A Webcam @ Mars: VMC – a public outreach success for ESA

• 1. A Webcam @ Mars: VMC a public outreach success for esaJonathan Schulster, VCS GmbH, TIZ, Darmstadt, D. Michel Denis, OPS/OPM, ESA-ESOC, Darmstadt Daniel Scuka, EJR-Quartz, Darmstadt, D. Thomas Ormston & Hannes Greibel, Vega GmbH, Europaplatz 5, Darmstadt, D.

2. Presentation Overview

• A (brief) history of the Visual Monitoring Camera (webcam)

• Operating VMC Webcam on Mars Express

• Public Outreach on other Inter-Planetary missions

• Re-commissioning Process for the Webcam

• Public Outreach with VMC on Mars Express

• VMC Observations so far

• Developments in VMC Planning & Operations

• Future for the VMC Webcam on Mars Express

• Lessons Learned

3.

• Development of the Visual Telemetry System on Ariane 502 (OIP Sensor Systems, BE)

• First flown on XMM-Newton

• Used on Cluster in 2000

• To capture mechanism deployments: visual telemetry

• 640 x 480 pixels, 8-bit sampling, Bayer filter for post-processed colour images

• Design life weeks/months

1. History of the VMC 4. 2. Operating VMC webcam on Mars Express

• No routine use foreseen

• Evolving operational concept

• Complex observation planning

• Not in Science planning process

• lowest priority

• Best-effort basis (no cost!)

• Non-interference basis with Science instruments

5. 2a. Beagle-2 Deployment

• The original intended (and successful) use of the VMC, to capture the release (and spin-up) of the Beagle-2 lander, 19 December 2003

6. 3. Public Outreach on Planetary Missions

• Mars Student Imaging Project (THEMIS, Odyssey NASA, ASU)

• HiWish: Public pick pixels on Mars HiRise on MRO, UoA-LPL/JPL

• Cassini scientist for a day program (target selection SOWG)

• Saturn Solar Opposition events 2008 whole World looks up to the Sky

• Main instruments on MEX not appropriate to public target identification?

7. 4. Re-commissioning VMC

• Started late 2006 make new instrument from an old sensor

• First exposure tests camera still works!

• Process automation

• • Special pointing required (and new ones added)

• • Procedure refinement to minimise commanding

• • Pointing timeline insertion & constraint-checking tools

• • VMC Toolkit development

8. 1 stLight a new beginning for VMC

• VMC Re-commissioned at Mars 26 - Feb-07

• first light

• Vallis Marinaris, taken 8-Oct-08

• 4 volcanos, Tharsis bulge, 5-July-08

9. 5. Public Outreach with VMC on Mars Express

• Images down-linked from Mars Express as lowest priority

• • but raw source images made available on website with minimum latency possible (VMC toolkit)

• Blog format with calendar showing latest observations and contributions

10. 11. Clouds on Arsia Mons Image credits:ESA/NASA/JPL/Malin Space Systems/Mike Malaska Estimation of cloud height by topographic features Estimation of cloud height by shadow length 12. Composite images: clouds and dust-storms

• 1 stVMC limb targeting observation (fixed inertial attitude rather than true tracking)

• Images are post-processed composites of about 10 VMC shots (H.Griebel, M.Malaska)

13. 14. Latest examples: Sophisticated image processing

• NEXT SLIDES

• Flying over Mars: Mosaic by Errol Bruce(below) set of images from low-altitude observation on 12 Jan 2010, as MEX flew away from Mars

• Flat-fielding Rick Hollar,Vallis Marineris & Tharsis Montes .

• Ted Stryk, Powell, TN, USA from 24-Mar-2009 (below)

15. 16. 64 Views of Mars

• Emily Lakdawalla (Planetary Society) has produced a composite of 64 of the best VMC images

• • She has also runs web workshops as tutorials for the general public on how to process VMC images

17. Phobos Shadow Transit across Mars 18. 6. VMC observations summary

• Beagle-2 departure

• 1 stImage of Mars, 1 stlow-altitude shots

• Clouds from VMC

• Low-altitude limb-tracking (Mars atmosphere)

• flat-fielding techniques

• High-Dynamic Range (HDR) processing

• 64 views of Mars poster

• Phobos shadow transit of Mars

19. 7. Current Developments in VMC Planning & Ops.

• Automation of VMC pointings

• VMCToolkitfully-automated

• Target-pointing tools

• MAPPS observation planning

• Tuning to Mars Express seasons

20. 8. The Future for VMC Webcam on Mars Express

• Keplers orbital elements education movie (~200 shots)

• Public-input to pericenter target selection (2011)

• Refine operation modes to avoid conflicts/constraints

• Feedback/integrate into overall ESA Science Communications Plan

21. 8a. Public Outreach Adopt a VMC observation

• Exploit webcam opportunity for education outreach

• More direct involvement of Schools and Universities in ops.

• Enhance planetary education cooperative projects

• Generate interest in ESA and VMC web content

• Low/minimal operations cost (telecon, e-mail support, blog publication)

22. 9. Lessons Learned on Public Outreach

• Building Trust

• Managing expectations

• Data availability

• • "If I'm asleep and you're awake, you can see the pictures from the rover before I do, it's really enabled people to share in this voyage of exploration. Steve Squyres, MER PI

• Know your limits

• Managing the website /Blog

23. 9a. Lessons learned future missions

• Plan for long-term use of all resources on the spacecraft, however small!

• Exploit auxilliary payloads to augment public outreach

• VMC has far wider uses than ever imagined (climate, science, etc.)

• Impact on public awareness & support for robotic planetary exploration?