Odyssey Imager Starts Mapping Today 9
Bamfarooni writes: "The THEMIS thermal infrared and visible imaging spectrometer aboard the Odyssey spacecraft successfully turned on today and started its mapping mission. Once data starts coming back, images will be released directly to the web on a daily basis." Here's a link to more on the history and goals of the project.
Re:We need this kind of service for EARTH!!! (Score:2)
Living on Mars? (Score:1)
Since this project will provide accurate maps and a complete mineralogy of mars, we could pre-determine where to build our habitats and possibly start work on terriforming the planet.
*remembers pitch black*
I sure hope that is a wise idea
When do we get this for Earth? (Score:2, Interesting)
With all the 'public' money spent on space research, I wonder when we will start to see decent data available for the earth?
Yes, I know about terraserver, which is rather pathetic outside the US.
We know the planet has been mapped (rather a few times I bet), but many goverments seem to like to keep that data 'private' and sell it off for LARGE amounts of money.
I bet a lot of us could find fantastic uses for even 100m per value topographical data for the whole planet, not just the bits we are 'allowed' access to.
And please no one tell me it's for security reasons, as often the best data can be accessed for the 'secure' regions (ie: most of the US is easy, but try and get pitcairn island).
Imaging the fun of exploring a whole virtual planet, admitedly not up close, but there is a lot of truely wonderful topography to our planet.
Hey check this out! (Score:2, Interesting)
Mapping the Earth [gislounge.com]
Errm - just turned on, or just started mission? (Score:3, Informative)
According to the linked article, the THEMIS imager was turned on back on Nov 2, last year, and had already produced a number of images. I suspect that you mean that they're now at the point where they can turn it on and leave it operating on a regular basis. Or at least, that they are really considering the spacecraft itself ready to start mapping.
The only additional information I can find is on the Mars Odyssey spacecraft site [nasa.gov] that indicates that they haven't even finished calibration yet, but does state (or misstate?) that the THEMIS camera system was turned on today. It also states that there are other instruments (the gamma ray spectrometer at least) that were turned on for apparently the first time today.