On 2/23/2024 10:18 AM, Graham. wrote:
> Lots of optomistic noises about the success of this mission being
> made by the various stakeholders, not to mention the press. From
> my perspective the craft appears to have landed in a place where
> its antennas are largly shielded from Earth. Goonhilly reported a
> weak signal, not sure about other larger dishes around the world.
> Normally an image taken by the spacecraft on the ground would
> have been released, but nothing.
>
> tl:dr, doesn't look too promising.
>

It's one weird project.

The design life is 7 days. It has 9 days left.
(Will run out of solar to recharge battery)

Whether it can take a picture, may depend on
what datarate the antenna situation can manage.

Paul

On 24/02/2024 10:34, Paul wrote:
> On 2/23/2024 10:18 AM, Graham. wrote:
>> Lots of optomistic noises about the success of this mission being
>> made by the various stakeholders, not to mention the press. From
>> my perspective the craft appears to have landed in a place where
>> its antennas are largly shielded from Earth. Goonhilly reported a
>> weak signal, not sure about other larger dishes around the world.
>> Normally an image taken by the spacecraft on the ground would
>> have been released, but nothing.
>>
>> tl:dr, doesn't look too promising.
>>
>
> It's one weird project.
>
> The design life is 7 days. It has 9 days left.
> (Will run out of solar to recharge battery)

As I mentioned before, one of the goals is to search for water (ice)
which if present on the surface of the moon will only be found in the
deep shadows in the craters - where the sun never gets to.

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 2/24/2024 10:23 AM, alan_m wrote:
> On 24/02/2024 10:34, Paul wrote:
>> On 2/23/2024 10:18 AM, Graham.  wrote:
>>>   Lots of optomistic noises about the success of this mission being
>>>   made by the various stakeholders, not to mention the press. From
>>>   my perspective the craft appears to have landed in a place where
>>>   its antennas are largly shielded from Earth. Goonhilly reported a
>>>   weak signal, not sure about other larger dishes around the world.
>>>   Normally an image taken by the spacecraft on the ground would
>>>   have been released, but nothing.
>>>
>>> tl:dr,  doesn't look too promising.
>>>
>>
>> It's one weird project.
>>
>> The design life is 7 days. It has 9 days left.
>> (Will run out of solar to recharge battery)
>
> As I mentioned before, one of the goals is to search for water (ice) which if present on the surface of the moon will only be found in the deep shadows in the craters - where the sun never gets to.
>
>

The "shape" of the machine, it's CG, seems
to be designed for the lab they were in,
not for a real live adventure with real live boulders.

Some device designs assume they will fall over, and they
have kit included in the design, to right them after landing.
Then, say, unfurl the solar panels.

This machine shows a great ability to right itself.
And the funny part of the videos, is when the robot
pauses and is doing path planning on its internal processor.
While some of the moves involve applying dynamic corrections
in real time, when the device is in a stable attitude, it
takes its sweet time coming up with the next move sequence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4vGGHeYtbg

What minimal set of limbs could you attach to a probe, so it can right itself ?

If it was a Weeble, you wouldn't care.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weeble

Paul

On 2/25/2024 9:51 AM, Paul wrote:
> On 2/24/2024 10:23 AM, alan_m wrote:
>> On 24/02/2024 10:34, Paul wrote:
>>> On 2/23/2024 10:18 AM, Graham.  wrote:
>>>>   Lots of optomistic noises about the success of this mission being
>>>>   made by the various stakeholders, not to mention the press. From
>>>>   my perspective the craft appears to have landed in a place where
>>>>   its antennas are largly shielded from Earth. Goonhilly reported a
>>>>   weak signal, not sure about other larger dishes around the world.
>>>>   Normally an image taken by the spacecraft on the ground would
>>>>   have been released, but nothing.
>>>>
>>>> tl:dr,  doesn't look too promising.
>>>>
>>>
>>> It's one weird project.
>>>
>>> The design life is 7 days. It has 9 days left.
>>> (Will run out of solar to recharge battery)
>>
>> As I mentioned before, one of the goals is to search for water (ice) which if present on the surface of the moon will only be found in the deep shadows in the craters - where the sun never gets to.
>>
>>
>
> The "shape" of the machine, it's CG, seems
> to be designed for the lab they were in,
> not for a real live adventure with real live boulders.
>
> Some device designs assume they will fall over, and they
> have kit included in the design, to right them after landing.
> Then, say, unfurl the solar panels.
>
> This machine shows a great ability to right itself.
> And the funny part of the videos, is when the robot
> pauses and is doing path planning on its internal processor.
> While some of the moves involve applying dynamic corrections
> in real time, when the device is in a stable attitude, it
> takes its sweet time coming up with the next move sequence.
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4vGGHeYtbg
>
> What minimal set of limbs could you attach to a probe, so it can right itself ?
>
> If it was a Weeble, you wouldn't care.
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weeble
>
> Paul
>

On page 6 here, there is mention of a mission 58 years ago, with
a lower center of gravity.

https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/02/a-little-us-company-makes-history-by-landing-on-the-moon-but-questions-remain/?comments=1&comments-page=6

This series.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surveyor_program

*******

And the datarate from the Odysseus could be 2.5Kbit/sec
(via the deep space dish or whatever), well below the
design rate. You can't send much of a picture at that rate.
Any other science would have priority.

And this is a picture of the junk orbiting the moon
right now. Not likely to be sporting large dish antennas :-)

https://www.isro.gov.in/media_isro/image/index/Lunar_Orbiting_Spacecraft1.jpg?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwig2fGm6ciEAxXQADQIHb-HAy4Q_B16BAgJEAI

NASA likes to take pictures of the satellites.

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/lro/

Paul