Mars Themes

[Janak Parekh]

High-res, color pictures have <a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/mer2004/rover-images/jan-06-2004/images-1-6-04.html">started to flow in</a> from the Mars Rover today, and PPCT member JackTheTripper has made three free themes for the community. Click on each theme's preview image to download it. Thanks Jack! :D<br /><br /><a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/mars-themes/MarsScape.zip"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/mars-themes/parekh-20040106-Mars.jpg" /></a><br /><!><br /><a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/mars-themes/MarsBoulders.zip"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/mars-themes/parekh-20040106-Mars2.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/mars-themes/MarsCraterAndMountain.zip"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/mars-themes/parekh-20040106-Mars3.jpg" /></a>

[Ed Hansberry]

This whole thing is a hoax. We have a construction site nearby that looks exactly like that and just last week I saw a guy in a government car taking pictures. :roll: Everyone knows alien landscapes are either lush beautiful planets or have ion storms constantly bombarding them. Just watch any episode of Star Trek! 0X

[mace]

Yeah, what a hoax.

It is not even red.

:roll:

[sponge]

Smooth rocks? HAH! More like chopped up bodies of people who know the truth about the JFK assassination!

Nice themes, otherwise!

[T-Will]

Here's a picture of the movie stage where they filmed this supposed Mars landing! What a hoax!

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/hansberry/2004/20040106-marshoax.jpg (http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/spotlight/images/steveAlfery01_hi.jpg)
Click for larger image

:wink:

[griph]

Is the black thing on top of the Rover the gun/missile launcher they used to take out Beagle 2?

[Air]

I knew it, this whole martian thing is a hoax. It's really just a guy waving his PPC wallpaper in front of a camera. ANd I bet the picture is taken from that road construction site last month.

0X

[Thinkingmandavid]

Don't you all remember the movie Alien Invasion? The Martians are gone because of a different kind of aliens killed the Martians accidentally.
So that is why a bunch or rock :mrgreen:

[lapchinj]

Do you all mean to say that there is also no man in the moon? Say it ain't true. :mecry:

Hey! Look, over there, up in the sky... It can't be a hoax. If you look real hard and long in the upper right corner there's a rock with an eye sticking out. You can see that it's real because it's blinking. :shocked!:

Jeff - :google: - seek and you shall find - :google:

[Janak Parekh]

Sigh. ;) Do I need to ask the moderators to underail this thread? ;)

Has anyone looked at the high-res shots? It's amazing what one can do given the resources. One of my coworkers told me the bandwidth between the satellite that the rover beams to and the earth is only about 10kbps. 8O

--janak

[foldedspace]

How Fast and How Much Data the Rovers Can Send Back

The data rate direct-to-Earth varies from about 12,000 bits per second to 3,500 bits per second (roughly a third as fast as a standard home modem). The data rate to the orbiters is a constant 128,000 bits per second (4 times faster than a home modem). An orbiter passes over the rover and is in the vicinity of the sky to communicate with the rovers for about eight minutes at a time, per sol. In that time, about 60 megabits of data (about 1/100 of a CD) can be transmitted to an orbiter. That same 60 megabits would take between 1.5 and 5 hours to transmit direct to Earth. The rovers can only transmit direct-to-Earth for at most three hours a day due to power and thermal limitations, even though Earth may be in view much longer.

Mars is rotating on its own axis so Mars often "turns its back" to Earth, taking the rover with it. The rover is turned out of the field of view of Earth and goes "dark", just like nighttime on Earth, when the sun goes out of the field of view of Earth at a certain location when the Earth turns its "back" to the sun. The orbiters can see Earth for about 2/3 of each orbit, or about 16 hours a day. They can send much more data direct-to-Earth than the rovers, not only because they can see Earth longer, but because they can operate their radio for much longer since their solar panels get light most of the time, and they have bigger antennas than the rovers.


http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/comm_data.html


- the rover has 128mb of ram, btw.

[ekjl]

Oh and just a little tidbit about the super high-res mars photo(s) everyone is gawking over, that the technology was developed right here in Canada :D

[Janak Parekh]

Thanks FoldedSpace. Talk about the ultimate in wireless... ;)

--janak

[David Prahl]

The uncompressed image files was 6.9 GB (yes, GB), but NASA compressed it down far enough so they could send it over that AOL-ish connection (minus the spam and hang-ups).

Great themes! :clap:

I've downloaded Maestro, the app that NASA is using the control the MERs. JPL is sending out the first data package tomorrow, so we'll be able to see a lot more stuff! Including a cool 3D imaging tool that lets you rotate the entire landing site on the screen (not from the MER's point of view). Neat app!
http://mars.telascience.org/

Anyone know where we can view the highest-res version? Like a RAW or TIFF?
Edit: Found them here:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/mer2004/rover-images/jan-06-2004/images-1-6-04.html

[Air]

Sigh. ;) Do I need to ask the moderators to underail this thread? ;)

Has anyone looked at the high-res shots? It's amazing what one can do given the resources. One of my coworkers told me the bandwidth between the satellite that the rover beams to and the earth is only about 10kbps. 8O

--janak

my 56K modem looks so inadequate now...sigh.

