kaguya takes images of lunar surface
- Thread starter watermelony2k
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For Galileo, the directional antenna has a theoretical max rate of 134kbits / second (not bytes) That's about 1 640x480 picture per minute. TV Video is right at 30 frames per second of uncompressed data.
So, ignoring command and control signals, actual science traffic, reoirinting the spacecraft to shoot the images, and spacecraft telemetry taking up their portion of the data pipe, the technology is limited to video at 1/1800th of realtime.
This figure also assumes 100% availability of NASA's Deep Space Network of dishes, unlikely to happen since the DSN is always in demand for things like Mars Rovers, Mars Observers, Voyager probes, Etc, etc, etc.
Another factor to consider: Speed at which things happen in space. Distances are vast, and it would take a long time to notice much difference in images coming from a camera aimed at a body thousands of kilometers away. Video would be incredibly boring.
So, ignoring command and control signals, actual science traffic, reoirinting the spacecraft to shoot the images, and spacecraft telemetry taking up their portion of the data pipe, the technology is limited to video at 1/1800th of realtime.
This figure also assumes 100% availability of NASA's Deep Space Network of dishes, unlikely to happen since the DSN is always in demand for things like Mars Rovers, Mars Observers, Voyager probes, Etc, etc, etc.
Another factor to consider: Speed at which things happen in space. Distances are vast, and it would take a long time to notice much difference in images coming from a camera aimed at a body thousands of kilometers away. Video would be incredibly boring.
That video just proves it! The moonlandings were fake and the moon IS made out of blue cheese!
For clarification, the Galileo spacecraft I cited for my second example was sent to Jupiter and its moons.
The Cassini spacecraft, even further out at Saturn, is currently sending back data at a not quite so blazing 948 bits (no bloody K) per second. That's 5.4 minutes or so for a single 640x480 monochrome image.
Bandwidth is in part a function of distance using current technology, and the moon is close enough that video works.
In summary:
Inner planets and their satellites; usually OK fine for real time video.
Belt and beyond; don't start the popcorn, you'll be dissapointed.
AG
The Cassini spacecraft, even further out at Saturn, is currently sending back data at a not quite so blazing 948 bits (no bloody K) per second. That's 5.4 minutes or so for a single 640x480 monochrome image.
Bandwidth is in part a function of distance using current technology, and the moon is close enough that video works.
In summary:
Inner planets and their satellites; usually OK fine for real time video.
Belt and beyond; don't start the popcorn, you'll be dissapointed.
AG
Although I don't doubt that real time video feed is not possible, I think you are forgetting compression of image which plays a major part in long range transmission like this.
Wow the Japanese have a pretty cool CGI model of the moon. I wonder if we will see this CGI model on Gundam 00?
The British Space Programme had a far better video of the moon out in 1981. British Footage from "Scorpio" moon probe.
The British Space Programme had a far better video of the moon out in 1981. British Footage from "Scorpio" moon probe.
Depends on what they're doing with the imagery. While compressed data may save bandwidth, it's not the actual data that the sensors got, therefore the science could be suspect for the nit-picking academic. It'd be just fine for us gawking taxpayers though.
AG
that aint CGI..
I know it isn't CGI but it looks just like the opening image of Moonlight Mile, an anime being aired in Japan right now.
Well technically speaking a camera could've been installed on MRO and we could've gotten a low grade quality "live video" from Mars but other than the cool factor it wouldn't have benefited the mission in any scientific way. MRO's telecom system is vastly superior over the systems of previous Mars probes like the MGS. It can typically send data to Earth at a rate between 0.5 Mbps to 4 Mbps as opposed to the kbps expected in previous mars missions. Its also currently being used to demonstrated DSN's Ka-band capability which if successful (by no mean a guarantee since Ka-band signals are affected by weather and pointing errors much more) a migration to it from X-band could lift the maximum bandwidth ceilng to a much higher level.
I'm not really looking for live video... I'm looking for shots and angles of the moon (as seen here) and other planets and bodies. It is images and videos that inspire the imagination of the unobsessed so easily.
I mean, wouldn't you kill for a video of Mars of the type we see here for the moon? I would. But nothing in orbit of Mars right now has any capacity to do it, with weight being at such a premium. Someday, maybe. Until then, we get to dream, and look at kickass Japanese videos of the moon.
Mark
I mean, wouldn't you kill for a video of Mars of the type we see here for the moon? I would. But nothing in orbit of Mars right now has any capacity to do it, with weight being at such a premium. Someday, maybe. Until then, we get to dream, and look at kickass Japanese videos of the moon.
Mark
Okay, for the life of me I can't remember which show it was on the Science Channel right now, but there's actually a lab where they've taken the images from the Mars Orbital Camera and built 3-D virtual reality displays of the surface of Mars from them that they can actually walk through.
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