The original source for this story is here. Updates and raw daily images directly from the team running the mission are here.
The Glory Days are NOT Over
on
NASA Turns 50
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· Score: 3, Interesting
I don't have any patience for this idea that, as one person put it, "NASA hasn't done a thing worthwhile since we gave up on the moon."
In just the past decade, NASA has landed on an asteroid, successfully reached Mars six times, impacted a comet, explored Saturn and its moons in detail, explored Jupiter and its moons in detail, and sent missions on their way to Mercury, the asteroid belt, Pluto and beyond. Meanwhile, the Voyagers continue their quest for the very edge of the solar system. (And this is just NASA - other nations are exploring in a big way, too. For example, between the American, Chinese, Japanese and European space agencies, there are two spacecraft active at the moon, one at Venus and SIX at Mars as I write this, with others en route to various destinations.)
If you ask me, the golden age of space exploration wasn't in the 60s. It's right now. Yes, I understand that the human element is in some ways more gripping, and I hope that human exploration regains a place in the story, but for now, the robots are doing amazing things. And I, for one,...
"Mission managers may try to re-attempt the plume fly-through later this year."
This pass was just the first of several that were already planned for this year. The next is slated for August, and another for October. The August pass will focus on visual data, and the October pass on particle analyzers. There's additional official info from NASA as well.
Definitely, but there should be some interesting shots from other portions of the flyby, especially of the north polar region, not to mention the other kinds of data that is expected to come down.
I should add that although the closest approach to Enceladus is happening as I type this, Cassini won't have a chance to turn its antenna toward Earth until later this evening (U.S. time). The downlink will take several hours, so the first pictures probably won't be publicly available until tomorrow.
It's a question of exposure levels. Go out and take a picture of the full moon. If you have exposed the moon correctly, you won't see any stars around it, either. Its light will have washed them all out. Same deal here.
The original story from NASA contains some fascinating additional details, a beautiful picture of the Earth and the Moon taken from Mars orbit, and links to thousands of other Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter images that were also released yesterday.
David Bowie lyrics from the early 70s:
"It's on America's tortured brow
That Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow.....
Oh man! Wonder if he'll ever know
He's in the best selling show
Is there life on Mars?"
Those are just the approach images, the shots taken up through yesterday that show what the probe saw as it was speeding toward the planet. The close-ups taken today will be downloaded and posted over the coming hours and days. http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/gallery/sciencePhotos/
I hadn't remembered that vinyl recording until you mentioned it. Was it narrated by Walter Cronkite?
What about missions to other planets? And is it human missions you especially object to, or all space exploration, even robotic probes?
At least in some places, the ring particles are quite close together. Check out this illustration. The particles vary in size from dust grains to boulders as big as buildings. The wildest thing is that the rings are about 280,000 km wide, but less than one thick.
Can we afford what? Robotic missions like the ones being discussed - or human missions? Two very different sets of issues financially. As for spending money on basic science, I think it's a lot more costly in the long run NOT to spend on R&D. (As for the millions wasted in sketchy military adventures, I hear you.)
It didn't just take a telescope. There was all kinds of robotic reconnaissance, both Soviet and American, of the moon before the human landings. See this for example. As for Mars, there is no telescope, even the Hubble, that can come close to seeing the local details needed to pick the very best spots.
Meanwhile, it's old-fashioned ion engines for an asteroid mission scheduled for launch later this month, Dawn, which NASA has now taken to calling "The Prius of Space."
One side of Iapetus is dark, the other as bright as snow. As Iapetus moves in its orbit around Saturn, the dark side faces forward, and many scientists think that the moon swept up the dark material, which might originally have come from another moon. There are some more great shots on another Planetary Society blog entry, and of course on the Cassini raw images feed from NASA.
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Here's a page that attempts to rebut this: http://www.donaldedavis.com/2008%20new/CLRMARS.html.
The original source for this story is here. Updates and raw daily images directly from the team running the mission are here.