[sasquatchw/ppc]

whats a 56k modem? :wink:

[David Prahl]

I don't even have a modem anymore! :lol:

[Steven Cedrone]

Topic... Let's get back on topic...

Steven Cedrone
Community Moderator

[Thinkingmandavid]

Is the topic what Janak posted or what Ed Hansberry posted?
They are both contributing editors so I am not for certain. :?:

[Steven Cedrone]

Is the topic what Janak posted or what Ed Hansberry posted?
They are both contributing editors so I am not for certain. :?:

It's very simple: if you are unsure about what the topic is, then don't post. Please continue this discussion with me offline via PM...

Steven Cedrone
Community Moderator

[straysheepie]

Getting back on topic then, with a newbie question - how do I get this theme on my iPAQ? :D

[JackTheTripper]

Just download, unzip, install it (Pretty much anywhere) on your iPaq then go to Start > Settings and click on Today, then highlight that theme to be your today theme. Click OK in the right corner a few times and you're done.

[straysheepie]

Thank you! Now I'll be off to find more themes...!

[JackTheTripper]

Thank you! Now I'll be off to find more themes...!

Here ya go!

www.pocketthemes.com

[David Prahl]

And try www.PocketPCthemes.com, too.

D'oh! We're off topic again! Must say something intelligent sounding...

Does anyone understand the whole compression and 10 kbps thing? NASA said they compressed the 6.9 GB file down to about 250 MB, but that would takes days over a 10 KBps connection. What am I missing here?

[lapchinj]

Take a look at the Sun web site (www.sun.com). Sun enormous amount of Java code in the control room that maneuvers the rover and the rover itself so of course they put up a big splash about it on they’re site – videos and pictures that are really beautiful (and … well … geekish). Some really good reading all about the project about the project in general.

… Do I need to ask the moderators to underail this thread? …
Don’t be so sticky. I think that we all are very amazed and proud at this feat of good old American technological genius and adding a little levity here and there is not a reason to call out the executioners. A plain “stay on topic” will do. Anyway I must say thanks for starting the thread since it’s a really great subject to discuss about an intense project.

Jeff - :nonono:

[Janak Parekh]

Don’t be so sticky. I think that we all are very amazed and proud at this feat of good old American technological genius and adding a little levity here and there is not a reason to call out the executioners. A plain “stay on topic” will do.
You will note there was a ;) afterwards, so I guess you quoted me out of context? ;) I was trying to not put a moderator's cap on and ask nicely... and we were getting really derailed on the hoax bit.

--janak

[Ed Hansberry]

... and we were getting really derailed on the hoax bit.
Who would do that?

:oops:

[lapchinj]

... ;) afterwards, so I guess you quoted me out of context? ;) ...
Yeah, I also noticed that we sort of hung a big left turn off the subject but I didn’t catch the wink in time :oops:. I was sort of trying to re-rail the train also with a little sticky humor but I missed the sending a wink back (strike 2). Anyway it wasn’t meant as a flame. (I don’t own a flame thrower.)

But while I’m here, did you get a chance to look at the Sun site (www.sun.com)?

Jeff - :wink:

[Janak Parekh]

But while I’m here, did you get a chance to look at the Sun site (www.sun.com)?
Took a quick look. I assume they're not doing any of the mission-critical stuff with Java, though, unless they're using a special variant -- perhaps some of the data-gathering and user-interface applications? When you install Sun's JDK, it warns you not to use it for such applications because of garbage collection, etc. ;)

--janak

[lapchinj]

... I assume they're not doing any of the mission-critical stuff with Java...

Going through the site I got the impression that it was just for the rover and the imaging. As far as the mission-critical stuff goes I still see that being done in C or C++ in the public sector but I really don’t know what the specs are for NASA. But no matter what language is used it’s still some really cool technology. 8)

Jeff -

[David Prahl]

As far as the mission-critical stuff goes I still see that being done in C or C++

cout&lt;&lt;"I miss C++. We switched to Java this year at school.";

System.out.println("Java has a few quirks that I don't like.)'

[Janak Parekh]

System.out.println("Java has a few quirks that I don't like.)'
Especially if you use the wrong end-quote mark and miss a semicolon. ;)

Believe me, C++ has its quirks too. Once you're comfortable with programming and algorithm design as an abstract concept, you should easily be able to learn C++ on your own -- just get a book. The reason your school switched to Java is because the AP has switched too.

Anyway, back ontopic. ;)

--janak

[Thinkingmandavid]

The original topic appears to be about the pocketpctheme, so I must say it is interesting. I would like for them to get a shot from a little higher so I can see some Mars in the distance. mmm, well just a different shot.
A canyon shot? mmm, HOw about a Mars ppctheme page to choose from around 50 takes?

[JackTheTripper]

Well assuming they get that bugger walkin' around the planet (or movie lot, take your pick) we'll see what they come up with. ;)

[rk325]

I tried installing these themes in my PPC but with no luck.....I dowloaded the .tsk file and click it, but do not see the theme in the list.

[David Prahl]

Make sure it's in the "My Documents'" folder in the RAM.

[rk325]

TX! it worked now....... :lol: