Quote:
Originally Posted by JonClarke
Most space probes, regardless of the flag they are carrying, are multi-national. SHARAD is no more an interloper than the Canadian Lidar is on Phoenix, or SIR-2 and M3 are on Chandrayaan.
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Err, I know. I know that very very very well - indeed, I just spent several days of my own time, freely, doing animations for such an instrument ( C1XS on Chandrayaan 1 ) in an effort to raise awareness for exactly those sorts of colabs, and most specifically, Europe's space science activities.
I am not saying ESA isn't publishing science papers (despite you inferring that I am ). It is. Your extensive rant is misplaced I was responding to this:
" There have been a few images showing sub surface features and thats about it."
and
"Neither NASA or ESA seem to be posting much in the way of the discoveries that these instruments are making into the public domain (i.e. on their websites)."
Go to the ESA website. He's right. And that's wrong. Plenty of science papers - but 4/5ths of exactly zip science outreach. Note that it is an engineering camera that has started a rapid-release policy in the mould of MER/Cassini/NH - the MEX VMC- not a science instrument.
No website better details the difference between USA and ESA than this
http://pds-smallbodies.astro.umd.edu...tta/index.html
One instrument, a US instrument, has delivered
everything. The others, European instruments, have delivered
nothing.
This is the harsh reality -
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science...25d3f44d93a7be
Quote:
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Over 200 school children in eight schools in the east of England were surveyed to determine their interest in space exploration and awareness of current space activities. Of those surveyed, 33% were interested in space to ‘discover a new planet’, and 24% to find life on another planet. When asked to list space exploration organisations 77% listed NASA. Six of those surveyed listed ESA (<0.5%). The data bring starkly to light, despite the Huygens landing on Titan and Mars Express, the lack of awareness of the existence of ESA among a new generation of European school children.
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There IS a difference between ESA and NASA - and it's counterproductive to deny it.