Projects: Red Rover Goes to Mars
Student Astronaut Kristyn Rodzinyak
Kristyn and Cheng-Tao Studying Opportunity's Panoramic View
Kristyn and Cheng-Tao studying Opportunity's panoramic view of
Eagle Crater in the Science Assessment Room. Created: 18 February
2004. Credit: The Planetary Society |
Spirit Sol 41 / Opportunity Sol 20
Saturday, February 14, 2004
WOW! We’ve finally started working in JPL. Saatvik and David have shown
us pretty much most of what we need to do to calibrate images and calculate
Marsdial images. Unfortunately this is our first and last day working with
them as tomorrow we switch over from Spirit to Opportunity time so because
of the 12-hour time difference between Spirit and Opportunity it didn’t
work out that we work on Saturday. Tonight we are already working almost all
night! Good thing Cheng-Tao and I get to switch over to Opportunity time which
is much more normal hours. It seems like many of the scientists are also following
our lead as the Science Context Meeting seemed fairly empty. The odd hours
must be less appealing to many of the scientists.
The first meeting we attended was the Science Context Meeting. This meeting
was run by one of the Long Term Planners; Dave Des Marias. These meetings
summarize what the rover has done and the long-term mission goals that
should be accomplished within the next couple of days. Before the meeting
we spoke to a PhD student from Arizona. As she was showing us some beautiful
mosaics and Pancam images she pointed out that the scientists, “can’t
have everything [they] want”. The coolest pictures for us to look at
such as pictures of the rover, mosaics and 3-D images have the least scientific
benefit for the different science groups so these cool images don’t
have the highest priority.
Another one of the scientists told us that they were planning a “mega
drive” within the next couple of days. The Spirit rover has traveled
over 58 meters driving distance.
In a couple of sols there is an opportunity for coordination between the
Mars Exploration Rover and Mars Global Surveyor. One interesting point that
was presented was that as the rover increases its driving distances the scientists
get less data back from the traverse. This means that if the scientists want
to move to the next location faster they have to sacrifice data taken during
the traverse. During the meeting they talked of having to pinpoint potential
targets for the robotic arm (IDD: Instrument deployment device)
Happy Valentines Day!!!! It’s just past midnight but we’ve just
started our workday!
Today David and I worked on some new MarsDial images. We were able to crop
them and colour them so we can put them on the Planetary Society’s website.
There is a lot of software to remember at these late times so I hope I can
remember all of this the next time I have to do it without David’s continual
instructions.
The Science Downlink Assessment meeting was definitely much more exciting
then the previous meeting. John Grant led this meeting. All the instruments
seem to be in very good condition. During the meeting each science team presents
and requests what they want to accomplish on the following sol, such as pre-drive
requirements, targets, instruments to use, and which data is the most critical.
The scientists debated over which targets should be selected. The conclusion
was that there would be a total of two targets but one on the very interesting
Mimi rock and the other somewhere on the fascinating gravel/dune like material.
The main topic of debate was which target should be a touch-and-go target
and which should receive the more thorough overnight investigation. Both sides
had very convincing arguments and I think that either choice would be very
beneficial. However I think I’m leaning slightly towards the rock, Mimi.
John pointed out that the gravel like material has been seen at previous locations
but nothing like the rock Mimi. The scientists had a lot of discussion and
different groups present data from previous sols to support their arguments.
John suggested that the sequences presented by groups should not be too complicated
because they want to conserve energy for driving during future sols. The Downlink
meeting was a little busier than the Context meeting and we were able to learn
a lot more about the different groups and their priorities as well as remarkable
geological features in the surrounding areas. More information and many different
viewpoints are presented when numerous scientists present their requests and
their hypotheses in order to convince others to choose their side.
Today has been a very exciting sol! I can’t wait to start working on
new images for these sols and on the other rover!
Spirit Sol 42 / Opportunity Sol 22
Sunday, February 15, 2004
Cheng-Tao and I have now switched from Spirit to Opportunity. (The working
hours are much better!) We didn’t get to work yesterday because of the
12-hour difference between Spirit and Opportunity time. At least we got to
spend the day with David and Saatvik in Hollywood.
Today Cheng-Tao and I attended our first Science Context Meeting for Opportunity.
The scientists discussed how many days to spend on their approach to the outcrop.
