[Shinmon]

I have worked on algorithms and system analysis in very similar projects and it's highly doubtful that these results are worth anything.

The radar sounder design and the numerical studies are flawed due to the used simulation methods. Numerical simulations are computationally expensive (in time and in space). Therefore many approximations are made (e.g. no real antenna pattern, no influence of the rover, thin slices of ground that is being simulated and than put together, ...)

Reading such radargrams is like reading tea leaves. I am pretty sure that most of the echos in the radargram are surface clutter from bigger rocks or hilly areas in the distance. In one of our simulation works for a very similar project we have actually shown that this has a heavy influence on the radargram and is never considered in any of the works analyzing the results from Mars (or any other space object).

These projects are extremely political even though they shouldn't be. Groups that have had instruments on previous missions will be part of the next mission, too, because they have flown instruments already. So, any study or inclination that the instrument as it is does not work is buried quickly and often unknown to many of the people in the science teams, too.

I know, it's quite cynic but it's my experience and I know that I am not the only one feeling that way. So, while the rover and the measurements themselves are impressive, the analysis is wonky at best.

[sgt101]

This surprises me, I have seen ground penetrating radar results that have shown buried items which have then been dug up, why is this result different?

[throwup238]

They’ve been calibrated on Earth for use on Earth.

[okokwhatever]

Interesting. Do you think private exploration solves this problems?

[Shinmon]

Not sure to be honest.

I think the main problem of the current setup is that the science teams are not balanced enough.

The radar sounding science team is mostly geophysicists because the interpretations are geophysical in nature, but there are not enough people who are experts in radar sounding, radar system and radio frequency wave propagation in general. The reason for that is, that this is not considered science and is looked down upon as mere "engineering".

Privatized exploration would initially solve some of these problems for sure, but once a group of people and its structure has manifested I believe they would eventually suffer from the same problem.

Anyway, this is a pretty complex topic which covers many aspects such as research funding, incentives in academia, vain egos, etc.

[stetrain]

The public sector doesn't have a monopoly on internal politics. Posturing between departments to be included in the next big initiative happens in lots of companies.