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Because it's a scientific instrument and there's surprisingly little science value in capturing the other visible-light wavelengths.
by Fronzie 5y ago
Because it's a scientific instrument and there's surprisingly little science value in capturing the other visible-light wavelengths.
- skywal_l 5y agoIndeed but there is a great marketing value though. And these missions rely on being marketed to the public for continued funding.
- SiempreViernes 5y agoESA funding isn't really politicised that way since it's a international organisation and no single politician can get their names on things.
- adolph 5y agoAll Member States contribute to these programmes on a scale based on their Gross National Product (GNP). The other programmes, known as ‘optional’, are only of interest to some Member States, who are free to decide on their level of involvement. https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Corporate_news/Funding https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Corporate_news/Funding
- dotancohen 5y agoGood thing that Giuseppe Colombo wasn't a politician!
- bregma 5y agoThey could probably get more funding if they reduced the amount of science the probes do so they could insert sell and insert advertizing into the data stream.
- guntars 5y agoYet there's a fantastic PR and public value. The resolution is also only 1024x1024.
- pengaru 5y agoI'm more forgiving on the resolution front, my assumption is space isn't the greatest place for a very high density sensor. Historically it's been discouraged to bring digital cameras on planes without shielding since the sensors get damaged cells. But why they're not just sticking an array of sensors everywhere they've got the b&w sensor, with fixed color filters in front of them, escapes me. Even smartphones are starting to look like insect eyes with the number of lenses in front of dedicated sensors. You'd also get the advantage of some redundancy.
- wumpus 5y agoHow much money do you want them to spend to do it your way, instead of doing what's needed to maximize science?
- guntars 5y agoYou don't think this is worth the money, assuming no scientific value? https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/system/resources/detail_files/933_BIG_P_COLOR_2_TRUE_COLOR1_1980.jpg https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/system/resources/detail_files/9... Source: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute/Alex Parker Published: July 23, 2018 This is the most accurate natural color images of Pluto taken by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft in 2015. These natural-color images result from refined calibration of data gathered by New Horizons' color Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC). The processing creates images that would approximate the colors that the human eye would perceive, bringing them closer to “true color” than the images released near the encounter. This image was taken as New Horizons zipped toward Pluto and its moons on July 14, 2015, from a range of 22,025 miles (35,445) kilometers. This single color MVIC scan includes no data from other New Horizons imagers or instruments added. The striking features on Pluto are clearly visible, including the bright expanse of Pluto's icy, nitrogen-and-methane rich "heart," Sputnik Planitia. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/933/true-colors-of-pluto/ https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/933/true-colors-of-pl...
- bregma 5y agoI guess the problem would turn into one of getting a good WiFi signal 90 million miles from the nearest AP.