Off Topic — HabitableZone

Off Topic » in reply to Thousands of eyeballs

precedent
Robert — (archived)

When I write up the proposal, I'll want you to write up the section on all the precedents for amateur observation. Quite right.

I'd say that the anomalists are fully aware of all the resources, including raw data, available online. It's one of the ironies I was describing that in fact the most active anomalists can be objectively considered experts on the subject of where to locate that stuff, and (except for the regrettable tendency to let wishes guide the process) even how to process the images. I focused on image processing with several of them, and one went on to work as a volunteer with NASA/Ames to process MGS images to pick landing sites for the MER rovers (and he used my public domain software in part of the process). Another made a name for himself mastering the difficulties of getting color from the Odyssey THEMIS images and writing software that made the images accessible to civilians.

Sure, for every handful that a skeptic might call "salvageable", there are hundreds of die-hard True Believers. So? It's a big world, and you only need a small percentage of the enthusiasts to get real observation work done. Let me pick a hundred anomalists from the cast of thousands, and I'll give you a cadre of amateurs who make a genuine contribution.

What's the biggest obstacle to making something like that happen? Let's go read Arrell's post and find out. Sigh...time to don the rubber boots...or, depending on his mood today, a hazmat suit.

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