Hap McSween, the Long Term Planning lead for the meeting, said that they “didn’t
want to spend any more sols then they have to” completing this sequence.
Memory and energy limits are also discussed so the scientists know how many
activities they can plan for following sols. One topic of discussion included
some of the different ways to determine the hardness of a rock. Other topics
on the agenda are trenching. They have never trenched on an incline so the
sequence of events is a little different from what they were used to.
KJ showed us a quick time movie of the rover trenching on an incline. Here
at JPL they have a rover test bed where a replica of the rover is used to
test sequences designed for the rovers to complete on Mars. A model sequence
for trenching on an incline is first done here on Earth so the engineers can
predict what will happen on Mars. Trenching is basically done by using one
of the rover wheels to roll while the other wheels remain stationary. This
motion causes a trench to be dug, and to deepen and widen.
By far the coolest thing we have done today was get to hold an actual piece
of rover equipment. As we were wandering through the science room where the
Science Context Meeting was held the RAT was sitting on the table. Cheng-Tao
and I actually got to hold a copy of the Rock Abrasion Tool that is almost
identical to the one found on the robotic arm of the Mars Exploration Rovers.
Steve Gorevan the RAT Payload Element Lead told us all about it. He was really
friendly and told us a lot about the capabilities of the RAT and how it works.
The RAT drills a whole with a 45.5 mm diameter each time the RAT spins a 0.05
mm slice is taken off. The cutting tool and the brush spin at 3000 rpm. There
are two brushes, one for brushing the rock out of the mini ‘crater’ that
is being dug, and the other for brushing away the dust from the edge of the
whole so more debris can be thrown out of the whole. At the end of the RAT
process the brushes keep running so a polished surface can be obtained. The
rover arm applies 50 Newtons of force through the RAT onto the rock. It was
really neat to find out the RAT's capabilities, which was able to explain
the scientist’s choices when or when not to use the RAT. Although the
RAT can work on soft or hard rock and even densely packed soil the size of
the target has to be taken into consideration. If the rock is too small the
instrument cannot fit to conduct the RAT.
During the Science Downlink Meeting the scientists discussed the different
options of digging the trench. They have to decide which way to turn and whether
to use a left or right wheel and whether to use the downhill or the uphill
wheel. All these factors contribute to the shape of the hole's depth and width.
The scientists sitting nearby were helpful at pointing out certain acronyms
that we hadn’t heard before. Without knowing all the acronyms the meetings
can get very confusing. The scientist summarize what they want to add, what
has been moved and what their assignments are for planning for the next sol.
Some of the scientists were creating a 3D model of the area surrounding the
rover. This model was really cool looking.
After the meeting we spoke to a student from Cornell who is working with
the software. He describes new techniques that have been developed to better
see and analyze the data. The mosaics have now been put into a cylindrical
view, which helps fix overlaps.
That’s about all for today. I can’t wait until tomorrow where
we have hopefully find out what has been decided for the trench!
Spirit Sol 43 / Opportunity Sol 23
Monday, February 16, 2004
This morning Andy Knoll was the Long Term Planning (LTP) lead for the Science
Context meeting. The meeting was pretty standard. The sol tree was presented
which shows the long-term plan for the rover over the next week. The condition
of flash memory and the allotted data amount for the day are reviewed. And
of course what data was received during the night and what wasn’t. At
the end Andy Knoll asked the different groups to look into more integrated
science observations. He wants the scientists to work together. The scientists
also discussed finishing up with the “crater science” so they
can move onto the Meridiani Planum.
One of the grad students was looking at images of tracks. Bethany was explaining
to us the differences they are seeing between the rover tracks of Spirit and
of Opportunity, At Opportunity the tracks are staying very defined. The treads
of the wheels are very obvious. However with Spirit the tracks vary. For some
time the tracks are evident then they will disappear so the composition of
the soil is definitely very different. One interesting observation that the
soil group is working on is measuring the suspension and keeping track of
the wheel tracks 8 times per second. They are going to use this data of how
the rover is driving to determine physical properties of the soil. Another
measurement they would like to do is using the Mini-TES to measure thermal
inertia. Thermal inertia is a measure of how quickly the soil changes temperature
relative to the atmospheric temperature. This information can be used to determine
the composition of the soil and rocks.
Most of the scientist seemed pretty eager to get driving so they can get
a closer look at the outcrops. However this all changed with the Science Downlink
Assessment Meeting.
