To look at the universe from Mars - can't see the point. But to survey Mars surface ? why not ? after all they are first and foremost spy satellites... machines build to takes high resolution pictures of a planet surface. With the Mars atmosphere much thinner than Earth, resolution can only be better. Reminds me of that Lunar Mapping and Survey System - a KH-7 *hijacked* by NASA to map Apollo landing sites.
Just one small detail. How are you going to transmit the data dump from an ex-NRO telescopes surveying Mars? Anyone got a guess to much bandwidth is needed per image frame taken with the telescope? Same question about data transmit bottleneck also applied for astronomy usage.
To look at the universe from Mars - can't see the point.
Longer baseline for measuring parallax has been suggested. Possibly less influence from the zodiacal light. Sun subtends a smaller part of the sky. If you go to radio astronomy, long baseline interferometry.
You can do long baseline work just as well in solar orbit. No need to go near Mars. Instead of using extra delta V to insert the telescope into Mars orbit, you could use the extra impulse to increase the aphelion of the solar orbit and enlarge your baseline.
Personally I think a Hubble type mission based at Earth-Sun L2 is a better option.
You would get slightly better parallax measurements for star distances from Mars.
Quote from: Dalhousie on 02/11/2013 09:19 pmLonger baseline for measuring parallax has been suggested. Possibly less influence from the zodiacal light. Sun subtends a smaller part of the sky. If you go to radio astronomy, long baseline interferometry. You can do long baseline work just as well in solar orbit. No need to go near Mars. Instead of using extra delta V to insert the telescope into Mars orbit, you could use the extra impulse to increase the aphelion of the solar orbit and enlarge your baseline.Personally I think a Hubble type mission based at Earth-Sun L2 is a better option.
In this week's issue of the New Scientist it mentioned that one of the proposals put forward for the use of one of the two NRO telescopes gifted to NASA would be for it to put into orbit around Mars, either to survey Mars's surface or to look out at the universe from there.How good an idea is this and how feasible would it be to launch such a no doubt large telescope out to Martian orbit?
Will it be out of the realm of possibility to have one of these telescopes attached to some kind of propulsion (like a VASIMR or solar sails). It can then slow travel from one location to another and get some really detailed surface images of planets, moons, and asteroids?
Quote from: happyflower on 02/21/2013 05:20 pmWill it be out of the realm of possibility to have one of these telescopes attached to some kind of propulsion (like a VASIMR or solar sails). It can then slow travel from one location to another and get some really detailed surface images of planets, moons, and asteroids?Why would you need sub-meter resolution of planets? That makes no sense! Telescopes don't need to be moved close, microscopes do.