Thread by @People_Of_Space

So earlier today I talked about what VMC @esamarswebcam is and how it came to be 📷. Now I’d like to talk about my job at @esa, and the work I do for #VMC. This is an image of me, one of my supervisors, and @jorgeherber at ESAC, as we attempt to spell out 'VMC'! 😂🔴

As I mentioned yesterday, I work as a Young Graduate Trainee at @esa for @esamarswebcam. My role involves planning science observations for this instrument 🔎, processing the data 🖥️, and archiving it 📚. So I get to be involved in the whole chain for VMC data, which is great!

For planning science observations, we use a software called MAPPS (Mission Analysis and Payload Planning System). On the left is a planned image in MAPPS 3D, & on the right is the image taken in January this year, showing a cloud over Olympus Mons volcano ☁️🌋

VMC usually observes from near apocentre (the part of MEX's orbit which is furthest away from Mars), as shown in e.g 1, but sometimes also observes closer to pericentre (the part closest, 2). Limb observations (3) are also squeezed in around observations by other instruments! 🛰️

I was really lucky that soon after I arrived at ESA, my supervisor was happy to give me considerable responsibility for VMC, & so I get to plan the observations! (usually done ~2 months in advance). Closer to execution, my colleague @jorgeherber optimizes the exposure times 📸

So what about after the observations are taken? A major part of my time at ESA so far has been establishing a data processing pipeline for VMC and working on calibration for the instrument, with the invaluable help of @jorgeherber & @marwood82, + the rest of my VMC colleagues! 🖥️

The goal is to put VMC on the Planetary Science Archive (PSA - archives.esac.esa.int/psa/) which is where all @esa's planetary science missions archive their data. We recently got back the 'science archiving review', which is necessary bc VMC is a 'new' instrument for the PSA 📷

We're now implementing the last few changes, and expect to have VMC on the PSA in the ~next couple of months (which I'm super excited for!!). In the meantime, you can find VMC images uploaded directly to Flickr (sometimes only a day after being taken!) 🔴 flickr.com/photos/esa_mar…

Finally, when we have this data processed, what are we doing with it? Well, the latest study from the VMC team led by @jorgeherber and recently submitted for publication, is about an extremely elongated cloud over Arsia Mons volcano on Mars! ☁️ I'm very excited about this 😀

If you want to know more about VMC, the presentation I recently gave at #shareEGU on behalf of the VMC team is uploaded publicly on ResearchGate here: researchgate.net/publication/34…

Later this week I hope to show you some of my favourite images taken with #VMC #MarsExpress @esamarswebcam 📷. So, tldr; I get to be involved with VMC observation planning, data processing + archiving, plus science studies, and we hope to have VMC data on the PSA by summer! 😀🔴