This meeting was the busiest we’ve seen. I guess it was probably because
of the historical event that they have received the images from the first
trenching ever done of Mars. After the Engineer and Science Instrument update
the scientists debated the targets and instruments to use in the trench. The
engineering update reviewed energy conservation methods. The APXS team presented
interesting results on how temperature changes over time at Meridiani Planum
where Opportunity is located and Gusev Crater where Spirit is located. This
is important because when they know when the temperature has reached its peak
they can stop the APXS or Mossbauer measurement that they are doing. By learning
the time (which might be different for the two landing sites) they can switch
to other observations earlier.
With the new trench many options are open for the next sol. A full set of
observations has been made on the surface and now the scientists want to replicate
this sequence inside the trench for comparison. Some wanted one target while
other opted for two targets in the newly dug trench. With the increase of
targets and instrument measurements the Instrument Deployment Device (IDD)
sequence becomes more complicated. What it gets down to when deciding how
much can be done in one sol is the number of tool changes in the planning
cycle. It is better for the rover if there aren’t too many tool changes
because it could get too complicated. Scientists discussed ways to maximize
the data collected at the site. By digging a trench the underneath layers
have been exposed this allows for observations of subsurface material. The
trench also presents the opportunity to observe stratified layers along the
wall, which cannot be done by looking at the surface.
Between meetings Cheng-Tao and I spend our time calibrating images and using
the sundial software to determine the time on Mars. By doing these sundial
observations we are checking the accuracy of the rover clock. So far all has
been really good!
Saatvik left this morning so things are pretty quiet around our cubicle.
Although he wasn’t working yesterday we were able to see Saatvik after
our shift here at JPL. We are still waiting for the display rovers to be put
back in the beds outside. We’re not sure when they are coming back or
if they are coming back while we’re here but we are hoping to see them
before we go.
The scientists have been really friendly today. Numerous different scientists
stopped and talked to us. They were very willing to share what they were working
on or their opinions of what should be done next with the rover. Unfortunately
we didn’t get to hold any more of the rover today but the new images
of the trenching was satisfying enough!
Spirit Sol 44 / Opportunity Sol 24
Tuesday, February 17, 2004
When we arrived at JPL this morning we went to the Science Context Meeting.
Nothing extremely out of the ordinary happened; the time line was reviewed,
sequences in and out and the block schedule planning 25 sols in advance so
the scientists can see the long term goals. They are hoping to leave the crater
in a little while.
Afterwards we talked with Tim Parker. He was working on planning where the
rover will go using 3D images. Tim said he prefers using the 3D images over
any other images because the 3D ones are able to display the actual shape
of the rocks. The shape and relative size are helpful in choosing targets.
Cheng-Tao and I also listened in on a science discussion where the sequence
for the microscopic imager (MI), APXS, and the Mossbauer (MB) were being discussed.
Steve Gorevan, Ben, Albert Lee and Goestar Klingelhoefer were discussing
the order that the sequence should be preformed, whether to use the Moessbauer
or APXS first. The optimal function of each instrument has a huge impact on
the planning sequence, so they analyze the order in which each will be used.
However, the deciding factor is generally the energy requirement for the action.
Then we went on a tour of the campus. We saw the rover test bed where they
were test driving a copy of the rover. The lamps in the room were designated
to replicate the sun intensity on Mars. However the shadows were not taken
into account so when the rovers got to Mars they were "afraid of their
own shadow." The difference in gravity is also not replicated in the
room but to compensate, they can run tests such as deploying the mast with
the rover on an angle which will result in a force close to that on Mars.
Next we went to the Downlink Assessment Meeting. One of the scientists did
a presentation on data compression so the scientists could see different options
for bringing data back from Mars faster. They also discussed better ways of
naming the sequences of rover commands. A lot of discussion also went into
what could be done once the rover leaves the crater and what else should be
done before it leaves the crater.
The rest of the afternoon was spent helping a computer support student, Justin,
debug one of the computer programs the scientists use to plan for what they
want to look at or what they want to locate. They can also name and mark features.
A whole bunch of us (Cheng-Tao, me and some other scientists) logged on to
this program and started selecting and naming features on Mars to see if too
many users would cause a problem with the program. We got to name the features
we choose whatever we wanted! Cheng-Tao and I have each designated rocks named
after each other. Unfortunately this was a test and on this mission none of
our names will actually be used. None of us were able to break the program
or "blow it up" as Cheng-Tao put it. The bug seems to have been
fixed and everything was running smoothly.
