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tom30519

@tom30519@fosstodon.org

Engineer (software & hardware) in a previous life; photographer; Mavic pilot, cyclist, learning Rust just because. Rural Quebec.

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tom30519, to random
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Unprocessed photo, taken in southern Quebec. We were extremely fortunate that (a) my house was smack in the middle of the line of totality, and (b) the sky was perfectly clear throughout the event.

Now, with 9x bracketing, I have a mere 639 photos to evaluate, process and merge. But what an experience! Awesome, really.

andrealuck, to space
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A new image of just dropped on https://mast.stsci.edu !!!

Full size image & More info: https://flic.kr/p/2pwQ1en

NASA/ESA JWST Webb Space Telescope
Title: Uranus high spatial resolution global map from NIRCam
Time: 2024-02-06
Filters: F182M, F410M, F210M, F480M
Proposal PI: Naomi Rowe-Gurney
Proposal ID 2768

Credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI/AndreaLuck

tom30519,
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@andrealuck
Heh. Uranus looks like a wobbly, cosmic soap bubble, floating in space! 😂

65dBnoise, (edited ) to space
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The end of 's mission on Mars.

As I have been posting lately, images and events around and indicated that something had gone wrong with the (see next post for references)

's new status update confirms that was the last one for the mighty little helicopter.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/after-three-years-on-mars-nasas-ingenuity-helicopter-mission-ends

Undistorted image from the status update
Sol 1036, RMC 72.0001
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

tom30519,
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@65dBnoise
Sad news, indeed, and a bit of a shock after all this time when the little helicopter defied all predictions and seemed like it would go on forever!

tom30519, to random
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Another eclipse photo, showing the solar prominences around the edge. I am told that these prominences are probably several times the diameter of the earth! Yikes.

tom30519,
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@65dBnoise
Sony A7R3; Sony 200-600 @ 500mm; ND5 solar filter; Optron SkyGuider; interval timer; RRS tripod.

Exposure was ISO 200; f/11; 9-stop bracketing from 1/15 to 1/4000.

5 minute intervals during partial; 8 second intervals during totality.

I moved the setup down to the ground during the event; the deck was full of family causing vibrations! 😃

stim3on, to space
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Slightly concerning update about #MarsHelicopter
It performed another popup flight for localization after Flight 71 ended prematurely. However, during descent the communications with the heli were lost prematurely.
In theory such a loss of contact should have happened before due to the heli landing behind an obstacle, blocking radio communications. This LOS was apparently unexpected.

I'm crossing my fingers for this amazing craft 🤞🏼
https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/status/508/flight-72-status-update/

#Mars #NASA #Ingenuity

tom30519,
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@stim3on
Short, minimal updates like that one are the scariest! Fingers crossed that communications can be re-established.

At least, in Ingenuity's case, unlike with other missions to Mars or the Moon, Perseverance could get close enough to have a good look at the helicopter and perhaps diagnose the problem.

tom30519, to random
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I wasn't exposing for the full corona, but this is what I was able to extract from the shadows. I know it extends far beyond what is shown here, but I was zoomed in too tightly to include it all. 🙃

65dBnoise, (edited ) to space
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Here is a fresh animation of images captured by from 06:06 to 09:17 AM tosol, Sol 1043, showing clearly that at least two of the 4 rotor blades were damaged during .

14 processed HELI_NAV images
captured from RMC 72.0001/54
Sol 1043, LMST: 06:06 to 09:17

oriented with north up and animated at 4fps

Original (one of 14): https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/01043/ids/edr/browse/heli/HNM_1043_0759508619_853ECM_N0720001HELI00054_0000LUJ01.png
Credit: /JPL-Caltech/65dBnoise

tom30519,
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@65dBnoise
It will be interesting to see just how far away Perseverance can travel and still maintain contact with Ingenuity.

