ESA or NASA?

I think the ESA have it all over NASA, when it comes to global imaging of Mars that is. Check out this pic and tell me what you think. www.universetoday.com...

[edit on 17/7/05 by The Block]

Are you sure that photograph is real?
If it is then it is an excellent image!

The ESA made alot of mock-up images for their forthcoming Aurora program (Manned missions to Mars) and this looks like one of them!

I may be wrong though!

Mic


[edit on 17/7/2005 by MickeyDee]

Originally posted by MickeyDee

The ESA made alot of mock-up images for their forthcoming Aurora program (Manned missions to Mars) and this looks like one of them!

[edit on 17/7/2005 by MickeyDee]

...just a quick look at the esa page and...tada :

www.esa.int...

These images, taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft, show Nicholson Crater, located at the southern edge of Amazonis Planitia on Mars.

High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC)

The HRSC is imaging the entire planet in full colour, 3D and with a resolution of about 10 metres. Selected areas will be imaged at 2-metre resolution. One of the camera's greatest strengths will be the unprecedented pointing accuracy achieved by combining images at the two different resolutions. Another will be the 3D imaging which will reveal the topography of Mars in full colour.

from : www.esa.int...

more pics & info :

www.esa.int...
www.esa.int...
www.dlr.de...;internal&action=_setlanguage.action?LANGUAGE=en

I have two numbers for ya. 545 sols, and 524 sols. and they can get microscopic imaging as well as track surface dust devils.

still a toss up IMHO, but I think ESA is at least equal to NASA's ability in unmanned space exploration

Originally posted by The Block
I think the ESA have it all over NASA, when it comes to global imaging of Mars that is. Check out this pic and tell me what you think. www.universetoday.com...

[edit on 17/7/05 by The Block]

That looks like a realistic artists' image of the "martian face"..

NASA's MRO

Take that ESA!

hmm..i dont really think that pic is real,cuz of the quality.
as you know..video game makers and graphic disginer(sorry for the bad spelling error) they can make it look like real. IE: like HL2 that game have amazing graphic..almost real like.

i hope u can understand for wat im saying right now.

NASA's New Mars Orbiter Will Sharpen Vision of Exploration


Pasadena CA (SPX) Jul 21, 2005
NASA's next mission to Mars will examine it in unprecedented detail from low orbit. It will provide more data about that intriguing planet than all previous missions combined. Launch opportunities begin Aug. 10 for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The orbiter and its launch vehicle are nearing final stages of preparation at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
The spacecraft will examine Martian features ranging from the top of the atmosphere to underground layering. Researchers will use it to study the history and distribution of Martian water. It will also support future Mars missions by characterizing landing sites and providing a high-data-rate communications relay.

"Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is the next step in our ambitious exploration of Mars," said NASA's director, Mars Exploration Program, Science Mission Directorate, Douglas McCuistion. "We expect to use this spacecraft's eyes in the sky in coming years as our primary tools to identify and evaluate the best places for future missions to land."

The spacecraft carries six instruments for probing the atmosphere, surface and subsurface to characterize the planet and how it changed over time. One of the science payload's three cameras will be the largest-diameter telescopic camera ever sent to another planet.

Entire article


This is going to send back cool photos and info of Mars.

i think that ESA is becoming better than NASA. I think we all agree that Europe has the capability to do very good science but here are some of its weak points compared to the U.S :

1) ESA lacks budget
2) ESA is younger. Thus, it has less experience in some fields like manned-spacecrafts
3) Even if it has got projects like Aurora, it lacks a clear long term project and that's the politicians' fault

some of ESA's good points :

1) Has a better budget-handling than NASA which very often wastes money
2) ESA is more willing to collaborate with other space agency. NASA can't collaborate in a productive manner because of some laws that prevents the share of military-related technologies.

This Esa sure has given some nice pictures.Is Esa another american space crew?Looking forward to seeing more on pictures.

[edit on 23-7-2005 by menguard]

Axtualy the ESA and NASA do work together and share science very well. The ESA orbiter around Mars was built with the help of NASA. Space belongs to mankind, not countries or agencies. Most scientists dont care much for politics anyway.

Yes, That image is indeed real.

Originally posted by Terapin
Axtualy the ESA and NASA do work together and share science very well. The ESA orbiter around Mars was built with the help of NASA. Space belongs to mankind, not countries or agencies. Most scientists dont care much for politics anyway.