Tomorrow looks like an exciting day because Cheng-Tao and I get to do an
interview!
Spirit Sol 45 / Opportunity Sol 25
Wednesday, February 18, 2004
Today Cheng-Tao and I got to be on a kids show in Ontario, Canada. We were
interviewed and helped answer questions on Mars from some of the viewers.
It was a lot of fun. We had to redo the shots a bunch of times because we
kept messing up our lines. We’re hoping to meet them later today to
finish off some of the clips from the show. The host for the show is “Captain
Kent,” which is a spin-off of Captain Kirk from Star Trek. It’s
a good introduction to our Star Trek experience for tomorrow night. Paramount
Pictures is announcing their release of the Voyager series on DVD and video
as well as honoring JPL for their work on the Mars missions so we get to go
and meet some of the actors from past series.
The sunny weather has come to an end. It started raining this morning after
we finished the outdoor shots. Now its raining pretty hard so we won’t
be able to do any more of the filming outside.
The Science Context Meeting for this morning was pretty sparse. However,
they did finally manage to get some Popsicles for the ice cream freezer so
I can now have something while everybody is eating their ice cream. The scientists
are very eager to get driving so there wasn’t much scientific discussion
today. The focus was more on the data restraint due to the positioning of
the deep space network satellite dishes here on Earth relative to where the
rover is now. The scientists are trying to devise a very creative plan where
they can get all the data they want and need without going over the limit.
They are also discussing the driving path because they are positioned right
by the trench that was recently dug. There is discussion whether to drive
around or through the trench. The scientists are ready to drive but the engineers
are being a little more cautious. In the overhead view of the landing site
one of the scientists, Matt Golombek, pointed out today where the back shield
was. Before we had only been able to identify the Lander, the parachute and
heat shield.
At lunch in the cafeteria we met one of the scientists working with the microscopic
imager (MI). He does a lot with the MI software. We were discussing different
MI pictures that had been received.
Cheng-Tao discovered a leak in our office cubicle ceiling—it’s
raining inside!
After we worked on some imaging and our journals we went and met with the
press people so we could do some more filming inside of JPL. We answered some
more questions. At the end of each little clip we’re suppose to say “And
now you know.” We also forget to say that line.
Today we also got some good pictures of the MarsDial from sol 41 which we
use to calibrate, calculate time and dust on the Mars dial. These images were
really neat because they show the surrounding soil and rocks in high detail.
During the Science Downlink Assessment Meeting we saw some really cool pictures.
Afterwards most of the scientists were discussing neat geological features
that they saw in the picture.
Andy Knoll (who has been running most of the meetings since we got here)
was very helpful in pointing out how geological features can tell us about
the past water history on Mars.
The scientists were pointing out to each other what they thought would be
the best targets for chemical as well as physical investigation. Steve Gorevan
did a preview of his after-SOWG presentation that unfortunately we won’t
be able to see. But he was discussing the best type of rocks to RAT (use the
Rock Abrasion Tool on) to present different ideas that the scientists can
consider when choosing their next targets. Other scientists also discussed
optimal distances for the best pictures and for the best spatial resolution,
which are important when deciding potential targets. Another key factor for
RAT targets is a reference map, which is the best way the scientists can map
the roughness of the rock. The scientists seemed really happy about a new
command on their computer software. This software makes it easier to work
with the images when constructing mosaics. A lot of missing packets from past
sols has also been sent down which makes the scientists very happy. The missing
packets result because the high priority stuff comes down first. A lot of
the lower priority stuff has to wait for another day this results in what
they call “missing packets”.
We’ve got some more filming to do so I have to run! The TV show has
made me a nice costume. In the next shots I get to be a Star Fleet Commander!
Spirit Sol 46 / Opportunity Sol 26
Thursday, February 19, 2004
Yesterday we met Nomathemba who has just arrived from South Africa. She is
really nice and I cant wait to get to work with her and Camillia. Unfortunately
this also means that our time here at JPL is coming to an end (for now).
