSN is expensive. I think the cost data sheets for DSN usage are online and it depends on data rate, what dish you are using, etc. but costs for usage are on the order of thousands per hour and data rates from Jupiter are pretty slow.

The cost of the camera itself is likely on the order of a couple hundred thousand. I've seen similar costs for small radiation hardened cameras and star trackers. The difference in parts cost for some things can be absolutely insane. Passive electrical components certainly cost more, but for active circuits it can be insane. A radiation hardened equivalent of a $20 FPGA can be something like $20,000.

All told, cost of integration and use over the mission is likely at least a few million. But on a $1.1 billion mission it still doesn't seem like a lot.

Re: New images of Jupiter

#52

Juno was something about radar - penetrating the cloud layers to see what was below. In college my son worked on the FFT engine that processed the radar data. He has code circling Jupiter!

I have a close friend that worked on the mars rover.

He uses me as a reference.

As soon as they start being like “can he use the latest android libraries and techniques” or some crap. I just shoot back: “The man has code on another planet, he’s more than capable of picking up anything”

They shut up so fast lol

Re: New images of Jupiter

#53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, they had to fight so hard to get that camera on there! It was not included in the initial designs since it wasn't necessary for the science objectives.

> It was not included in the initial designs That’s why NASA is poor and pentagon is rich. To me as a taxpayer, if there are no cool pictures, it doesn’t exist. If they were politically shrewd, camera would be the biggest instrument. And the next probe that will dive into the sun would carry the bullet that killed Kennedy or a shot off piece from Trump’s ear.

NASA's PR department makes the Pentagon look like amateurs.

Re: New images of Jupiter

#54
post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Makes me wonder what it costs to send a "simple" camera along. Factors that make it probably not so simple: even 200 grams of camera (and extra solar panels to supply +10W while operating) probably costs many thousands of euros in rocket fuel and emission taxes. The engineering time to properly fixate it onto the spacecraft, integrate the software, and test the whole thing cost probably a few ten thousands in salarie…

Yeah, you got a lot of it and the ripple effect of things that go out from it. In addition to the extra mass of the camera and solar arrays, there is extra mass for the harnessing to connect the camera to the computer and engineering design for that as well. Integration of anything else on the spacecraft will have to go through Failure Modes Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA). Basically, this gets in to pretty…

I’m reminded of the thread from the other day about “just” doing something.

We’ll just add a camera, no biggie!

Still, I’m very glad they did it. Arguably the second most beautiful planet :)

Re: New images of Jupiter

#55

These kinds of images never fail to amaze me. I know there some editing going on to make them more visually accessible/impressive, but wow. Images are only going to get better, too.

Beyond the appearance what always gets me is the scale. You see these beautiful swirls and then realize you could fit a planet in them. It’s mind boggling.

Re: New images of Jupiter

#57
post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, you got a lot of it and the ripple effect of things that go out from it. In addition to the extra mass of the camera and solar arrays, there is extra mass for the harnessing to connect the camera to the computer and engineering design for that as well. Integration of anything else on the spacecraft will have to go through Failure Modes Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA). Basically, this gets in to pretty…

I’m reminded of the thread from the other day about “just” doing something. We’ll just add a camera, no biggie! Still, I’m very glad they did it. Arguably the second most beautiful planet :)

[deleted]

Re: New images of Jupiter

#58
post #38
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't care about us, and we don't need to "care" for it, it's going to be fine without us. What we don't do is care for ourselves, which is what you're really saying, self-preservation. The earth doesn't give two shits if it's 50 degrees warmer. You can't even say it's to protect life, because some forms of life will do way better in a warmer planet too. The universe / nature is gnarly already, much more than we…

I can't help find such edgy cynism nothing else than juvenile. Yeah, sure, in the end nothing matters and the universe doesn't give a fuck about you. And life on earth is just an accident, and that intelligence and consciousness exists here for a very brief time on the universe's path to heath death doesn't matter at all. Except of us poor conscious beings who find joy in being alive and actually have the capacity to…

I thought my point flowed nicely from yours, sorry you didn't like it. For me it's about not having these visions of grandure about us as some protectors of the universe and instead accept our tiny place in all this. For example even your concept that our consciousness is more important than slugs or rocks, is all rationalization on your part to make your place in the universe have some meaning. Anyway, I don't then use this fun thought experiments to justify not recycling or denying human impacting climate change if that was what put you off.

Re: New images of Jupiter

#59
post #6

It's so scary! All those swirls are like planet size hurricanes. Had Jupiter been bigger, it would have been a star, and life on earth would not have existed. Gives me chills.

Jupiter's perihelion is only 5AU from the sun. I suspect that Jupiter could fall well short (mass-wise) of being a star, yet still be big enough to destabilize Earth's orbit.
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