In article ,
* wrote:
Okay Mr. Arrogant Scientist, why did the scientific community allow this:

NASA never allowed independent scientific peer review of Malin's Mars MOC
photographs and instead allowed Malin to keep and own US government property
which is against the law.

That is a false statement.

No at all, and you're hedging and not being honest. I doubt you're a
scientist at all. Science is supposed to be about honesty.


You obviously would prefer to be ignorant and confrontational
rather than actually understand, but we'll give you a few
more tries at clue.


All the MOC images older than the proprietary period are in
the National Space Science Data Center set, which can be
accessed by the public or independent researchers.

Please explain 'proprietary period' and who owns the photographs during that
period.


The US government (or, everyone) owns the images and data, both raw
and processed, throughout.

Proprietary periods in space mission data exist to give the scientists
who build the instruments some time to write up their papers and
get credit for the work they have done building and operating the
instruments. Not every instrument has a proprietary period for its
data, but it's the normal scheme of things. This is true of things
like laser altimiters and atmospheric pressure reading as well
as images.

The proprietary period also allows the scientists to remove
instrument noise and to calibrate the data properly.

You can get the raw uncalibrated uncorrected data.
In fact, that's what's in the NSSDC for MOC:
"Processing of the images included packed decommutation,
removal of the MOC communications protocol headers,
reformatting, and addition of PDS label information.
No additional geometric or radiometric processing was done."
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/database/...?ds=PSPG-00372


http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/database/...1996-062A&ds=*

They are also on Malin's website:

http://www.msss.com/moc_gallery

Why aren't any independent scientists allowed to peer review NASA's raw
data?


See above. The raw data is available for at least most of the
data sets in the NSSDC archive. Or, raw minus the communications
headers, they don't usually provide the raw input tapes off the
communications dishes.


Why aren't any independent scientists not employed by NASA, Lockheed
or under contract by the same allowed to view the raw Mars MOC data as it is
being transmitted?


Anyone in the *world* is allowed to view the raw science imagery.
All you need is a 30 to 70 meter radio antenna dish and the appropriate
data extraction tools. It's not encrypted.

If you don't trust NASA, or its employees, do it yourself.
It has been done before. No conspiracies have shown up
as a result.

If you still don't trust it, build your own spacecraft
and fly it.


-george william herbert