First thing when we arrived today we attended a presentation in the Von Karman
auditorium on the Spitzer Space Telescope. Michael Werner of JPL presented
a New View on the Cosmos. Spitzer is designed to conduct astronomical observation
in the infrared. Things look different in the infrared spectrum then they
do in the visible light spectrum so infrared observations can be used for
different purposes. The main purposes for this telescope are to observe cold
universes, distant universes, and dusty universes and conduct spectroscopy
in the infrared. One of the really cool things about this telescope is that
it can see behind the dust. Interstellar dust (which is where new planets
form) is opaque in the visible spectrum however as soon as the same image
is seen in the infrared what is behind the dust can be seen. Another thing
that is unique about this telescope is that longer wavelength can be seen.
In the 24 microns wavelength new stars forming appear with red halos so they
are easy to pick up. For deep space observations the infrared present a new
view because certain details that have never before been seen can be picked
up. With galaxy clusters in the visible light spectrum sometimes only 1 galaxy
is seen but the same picture seen with infrared light shows 2 galaxies. Michael
Werner also introduced a theory called Yarkovsky theory that detects the changes
in orbit of asteroids caused by radiation. The Spitzer can be used to measure
the infrared, which can be used to determine the mass and density of the asteroid.
There were some equations presented by the Yarkovsky theory that can make
such comparisons possible.
Next we attended the Science Context Meeting. We missed the first part of
the meeting because of the Spitzer telescope meeting that we went to. There
were some really neat pictures again today. We were trying to match a higher
resolution picture of some rocks to the full mosaic of the surrounding area.
But we werent having much luck. Andy Knoll talked to us about some sedimentary
rock formation theories. These theories present possible explanations for
different angles in grain formation of the rocks. In one area different rocks
can have grains that are at different angles to the ground; some are on a
diagonal while other are parallel to the ground. There were two main theories
that Andy Knoll told us about that could explain why this happens. The first
is all the sedimentary rock was aligned parallel until a large impact (such
as a meteoroid) disturbed the aligned and caused blocks of the rock to change
its alignment relative to the ground. Another reason could be that if a stream
flowed over the rocks while they were being formed causing the grains to run
in different directions. After the meeting we stopped to get ice-cream (well
actually a fruit bar for me) before coming back to our cubicle.
After the meeting we went to the JPL store again. Every time we go there
I buy more and more stuff! I think Cheng-Tao bought the whole store this time.
We also went walking around to the outdoor Mars Yard. This is where the mobility
of different test rovers can be examined. Its pretty neat they have a bunch
of rocks laid out on the ground and they have the test rover drive over or
around them to see how the rover reacts to different situations. Today it
looked like they were testing the cameras on one of the rovers (not one like
Spirit or Opportunity). They also have older rovers, which they can use to
test software. We also spent some time looking at some rocks that they had
taken out of the yard. There were some pretty neat volcanic rocks and KJ was
telling us all about the way different volcanic rocks form and how to identify
different types of lava rocks.
We are going start to the Star Trek thing right after the Downlink Assessment
Meeting so I wont be able to write about the Downlink meeting today. And tomorrow
we start work with the next student astronauts. I cant believe where the time
has gone but Nomathemba's arrival has definitely made us realize that our
time here in JPL is coming to an end way to quickly.
Spirit Sol 47 / Opportunity Sol 27
Friday, February 20, 2004
Today was our first day working with Nomathemba and Millie and so far it
has been a very exciting day. We met Morten Madsen and Walter Goetz who are
working on the magnet team. Walter was discussing different possibilities
to use the magnets on the Planetary Society’s DVD assembly for scientific
observations such as collecting dust and measuring different reflectances
over time. Walter also told us about a project he is working on in Denmark.
Some high school students are doing dust experiments with different Earth
dusts. Walter also mentioned that they can’t find dust on Earth that
matches Mars dust. There is always something a little bit different in Earth
dust then in Mars dust: the magnetic properties, the chemical composition,
the size, the colour...something is always different. This makes sense because
if they could find the exact dust on Earth then it could just be studied on
Earth instead of going to Mars. It’s interesting to consider that Mars
and Earth have been called sister planets but we can’t even find the
same dust.
While we were in the Science Room Matt Golombek was giving a tour so we got
to listen in as he explained to some university geology students stuff about
the way geological features were formed in Gusev Crater. He also explained
one reason why this was chosen as one of the landing sites: for its abundance
in olivine rich minerals. These minerals tend form deep under the surface
but at this site they are at the rim of the crater. One possibility is that
this was an ancient lake bed. It was neat to hear this explained through Matt
who led the team that decided on the landing sites.
