Without caption someone may think that pictures were taken on some Earth desert. It is surprising that mountains look quite "normal".
To me seeing Mars looking like somewhere on Earth just changes everything.
First full-resolution images of the Martian surface
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Re: First full-resolution images of the Martian surface
#42Links to raw images that I posted as a comment on another article: Navcam Left A: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/proj/msl/redops/ods/... Navcam Left A: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/proj/msl/redops/ods/... Navcam Left A: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/proj/msl/redops/ods/... Navcam Right A: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/proj/msl/redops/ods/... Navcam Right A: http://mars.jpl.nasa…
Nice! You can actually use those to make pairs of stereoscopic images. You can even see features not otherwise visible from the raw pictures. It's a shame the left and right camera distances are not the same as a human eye ; it makes the 3D effect a little too strong. I guess it gives their nav software a better depth resolution that way.
Re: First full-resolution images of the Martian surface
#43There's a good stitched together panoramic view of all those images at Gizmodo - http://gizmodo.com/5932952/curiosity-opens-her-eyes-for-the-...
Re: First full-resolution images of the Martian surface
#44Earlier quoted context omitted.
If I had to guess - and I do, because I don't work for NASA - it's because there's a limited payload space on board, and visible images are some of the least interesting things, science-wise, that you can ask from Mars. Combine this with the electronics-unfriendly environment, and you probably aren't going to be strapping huge DLSR's on a 2.5 billion dollar science machine. Edit: Also, these appear to be the navigati…
I doubt that is the reason, the weight of a 16mp sensor or marginally more than a 2mp one. The metal camera supports are much likely to dwarf the sensor weight differences. most of a DSLR's weight is lens and battery(s), both of which are not issues in this case, since the lens would be the same and the power comes from a nuclear battery. NASA couldn't just bolt on a 5DmkIII and expect it to work because the electron…
You also have to factor in that the camera needs to withstand take-off, deep space flight for months (hello radiation!), 11g's on re-entry, heat of re-entry and landing. Along with lasting for at least 2 years on Mars with no spare parts in sub-zero temperatures.
There's a reason why they don't send the latest and greatest camera or computer technology into space.
Re: First full-resolution images of the Martian surface
#45Earlier quoted context omitted.
It has only a 2 megapixel sensor, which is a shame. I am sure that it has something to do with radiation hardening and the other environmental factors. It would be good though if NASA did catch up with sensor technology. I suspect the 2MP sensor was approved years ago when it was state of the art.
Yup, this mission has been in the works for ~10 years so I would imagine that they chose the specific sensor at least 6-7 years ago. Also NASA is notoriously risk averse (for good reason). Apparently it is very common for them to rely on old but proven technology. Some of this has to do with risk aversion, but I imagine some of it also has to do with budget. It pains me to think what NASA could be doing with 10x more…
>It pains me to think what NASA could be doing with 10x more money.
Me too, but pretty much it all ends going to Lockheed anyway whether it comes via the DoD or Nasa. I don't mean that conspiratorially either, even JPL people joke that JPL stands for "Just Procure Lockheed". The subcontractors rarely get mentioned in Nasa PR, but Nasa is really a whole bunch of different project offices spread over a few campuses with an enormous ecosystem of subcontractors.
I expect a vertical, strongly-led skunkworks style structure with guaranteed funding for several continuous years (vs "start working on this now but we can't promise we won't change our minds in 12 months" which causes a lot of subcontractors to not properly commit to new hires or other big capital commitments, and having to spread all the work evenly among different states) would probably yield 10x as much for exactly the same money.
Regardless of all that organizational arm-chairing (though I work in this space, hoho), Curiosity is bloody fantastic and I am very excited to follow its progress over the next year at least.
Camera chat: fewer bigger pixels = less ccd noise - remember Mars further away from the Sun than Earth, and so it's generally darker. Take an Iphone 1 photo of things at twilight to appreciate some of the difference!
Re: First full-resolution images of the Martian surface
#46I absolutely love this stuff. The photos to me are strangely eerie, and even perhaps a little sinister. I have trouble comprehending the size of other planets, photos like these make me feel uneasy (in an exciting way) because they are strikingly similar to landscapes we might find here on earth - yet it's a completely different planet! I'm no longer looking at mars as a red circle as shown in textbooks, but now as v…
That image of Venus is wonderful, thanks! I hadn't seen it before. I, too, think this is fascinating stuff. Another cool image comes from Titan, one of Saturn's moons, which we managed to land a probe on.[1]
[1] http://www.esa.int/esaMI/Cassini-Huygens/SEMC8Q71Y3E_0.html
Re: First full-resolution images of the Martian surface
#47This was taken by the camera whose sole purpose is to assist with navigation. That is why its B&W, low quality, and stitched. The main camera system will produce full color images that I assume will be much higher quality.
Are there any examples of a picture taken on Earth with the main camera?
I haven't found any full resolution examples, but there's a resized sample here: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/instruments/cameras/mas...
Re: First full-resolution images of the Martian surface
#48I thought it was interesting to learn about the different ways we get data back from mars. Excerpt from [1]:
The data rate direct-to-Earth varies from about 500 bits per second to 32,000 bits per second (roughly half as fast as a standard home modem). The data rate to the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is selected automatically and continuously during communications and can be as high as 2 million bits per second. The data rate to the Odyssey orbiter is a selectable 128,000 or 256,000 bits per second (4-8 times faster than a home modem).
[1] http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/communicationwithearth/...
Re: First full-resolution images of the Martian surface
#49Really brings home the fact that we have reached beyond the place where life sprung up, and are probably getting ready to move beyond the earth.
Re: First full-resolution images of the Martian surface
#50The highlight of my day is to watch the NASA daily press briefings each day this week.
(1pm EST or 10am PST on all NASA channels)