Mike Caplinger Mike Caplinger(Mike Caplinger with Mars Observer, August 1992. The white dish on the right is the spacecraft's high-gain antenna; the MOC is the cylinder in the upper left corner.)
I'm a senior scientist at Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS), prime contractor for the Mars Observer Camera (MOC). My main role on the MOC project, which I've been working on since 1988, has been to design and build the Ground Data System, the software and hardware we use on Earth to operate the camera remotely. I also worked on the MOC Flight Software, the program that runs the camera's onboard computer.
Since the loss of Mars Observer in August 1993, we've been working on preparing a second MOC for flight on the Mars Global Surveyor mission, scheduled for launch in November 1996. We've also been involved in a number of proposals to build and fly cameras on new NASA missions to the Moon, Mars, asteroids, and comets, and we've been exploring new ways to use spacecraft data for education.
More information about our activities at MSSS can be found on our
Internet World-Wide Web server.
Malin Space Science Systems