But I somehow doubt that the commands to take flight will be in the queue! 😉

tom30519,
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@65dBnoise
Am I correct in thinking that, once Perseverance starts exploring Neretva Vallis, the area with LOS to the heli will be quite large?

tom30519, to space
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Here is the big sunspot (region 3363, bottom edge, just left of centre) that was the first to see, from its current location orbiting the Sun. https://vmst.io/@WestportObservatory/110672664700906956

This view is from my driveway, through morning mist and probably some forest fire smoke.

andrealuck, (edited ) to space
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Jupiter's eye? Nope that’s Ganymede casting its shadow on the Great Red Spot

Full size 2500x1400: https://flic.kr/p/2pTbFeK

NASA ESA Hubble Space Telescope
Target: JUPITER-GRS-2
Proposal ID: 13631Amy Simon
Date: 2014-04-21
IDs: icia02epq, icia02eqq , icia02erq

Image created processing data from: https://mast.stsci.edu
Preview raw data and more info: https://archive.stsci.edu/cgi-bin/mastpreview?mission=hst&dataid=ICIA02EPQ

Credit:
Raw data: NASA/ESA/STScI/AmySimon
Image processing: Andrea Luck
#Space #Astronomy #Jupiter #Astrodon #Spacetodon

tom30519,
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@andrealuck
A black hole about to consume Jupiter entirely! 😨

What a great photo, though - perfect timing! But I suppose that conjunction happens pretty regularly, on an astronomical scale. 🤔

65dBnoise, to space
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captured this color image a little while after it took off for its , on Sol 990. Localization map follows.

Processed, undistorted, rotated HELI_RTE image captured from RMC 67.0001/0
Sol 990, LMST: 10:20:52

Original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/00990/ids/edr/browse/heli/HSF_0990_0754819241_223ECM_N0670001HELI00000_000085J02.png
Credit: /JPL-Caltech/65dBnoise

tom30519,
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@65dBnoise
That little helicopter just keeps on going and going... 🚁

65dBnoise, (edited ) to space
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’s Deep Space Optical Communications experiment beamed an ultra-high definition streaming video on Dec. 11 from a record-setting 19 million miles away (31 million kilometers, or about 80 times the Earth-Moon distance).

The video signal took 101 seconds to reach Earth, and was sent at the system’s maximum bit rate of 267Mbps.

News article: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-tech-demo-streams-first-video-from-deep-space-via-laser

Techical details for DSOC (paper): https://dataverse.jpl.nasa.gov/api/access/datafile/74661

tom30519,
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@65dBnoise
This is a very encouraging result! I'm thinking the main source of degradation as the distance increases would be dispersion of the laser beam. Is that right? 🤔

It is a little discouraging that the data rate from 31 million km is up to 50 times faster than my internet service here on Earth. 😦 🐌

tom30519, to random
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What’s So Special About Large Grains on Mars?

Writing in the Perseverance rover blog, Eleanor Moreland, Ph.D. Student at Rice University, discusses the scientific possibilities of the most recent abrasion at "Ozuel Falls".

https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/mission/status/465/whats-so-special-about-large-grains-on-mars/

tom30519, to random
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Why – and How – NASA Gives a Name to Every Spot It Studies on Mars

NASA has posted, on the Mars Explortation blog, a discussion of the origin of the names used to identify features, down to individual rocks, on Mars:

https://mars.nasa.gov/news/9413/why-and-how-nasa-gives-a-name-to-every-spot-it-studies-on-mars/

65dBnoise, to space
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A rundown of 's flight tests:

"Over the last 9 months, the Ingenuity team has doubled our maximum flight altitude limit from 12 to 24 meters, nearly doubled our max speed from 5.5 m/s to 10 m/s, increased our maximum horizontal and vertical acceleration, and validated both soft- and hard-landing approaches. Despite this rapid pace, the team isn’t slowing down."

Read the article here: https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/status/503/the-right-stuff/

tom30519,
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@65dBnoise
It must be a little stressful on Ingenuity's ground crew during the time between agreeing on pushing the boundaries again, sending up the commands, then having to wait a day, or days, before knowing if they went too far. 😨

OTOH, the rewards of setting so many records with a rotorcraft on another planet probably makes it all worthwhile!

65dBnoise, to space
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Images from 's have started pouring in. This one shows the area where the did an emergency landing during , and a posible location for that, guessed from the laconic announcement of JPL on X.

Map follows.

Processed HELI_RTE image captured from RMC 70.0001/4
Sol 1009, LMST: 10:15:09

Original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/01009/ids/edr/browse/heli/HSF_1009_0756505605_202ECM_N0700001HELI00004_000085J01.png
Credit: /JPL-Caltech/65dBnoise

tom30519,
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@65dBnoise
Might the heli have been blown off course by a sudden gust of wind? That could explain the emergency landing, and the drag marks at the landing site.

