It may be banal but this is what #Perseverance went to Mars to do.
Borehole of sample 15, "Uganik Island".
Processed, cropped, sharpened MCZ_RIGHT
RMC: 30.1172, Sol: 628
LMST: 13:32:34
UTC: 2022-11-26T00:40:03
Credit: #NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
@65dBnoise This comment makes us Pixl engineers sad! 😭
@magicaltrout
I regret that. I meant to say 'may seem banal' (now edited in the text) and push another of those wonderful images out there.
My intention is to convey an understanding that the tedious, often repetitive task of meticulously collecting data is what makes science possible, and that it is substance and not spectacle that's important.
But to get there, one may need to take an easier route to get others to come along, often times using spectacle. Seems like I've failed? 🥴
@65dBnoise I was only joking around, don't worry about it, I know what you mean. 😀
You are entirely correct often its the journey as a whole and not a single event that defines a mission like this one. Driving around drilling random holes for no immediate tangable gain may look reasonably monotonous but to then fly around, collect them and return them to earth will be something special!
@magicaltrout
Joking, hinting or criticizing is not only welcome but necessary to keep some balance 🙂
Tried to find ways to present PIXL images before, with questionable results (img). PIXL is a unique instrument, though not an easy one to engage with on a frequent basis. But its findings published in papers and presentations are eagerly awaited 🤓
Meanwhile, trying to ground sensation with maps and other technical info may be a middle way to create interest.
@65dBnoise Indeed the papers are arriving with 2 on science.org but the data capture for pixl is sporadic due mostly to its power requirements.
Of course with Pixl the instrument is so close to the surface there's often little context. To help our science team on some captures we blend in the Pixl scan data with Watson images to help with that.
Keep up the great outreach work @65dBnoise !
@magicaltrout
Thanks for the tip about the papers 👍 !
@magicaltrout
It cannot be overstated: you all, and NASA's amazing #opensource / #opendata policies are the ones who created and keep this interest going.
Thank you! 😃