What is PEP?
PEP stands for Planetary Exploration Program. With it, you can explore other worlds using some of the very best data available.
Will it run on my machine?
Probably. If your machine can run Java programs it can run GeoVirgil. Java (and GeoVirgil) runs on UNIX, Linux, WindowsTM (anything after Windows 95) and Mac OS X (but not Mac OS 9). The map part has been run on machines with as little as 64MB of memory and 133MHz CPU, but that really limits how much data you can use. The recommended PC configuration is at least 512MB of RAM.
How much does it cost?
List price is US$30.
What data does PEP automatically download?
THEMIS images stored on data servers at Arizona State University. PEP will download both visual and IR images.
What NASA data is available?
NASA has pretty much total global coverage for Venus, Mars and Earth's Moon. Some data is also available for larger moons of Jupiter. The data resolution is typically around 100 meters per pixel. That means something on the surface of a planet that is 100 meters on a side will show up as a single pixel. Smaller features don't show up at all.
You can purchase NASA CDs from the National Space Science Data Center at http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cd-rom/. They are US$10 each and you can copy them. You can also download the data over the web at from several sites including JPL at http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/pds-cn-homepage.html.
There are hundreds of planetary CDs from NASA. They really have a lot of data. Soon I hope to have a version of PEP for Venus and the Moon.
What NASA data have you used with PEP?
Here is a table with the details.
Can you recommend any books on planetary exploration?
Sure, I'm a big fan of books. Here's my separate books page.
What can I learn about with PEP?
You can do quick studies in comparitive planetology. You can investigate any part of the surface of Venus, Mars and the Moon. You can learn to recognize geological features and better understand geological processes. You can learn how to create geological maps. You can pretend they are on a starship and are exploring a new world. You can also study image processing and better understand remote sensing. You can look at very pretty pictures. With PEP, everyone has access to all the data that was previously only available to scientists. Now everyone can explore planets.
How do I install and use PEP?
To install PEP, just insert the PEP DVD. The installation process should begin automatically.
Why do you do this?
Like many people, I want to explore the universe. I used to live a life a quiet desperation waiting for someone to invent warp drive. Eventually, I realized all the data I wanted was already available so I didn't need warp drive after all. The only part missing was some software to make the data accessible. Fortunately, I can write software. So, I'm writting the software you might expect to find on a great spaceship of exploration except instead of using a "primary sensor array" it data from NASA archives.
What did AstroVirgil go?
AstroVirgil is a program I created to analyze data from the Chandra X-ray telescope. Although I haven't done anything with it in a year, you can find it here.
How do I get help?
You can contact the author of GeoVirgil, Steve McDonald, via email at Steve@SiliconSpaceships.com. All of your questions and suggestions are most welcome!