Jascha Sohl-Dickstein showed us some really neat pictures of the trench that
Spirit has recently dug. He showed us how he stretches the pixel bands in
order to make the details more apparent. With the increased contrast finer
detail can be seen. Nearby the trench were some really clear rover tracks.
The tracks are sticking and staying together very nicely. What’s neat
about studying Mars is that the scientists have no more idea than we do what
exactly is causing some of the things they observe. Now that the scientists
have observed this neat phenomenon about the rover tracks they have put forth
a couple of theories or hypotheses. Jascha explained two that he had heard
of. The first (which we also talked to Bethany about) is that since Mars has
less gravity than Earth the electrostatic attraction between particles (in
this case the dust) has relatively greater impact on the environment. Also,
since the dust is so fine there is a lot of static that is holding them together.
The second of these hypotheses is that the soil may contain a large amount
of salt and a very little moisture. This composition would cause them to stick
together. A way to test the first hypothesis would be to observe whether or
not the dust sticks to the wheels and for how long it sticks to the wheels.
I don’t know how to test the second hypothesis.
The spherical grains or the “blueberries” are still completely
baffling the scientists. Matt explained to us some neat theories about these
blueberries. One is that they were lava droplets that cooled really quickly
and another is that they were rounded by water action. They don’t know
which one is true but they are working on figuring it out.
We got to meet Robert Manning, the Entry, Descent and Landing manager, today
after the Science Downlink Assessment Meeting. He gave us some awesome explanations
of what had happened during the landing stage of Opportunity. From a picture
taken by the Mars Global Surveyor we can see the Lander, the heat shield and
the back shield and parachute. From the picture the wind direction can de
deduced and a good model of what happened during the landing can be seen.
He was very animated as he used his hands, other scientists and room features
to lay out a really detailed and easy to understand model of what happened
during the landing. I couldn’t believe how much time he was willing
to spend explaining things to use since he is one of the top engineers! Besides
the landing, he also explained the rover’s long term driving plan while
pointing out ‘landmarks’ of interest along the way.
One site in particular that really interests the engineers (if the scientists
will allow them to visit it) is the back shield. This has some really neat
potential for observations. They could observe how the heat changed the colour
of the back shield. They can also see how the burn marks formed on the back
shield as it spun through the atmosphere. Another possibility was how the
seals on the rockets that were not needed held up. All these observations
could help the engineers when designing future mission. Time will tell whether
they’ll actually get to go see it.
Jim Erickson stopped by to see us in our cubicle. He was really friendly
and was telling us all about his long history working with NASA which started
as a summer job in college. It’s kind of neat because he never had plans
to work in space but now he’s a Mission Manager on the Mars Exploration
Rovers. So I don’t have to make up my mind yet what I want to do because
things can change!!!
It’s really neat to talk to a bunch of scientists. I had always thought
that scientists wouldn’t be very friendly and that they would be too
busy to stop and talk to a bunch of kids. Well I was extremely wrong…the
scientists here are so nice and they are almost always willing to stop what
they are doing to explain something to use. There are such a variety of scientists
working on the mission that it’s really neat to see them all coming
together. All the different view points are necessary for the final outcome.
We talked to one of the scientists about working these crazy hours switching
between the two rovers (who are 12 hours 1 minute apart) and he said most
of the scientists (himself included) are just as excited as we are to be working
on the rover missions. He says they just have so much fun contributing to
the explication of the universe and the work is so rewarding that they are
all willing to give up so much of their time (and regular sleeping hours)
to be here with the rovers. The mood in the room after a meeting is generally
pretty light hearted. The scientists tease each other and make fun of each
other. Today when we were talking to Robert Manning, Matt Golombek came up
and told us that we shouldn’t listen to anything Robert says because
he doesn’t know anything. Then Robert replied, “You’re one
to talk” and they both laughed. Even scientists and engineers have time
to laugh!!!
We also managed to attend a whole SOWG meeting (Science Operations Working
Group). This may not sound like a great achievement but anyone who has attended
one knows that they are not the most exciting meetings. What they have to
do in one of these meetings is pretty much devise a plan of everything they
want to have done in the next sol. Each group has priorities so they take
those into consideration. The things they have to juggle to fit all this in
are energy consumption, duration, and data volume. A lot of things are deleted
and only the most important stuff is left in. Bob Anderson made a little word
slip during his presentation of his sol plan that made everybody laugh. He
was talking about pixels but he accidentally said “pickle”. So
he wanted “3 bits per pickle”. That will be interesting to see
how the rover interprets that!!