I don't have any patience for this idea that, as one person put it, "NASA hasn't done a thing worthwhile since we gave up on the moon." In just the past decade, NASA has landed on an asteroid, successfully reached Mars six times, impacted a comet, explored Saturn and its moons in detail, explored Jupiter and its moons in detail, and sent missions on their way to Mercury, the asteroid belt, Pluto and beyond. Meanwhile, the Voyagers continue their quest for the very edge of the solar system. (And this is just NASA - other nations are exploring in a big way, too. For example, between the American, Chinese, Japanese and European space agencies, there are two spacecraft active at the moon, one at Venus and SIX at Mars as I write this, with others en route to various destinations.) If you ask me, the golden age of space exploration wasn't in the 60s. It's right now. Yes, I understand that the human element is in some ways more gripping, and I hope that human exploration regains a place in the story, but for now, the robots are doing amazing things. And I, for one, ...
Yeah, I wasn't trying to say I'd busted open the space iPod conspiracy. Just thought it was an interesting picture.
As the Endeavor approached the space station this week, crew members on board the station snapped this shot.
This pass was just the first of several that were already planned for this year. The next is slated for August, and another for October. The August pass will focus on visual data, and the October pass on particle analyzers. There's additional official info from NASA as well.
NASA's raw Cassini image feed is getting hammered pretty hard at the moment, but there are a few shots here too.
NASA's raw Cassini image feed is getting hammered pretty hard at the moment, but there are a few shots here too.
Definitely, but there should be some interesting shots from other portions of the flyby, especially of the north polar region, not to mention the other kinds of data that is expected to come down.
This is even better: an interactive, 3D version
I should add that although the closest approach to Enceladus is happening as I type this, Cassini won't have a chance to turn its antenna toward Earth until later this evening (U.S. time). The downlink will take several hours, so the first pictures probably won't be publicly available until tomorrow.
It's a question of exposure levels. Go out and take a picture of the full moon. If you have exposed the moon correctly, you won't see any stars around it, either. Its light will have washed them all out. Same deal here.
The original story from NASA contains some fascinating additional details, a beautiful picture of the Earth and the Moon taken from Mars orbit, and links to thousands of other Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter images that were also released yesterday.
David Bowie lyrics from the early 70s: "It's on America's tortured brow That Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow. ....
Oh man! Wonder if he'll ever know
He's in the best selling show
Is there life on Mars?"
Those are just the approach images, the shots taken up through yesterday that show what the probe saw as it was speeding toward the planet. The close-ups taken today will be downloaded and posted over the coming hours and days. http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/gallery/sciencePhotos/
I hadn't remembered that vinyl recording until you mentioned it. Was it narrated by Walter Cronkite? What about missions to other planets? And is it human missions you especially object to, or all space exploration, even robotic probes?
These Cassini images are interesting, too, and I think relate to the main story.
At least in some places, the ring particles are quite close together. Check out this illustration. The particles vary in size from dust grains to boulders as big as buildings. The wildest thing is that the rings are about 280,000 km wide, but less than one thick.
Can we afford what? Robotic missions like the ones being discussed - or human missions? Two very different sets of issues financially. As for spending money on basic science, I think it's a lot more costly in the long run NOT to spend on R&D. (As for the millions wasted in sketchy military adventures, I hear you.)
It didn't just take a telescope. There was all kinds of robotic reconnaissance, both Soviet and American, of the moon before the human landings. See this for example. As for Mars, there is no telescope, even the Hubble, that can come close to seeing the local details needed to pick the very best spots.
All of the images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (whether measured in discs or libraries of congress) are online. Fantastic resource.
Fascinating, all of it. Keep up the great work.
A mission is now being planned to orbit Jupiter and study its weather and other features over a sustained period: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2005-090
Meanwhile, it's old-fashioned ion engines for an asteroid mission scheduled for launch later this month, Dawn, which NASA has now taken to calling "The Prius of Space."
One side of Iapetus is dark, the other as bright as snow. As Iapetus moves in its orbit around Saturn, the dark side faces forward, and many scientists think that the moon swept up the dark material, which might originally have come from another moon. There are some more great shots on another Planetary Society blog entry, and of course on the Cassini raw images feed from NASA.