Yes, That image is indeed real.

your 100% correct ; space is for ALL MAN not just a nation of them

when man walked on the moon; he said
"Small step for man; large step for mankind"

he did NOT say
"small step for american, large step for ameri-kind"
lol

the space agencys work togeather on almost everything these days

example :: International Space Station

notice its not called the "American" or "Russian" space station

lets stop the argueing about "whos best" because its irrational and immature

The FACT of reality is; we are all humans; and we are ALL Great!
Equally Great!

going into space is about the brotherhood of mankind; and dividing ourselves will only lead to our Downfall

indeed, the fact is that for important missions we will have to work together. Sending humans to Mars will require an international cooperation for example.

concerning Mars Express, the Americans only contributed to the mission by providing an instrument.

Of course there is somme cooperation but it's limited, it could be greater.


When the US landed on the moon, it planted an american flag

That image is a real photograph and not a rendering. It is the middle of Nicholson Crater.



Story on Space.com regarding the photo.

What I find amazing is the highres versions of the photos of this crater. Wow factor of 9.

6-3D2-01-NicholsonCrater_H_big.jpg - 15MB
6-co-01-NicholsonCrater_H_big.jpg - 26MB

You really want to click these and view (amazing). I'd be tickled pink if they'd go take some highres photos of the "face" so we can all laugh at the Mars face people.



[edit on 24-7-2005 by CatHerder]

Originally posted by menguard
This Esa sure has given some nice pictures.Is Esa another american space crew?Looking forward to seeing more on pictures.

Not sure if you're kidding or not, but just incase you aren't kidding:


Space faring agencies with their own launch vehicles:

ESA - European Space Agency
NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration
CNSA - China National Space Administration
RKA/RSA - Russian Space Agency (used to be www.rka.ru but now it's www.rosaviakosmos.ru which has been broken for a few weeks), you can also visit the RSSI (Russian Space Science Internet Server) website. Another non-state russian space agency website with the best historical information is the Russian Space Web.
NASDA - National Space Development Agency of Japan

Other space faring agencies:

CSA - Canadian Space Agency
BNSE - British National Space Centre
ISRO - Indian Space Research Organization
INPE - Instituto Nacional De Pesquisas Espaciais (Brazillian National Institute for Space Research)

Online list (with links) of all current space agencies: Space Agencies

Some downright awesome online image resources for space imagry:

HubbleSite Hubble Telescope deep space images
Spitzer Spitzer Space Telescope images
Space.com Image Gallery Space.com's image collection
CHFT Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope
NSSDC Photo Gallery National Space Science Data Center photo gallery
Clementine Browser Moasiac photos from over 1.8 million images of the moon.
Clementine Collection Photos from Clementine mission - a sampler
Space Image Libraries presented by NASA's Aerospace Education Services Program at Oklahoma State University
Space Imaging Satellite imagry of Earth (can you see your house?)
Earth from Space Photos by Astronauts of Earth


This list might be repeated in some form or another on this forum, but I figured why not share some links while letting you know ESA is not NASA.

``
Chalk up another one for ESA

"Water Ice In A Martain Crater" - 28 July 2005
www.universetoday.com...
(3rd story down)...wait 6 seconds for page to load !





"This image, taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC)
on board the ESA's Mars Express spacecraft,

shows a patch of water ice sitting on the floor of a unnamed crater
near the Martain north pole."

Damn, was just about to post this! Has to be one of the most beautiful images of the planet I've seen, such clarity and purity. I can picture myself there right now, timeless.
Slightly larger version:


Try to check out this high-res version here, simply spectacular.

1) Has a better budget-handling than NASA which very often wastes money

I somewhat agree with that. But you have to remember that NASA also spends part of it's budget of aircraft research. Like wing morphing, reducing the sonic boom which is extremely important for any future SST to be successful and not a failure like Concorde, etc.

I don't know about NASA's budget handling but there might damn lot of highly payed political "sheltered works" there...

As example what I posted in that other thread:
Last number of astronomical association's member magazine had one article about two Finns working for NASA, other is working in SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) which is combined joint project of NASA and German Aerospace Center and building of it has been "privatized" to USRA (Universities Space Research Association) with operating of it for at least first ten years so guess what that means?
NASA has more bureaucrats, consults and supervisors in keeping eye of project than USRA has scientists and engineers in it!

Well, nice pic, but can you prove that it isn't fake, and tell me, was it NASA or ESA who reached the moon first, oh yes, ESA ahven't done it yet...

Nice thread BTW...