We also got to attend our first End of Sol Science Discussion. One of the
atmosphere’s guys presented MiniTES (Mini Thermal Emission Spectrum)
atmospheric observations that have been done to date on the mission and what
they still need to make complete observations. One of the main things that
they are doing is comparing temperatures and sky opaqueness caused by dust
at the two sites; Meridiani and Gusev. The second presentation was a geological
presentation on evaporates (minerals that form when salty water evaporates).
The presenter was opening the horizons and challenging the other scientists
to look at the broader picture and consider more options to try to explain
geological features seen on Mars. It’s really interesting all the mysteries
that the scientists have discovered on Mars. The only thing that I think is
certain is that these mysteries won’t be solved over night and they
won’t be solved by one single person. It’s going to take lots
of time and effort to solve all of our questions about Mars. At least there
is something for everybody!
Spirit Sol 48 / Opportunity Sol 28
Saturday, February 21, 2004
Today was Cheng-Tao's and mine's last day in JPL. We're both are really going
to miss it. It hasn't seemed to click in that we won't be here for the rest
of the week (which would be nice). Now that the JPL part is coming to an end,
the next part is going to be--telling everybody back at home how awesome JPL
is!!!!
During the Science Context Meeting the outcrop Science Plan was presented
so the scientists know what is in the general plan for the next couple of
sols. Mineralogy of potential interest was also presented so the scientists
could all be more on the same track of potential minerals that they may find
in the rocks to come. This consisted of minerals that they have been able
to identify on Mars.
After the Science Context Meeting we got a great explanation of how the 3D
models of features on Mars are created by Marc Powell. They use a combination
of 3D software and Pancam images to create movable 3D models like the ones
on the Maestro program which can be used by anybody off the web!!! The first
thing that is done with an image is to compare the picture taken with the
left eye (camera) and the right eye (camera). The software can recognize the
features that are the same in each image and they match these features. This
process is called stereo correlation. This is done to EVERY pixel in both
images to create a point cloud. These pixels (or pickles) are connected by
triangles to determine depth. This creates a skeletal model. To get the 'real'
looking picture a Pancam of the image is dropped on top to create the surface
map. This is pretty much the same process our brain goes through in order
to be able to see in 3D. When the image is moved about the number of triangles
that were created by connecting pixels is increased or reduced depending on
the zoom. In order for the model to move where you want it to and the time
you want it to there needs to be a reduced number of pixels or else there
is too much for the software to handle. Since not as much detail is needed
for a view that is far away less triangles are used. Once you zoom in on the
image the number of triangles is increased. However since you are looking
at a smaller portion of the image the overall triangle number is pretty similar
between the two. A similar automatic level of detail (number of triangles
in the image) is used for video games so that there is no significant amount
of time for a command to be put into action. This may be a lot easier to understand
with your own 3D model pictures which you can find at Maestro!
The scientists have to teach each other what they know if they switch rovers
or if they learn something new that all the others don't know. We, the student
astronauts are undergoing a similar process as Cheng-Tao and I are 'passing
on the baton' to Rara (Nomathemba) and Millie, the next student astronauts.
Today has pretty much been spent going over the different image processing
we do when we're not talking to scientists or attending meetings. There are
three main jobs that we have to do; calibrating images, calculating time on
Mars using the MarsDial, and a dust experiment. It's a lot to learn in one
day, I can remember how confused I was when I tried to learn it from Saatvik
and David!
This morning I also got to do an interview with CBC (Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation) before I came to work! It was a lot of fun. We filmed at Pacific
TV because CBC is a Canadian company. They had a makeup guy and everything
so it was quite the experience. While we have been here a JPL we're not only
spending our time working in JPL but we have quite a few external commitments
with the press. It really fun to get to share our experiences with so many
people through different mediums.
It's definitely going to be much less exciting once I return home!!
Spirit Sol 49 / Opportunity Sol 29
Sunday, February 22, 2004
Today is Cheng-Tao's and my official last day at JPL. I leave tomorrow. It
has been pouring rain all morning and of course as soon as we arrive at JPL
to be inside the rest of the day it has to stop raining and be nice and sunny.
