Doug Ellison

Dad, Husband, Mars Rover Crew Chief. Opinions and views expressed are my own. Not a NASA account. Contains strong language. He/Him. https://linktr.ee/doug_ellison

Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/doug_ellison

Last Notes

2024-10-01 05:57:44 UTC

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Unfortunately maintaining things like that take a lot of time and money and there simply isn't enough of either to try and rescue it from the technical state it's in. What's interesting is that my posting here about it has triggered 9x as much engagement as on the forum itself. It's a shame but nothing lasts for ever.

2024-10-01 05:04:09 UTC

Well - it had one hell of a run...nearly 21 years. But UMSF is closing its doors on Jan 1st 2025. http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?showtopic=8823 . I owe my entire life to that place, and that place owes its existence to Steve Squyres, Jim Bell and Alice Wessen. The time of dedicated forums like that is well gone, but for a while back there in the late '00s....it was amazing. I remember making this first R-G-B image I posted in Feb '04 like it was yesterday.
https://cdn.masto.host/deepspacesocial/media_attachments/files/113/230/409/981/546/487/original/9e563537df8aee28.png

2024-08-20 12:23:20 UTC

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I took that one as part of my ECAM shift last Friday :). That image is part of a little three frame mosaic we take every few days to check how dusty the atmosphere is by using line-of-sight to the distant northern rim of Gale Crater. When it’s really dusty we can’t see it at all.
https://cdn.masto.host/deepspacesocial/media_attachments/files/112/994/322/359/056/676/original/3edf1c07e827f147.png
https://cdn.masto.host/deepspacesocial/media_attachments/files/112/994/322/780/519/487/original/a072a3fe92243181.png
https://cdn.masto.host/deepspacesocial/media_attachments/files/112/994/323/034/910/495/original/9c51e765aea29492.png