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Mars "Webcam" To Be Made Available For Public Use

Posted by samzenpus on from the time-to-focus dept.

randomErr writes If your group can make a good use case you can control of the ESA's Mars Express webcam. Proposals by schools, youth groups and astronomy clubs are due by March 27. The Visual Monitoring Camera (VMC), is a low-resolution camera intended for visuals of the Beagle lander separation. In May, Mars will be in solar conjunction. Signals between Earth and Mars Express will be disrupted by the sun so for three days the VMC camera can be freely pointed at almost any target in its orbit.

20 comments

  1. What is this I don't even by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Signals between Earth and Mars Express will be disrupted by the sun so for three days the VMC camera can be freely pointed at almost any target in its orbit.

    If signals are disrupted, how do you control the camera?

    1. Re: What is this I don't even by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Preprogrammed

    2. Re: What is this I don't even by thieh · · Score: 2

      Will the path of the rover be preprogrammed likewise? If so sooner or later proposals will pop up that inadverdently/intentionally gets giant pictures of its paths which draws NSFW things.

    3. Re: What is this I don't even by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      What rover? What path?

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
  2. This is great! by fluffernutter · · Score: 4, Funny

    I have a couple things that I've lost in my life that must be on Mars.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    1. Re:This is great! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sir, you won't get your virginity back if you lost it on Mars...

    2. Re: This is great! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or maybe you stuck them in your ass along with the gerbil and coke bottles

    3. Re:This is great! by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      What happens on Mons Olympus stays on Mons Olympus!

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    4. Re:This is great! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >I have a couple things that I've lost in my life that must be on Mars.

      Sorry to hear about your lost sibling...

      I wonder if magnetometer data is available from any Mars orbiters that could correlate the arrival of fast solar wind streams with dust storms. Perhaps a local visual cam might be useful for spotting smaller dust-ups that aren't facing or otherwise visible from Earth?

      It was recently that NASA images helped in finding the lost 2003 Beagle that had been thought to have crashed. I believe that a U.S. orbiter that was already there in 2003 had one experiment (nothing crucial to other functions thankfully) malfunction during the heavy solar activity associated with the 2003 Halloween storms. Some believe that a high-energy particle may have affected the electronics. It's a known problem, something that occasionally happens to satellites above Earth.

      Telstar, the first satellite to relay television programming, died an early death due to radiation. It was launched the day after an atmospheric weapons test. There was a period of some operation using work-arounds before it became completely unusable. Although in retrospect the weapons test wasn't the healthiest thing to do, there was quite a bit of useful science done. Among other things, there were some connections made between the charged particles and weather. Many declassified papers are available to read.
      Although the wording at the time attributed geomagnetism, in retrospect that was correlative not causative. Although still being researched and not getting much public discussion, it isn't hard to see that it is both particles and large amounts of electrical charge that are drivers of interaction.

      It is worthwhile to study how space weather affects Mars. Since Mars magnetic field is weak, it doesn't take coupling-friendly oriented fields in the incoming plasma to get deeper interaction into the atmosphere.

      I diverged from my Beagle mission point. One of the lead researchers for the Beagle mission has already passed away. I'm not sure who is left to wonder if it was actually 2003 space weather that prevented full deployment after the landing. That apparently wasn't given much thought back then as most people assumed there'd been a crash landing.

      Some of the space weather modeling apps can show what's happening at Mars (and allow a date range too). I don't know if they can show where Mars was relative to the fast streams in 2003.
      Images are available elsewhere that show active sunspots, filaments, and coronal holes. The later seems to have the most affect of things like dust storms.

      http://iswa.ccmc.gsfc.nasa.gov...

  3. Twitch Plays Marsrover by SailorSpork · · Score: 1

    Give control to Twitch. Imagine the meme creation potential!

    1. Re:Twitch Plays Marsrover by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nothing would ever get done. The rover would just sit there and stare at a shell nine times in a row before spinning in a circle.

  4. What is it used for otherwise? by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

    Signals between Earth and Mars Express will be disrupted by the sun so for three days the VMC camera can be freely pointed at almost any target in its orbit.

    What would it be being used for otherwise?

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  5. Keep Zim Away From It by GTRacer · · Score: 1

    If he discovers the "Face on Mars" structure using the feed, he'll use the control room within to pilot Mars to Earth and CRUSH US ALLLLLL!

    --
    Defending IP by destroying access to it? That makes sense, RIAA/MPAA. Go to the corner until you can play nice!
  6. Catch crooks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This would be great for catching murderers.

    Castle

  7. Does Mars Express ... by PPH · · Score: 1

    ... have a selfie stick?

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
    1. Re:Does Mars Express ... by forty-2 · · Score: 2

      It does, but you'll have to stow it if you drive into any of the Martian Museums.

      --
      never drink kool-aid from a big vat
  8. Good... by davidwr · · Score: 0

    Because 340 million Km is too long for a selfie-stick.

    Plus I hear that there's not a single museum on Mars that allows selfie-sticks :( .

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
  9. Any naked chicks ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Any naked chicks, because I am dying over here. Humping dry.

  10. Will this really work? by dohzer · · Score: 1

    I can't see too many kids being interested in this.
    Sure... if the camera was beaming back live images. But just to have a photo taken and then see it a few days later... meh.