After the rain we saw 3 deer just wandering around JPL. We chased them for
a bit trying to get some pictures and then they finally got fed up with us
and left up the stairs. We have been hoping to see them but we though they
only came around dawn and dusk. I guess today we were lucky.
The first meeting of the day, as usual, was the Science Context meeting.
Like always what happened yesterday, what to do today and what should be done
tomorrow were reviewed. These meetings end pretty rapidly as the scientists
have a lot of things they want to get done, especially now that there are
a lot of new images to look at. JPL has started feeling like home. I thought
I would never be able to remember all the names of the different scientists.
But now I can actually point out some of the scientists for Millie and Rara
(Nomathemba).
Walter Goetz one of the scientists working for the Danish team that are working
on the magnets. He came and visited us in our little cubicle (that is getting
quite crowded with all of us in here, but its nice and cozy). He was explaining
one of the magnets; the one right by the Marsdial. He is working with the
magnet experiment and they are trying to find nonmagnetic dust. The way they
do this is, they have a strong magnetic ring around the outside to attract
all the magnetic particles to the outside. If there are any nonmagnetic particles
they will remain on the inside of the circle where there is no magnet. After
that he was explaining reasons that effect solar production; the elliptical
orbit that results in Mars moving further away. He didn't go to in detail
because he was worried we'd be too bored with a "Mars lesson". Then
we had a very interesting trilingual conversation. It turns out we both speak
French and I also speak a bit of German. When we couldn't say something in
one language we'd just switch over to a different language. I've noticed while
I've been here that space missions seem to incorporate a little bit of everything,
science and engineering of course, art through the pretty mosaic that the
scientists make, computer games through the 3D models and triangles (yesterday's
journal), sports in-between meetings the scientists were discussing baseball
and golf, golf particularity on the landing in Gusev Crater (interstellar
golf hole in one), languages talking to the different scientists and of course
eating, especially the free ice-cream. There is always something new here
at JPL. Everyday there is something new!
When I go back to school the atmosphere is going to be quite different! You
get much more tired here working and concentrating all day and working at
weird hours, but the atmosphere is a little more relaxed. We spend our time
in pretty much two places, the meetings and our cubicle. There is a lot more
time to relax and just chill with the scientists. There is also no free ice
cream at school.
Next we got to peek into Mission Operations. We met Bob Anderson who was
the Science Downlink Coordinator for the day. He gets to be the only scientist
in with all the engineers in Missions Operations. He coordinates the communication
between the engineers and the scientists. He was showing us the two computers
he uses to monitor what data is coming in from Mars. Things are much calmer
in Missions Operations now than during a landing!
Then I attended my last Downlink Assessment Meeting. It was pretty packed
so Millie and I sat on the floor. There were some film people there filming
the meeting and they kept standing in front of us blocking our complete view
of any of the screens. One of the RAT guys did a presentation on the RAT as
they are getting ready to do their first RAT with Opportunity. He presented
optimal orientation and the possibility of RAT mosaics (these are created
by having several different RATs within a single target. This creates depth
as the circular targets overlap each other.) .
After the Downlink meeting we pretty much came immediately back to our cubicle
except we had to stop for ice-cream (as Cheng-Tao pointed out, its our last
free ice-cream) Unfortunately they haven't restocked any fruit one so I was
out of luck again (having a milk allergy really cuts in to my possible ice-cream
choices). So when we got to our cubicle I figured I would make myself a little
treat; some popcorn. Sounds like a good idea EXCEPT--The ones in our snack
cupboard are the snack size ones so when I put it in the microwave I didn't
realize it was a lot smaller than the normal popcorn bags. When I went back
to get the popcorn it was smoking and we could smell it all the way back in
our cubicle. OOP! I've never seen such burnt popcorn in all my life it had
fused itself together. So I've been banned from making microwave popcorn!
I can't believe it's already the end of the day! Time just seems to accelerate
as soon as we step onto the JPL campus. So I guess the old saying holds true "Time
flies when you're having fun." And we've definitely had more than fun!!
JPL has got to be the most amazing experience of my life! Science and research
have never been so exciting. Meeting all the scientists has definitely been
really cool. I've been able to learn so much about Mars, the rovers, science
in general, geology, engineering and lots more that I'd never even heard of!
Working with the other Student Astronauts has also been a blast. I've had
the opportunity to meet people from all over the world!
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