(I haven't seen the JPL post on X)

tom30519, to random
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WATSON has been busy examining rocks and regolith in the rover's new workspace, but it took time out to take a photo of PIXL's calibration target.

This target includes disks to provide X-ray backscatter, and three other responses. The central cross, a chromium line and a nickel line, is for position characterization.

The pseudo-random distribution of black dots is for calibrating PIXL's micro-context camera's laser pattern generator, used for distance measurements.

tom30519, to random
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Clear sky at lunchtime enabled me to get a photo of the giant, splotchy sunspot on our Sun. That thing is several times the size of Earth, which boggles my tiny mind.

Sony A7R3, 600mm, ISO 200, f/11, 1/500

tom30519, to random
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It looks like drove over this little defenceless rock, perhaps on purpose. Now Mastcam-Z and SuperCam are both examining it for possible injuries, I assume. Not sure what the liability laws are like on Mars!

No evidence of laser zapping here, Percy probably thought that rolling over it was enough trauma! 😆

A mosaic of two SuperCam images of the same rock. No evidence of laser zapping this time. SuperCam Remote Micro-Imager, Sol 800, LMST: 11:19:17 Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/IRAP

tom30519, to random
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SuperCam has chosen (directed by AEGIS or an Earth-based geologist?) to have a closer look at this group of smaller rocks, nestled among larger equally interesting-looking (to a Non-Geologist™) rocks.

Credits in the alt text

SuperCam close-up image of the group of rocks indicated in the context photo. They are very rough, crumbly looking stones, set among larger, smoother rocks. SuperCam, Sol 812, LMST: 11:24:37 Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/IRAP

tom30519, to random
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Boulder Bonanza! Science and Sampling Attempts at the Onahu Outcrop

NASA has also posted, on the blog, an explanation of what happened during the two attempts to obtain a core sample at Ouzel.

It appears that the most recent change of rover location is, in fact, in hope of finding a more suitable, but similar, rock to sample.

https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/mission/status/467/boulder-bonanza-science-and-sampling-attempts-at-the-onahu-outcrop/

65dBnoise, (edited ) to space
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Maybe life on Mars is disguised in the form of … regolith grains? 😃 🙃

This little fellow decided to take a walk and have some fun exploring its container.

PRocessed, cropped MCZ_LEFT, FL: 110mm
looking ESE (111°) from RMC 52.2266
Sol 1146, LMST: 11:09:06

Original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/01146/ids/edr/browse/zcam/ZL0_1146_0768671024_803EBY_N0522266ZCAM07116_1100LMJ01.png
Credit: /JPL-Caltech/ASU/65dBnoise

tom30519,
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@stim3on @65dBnoise
In the "Mars 2020 Perseverance SHERLOC WATSON Camera Pre-delivery Characterization and Calibration Report" (K. S. Edgett et al, 2019) the expected depth of field is pretty narrow at close working distances. Very precise (or lucky!) positioning of the robotic arm would be required.

65dBnoise, (edited ) to space
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Rockin'Hood

MCZ_LEFT, FL: 110mm
looking NW (316°) from RMC 52.1700
Sol 1144, LMST: 10:15:06

Original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/01144/ids/edr/browse/zcam/ZL0_1144_0768490150_973EBY_N0521700ZCAM09174_1100LMJ01.png
Credit: /JPL-Caltech/ASU/65dBnoise

tom30519,
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@65dBnoise
Could that be an abandoned chain mail helmet beside it? Perhaps two warring factions realized the futility of battle, discarded their stuff and went off to the nearest pub together... 🍺 🍺

65dBnoise, to space
@65dBnoise@mastodon.social avatar

Hello #Ingenuity !

(center left in the image)

Processed, leveled, cropped MCZ_RIGHT, FL: 110mm
looking NE (55°) from RMC 52.2638
Sol 1152, LMST: 14:09:34

Original: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020-raw-images/pub/ods/surface/sol/01152/ids/edr/browse/zcam/ZR0_1152_0769214801_848EBY_N0522638ZCAM09188_1100LMJ01.png
Credit: #NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/65dBnoise

#Perseverance #Mars2020 #Solarocks #Space

tom30519,
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@65dBnoise
It is a little frustrating that SuperCam isn't taking a break from doing close up shots of wrinkly rocks, to photograph Ingenuity from another angle.

I would think that the helicopter team would want as many photos of that final landing as possible, to help determine what, exactly, went wrong.

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