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Mars 360-degree panoramic view from Curiosity

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Re: Mars 360-degree panoramic view from Curiosity

#61

Post by arrrg »

ricardobeat wrote: post #55
EternalFury wrote: post #5

Can someone explain how/why a $2.6 billion piece of equipment appears to have cameras that can't match a $100 digital camera? I know it takes a long time for data to travel from there to here, but I am sure a lot of people wouldn't mind waiting for 1080p, full-color video footage of the red planet. Instead, we get these 1-megapixel, black-and-white shots that need to be stitched together to create a half decent panor…

Repost from another thread: These are still from the navigation cameras. The main camera, not yet deployed, can take 1600x1200 full-color pictures and HD video at 10fps. There's actually two of it, so it can also make 3D images/video. Other features are wide/telephoto lens, panorama stitching and 8GB flash storage. Before complaining about resolution, this is like having a GoPro 3D on Mars, it has plenty of detail. O…

3D images are not possible since the two cameras have two different (fixed) focal lengths (for wide and tele shots). There were plans to add zoom lenses (which would make 3D images possible) but they couldn’t make it happen (mostly because of technical issues, it seems).

(Hm, well actually, technically 3D images are possible, just not because there are two cameras. Since rocks tend to not move, Curiosity could just snap one image, drive a bit and snap a second picture.)

Re: Mars 360-degree panoramic view from Curiosity

#62

Post by yason »

There it is then, going around and taking pictures. A bit lonely out there though, I must say.

Space programs are always, by nature, unbelievable stunts. There are so many things that can go wrong and then they don't, and you end up landing a tonne of sensitive equipment safely on another planet and there it is then, sending vacation pictures to Earth.

If they can do that, what could we do or what could I do that I don't?

Re: Mars 360-degree panoramic view from Curiosity

#64

Post by raverbashing »

EternalFury wrote: post #19
opminion wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When the $100 camera fails in Mars you can't just replace it with another one. You can't take it to the repair shop either. You can't try to "shake it a bit". Hell, you can't even bang it on your knee: http://www.pechorin.com/m/2006/06/13/SONY_Cybershot_E6100_ER...

You know, I didn't claim to understand the reasons behind the technical limitations, but the reactions of some of you are puzzling to me. We can go on and on about familiarity considerations, and planning considerations, and instrumentation considerations, and scientific concerns, etc. It all sounds like excuses after a bit. Let's reformulate the question: Why not keep the same enclosure, the same lens assembly, the…

Let's reformulate the question: Why not keep the same enclosure, the same lens assembly, the same mechanical parts and simply swap the 2MP sensor for a 20MP sensor?

sigh

I expected more from the people of HN than be stuck in some stupid megapixels race like they're comparing cameras at Best Buy

There, I said it

The first Canon Digital EOS Cameras had a 3Mp sensor. I can bet they wipe the floor with most of today's compact cameras

In a camera, the sensor is much less important than optics. In a 20Mb sensor, the noise in a high radiation environment would probably be much worse as well

Re: Mars 360-degree panoramic view from Curiosity

#66

Post by miahi »

10098 wrote: post #40

Why is it all black-and-white? Is it because color cameras are too heavy/expensive to take or because color photography is for some reason impossible under those conditions?

All camera sensors are actually black and white. To obtain color information, the sensors have a color filter. This filter is optional/interchangeable in this camera. To obtain a color photo, you take three shots with three different filters (R,G,B). This way you can also get UV, IR pictures - and more.

Re: Mars 360-degree panoramic view from Curiosity

#67

Post by mkramlich »

kyberias wrote: post #22
EternalFury wrote: post #5

Can someone explain how/why a $2.6 billion piece of equipment appears to have cameras that can't match a $100 digital camera? I know it takes a long time for data to travel from there to here, but I am sure a lot of people wouldn't mind waiting for 1080p, full-color video footage of the red planet. Instead, we get these 1-megapixel, black-and-white shots that need to be stitched together to create a half decent panor…

I believe the reason NASA sent the probe was not to take "1080p, full-color video footage", but rather prove something scientifically about life on Mars with other more suitable instruments. They couldn't care less about video footage. A shame really, but that is the main reason.

If they expect taxpayers to foot a $2.6B bill they need to give serious consideration to things which cause excitement and emotional resonance in same taxpayers. Having state-of-the-art resolution cameras (and audio microphone, in my opinion) in order to capture and transmit back a "you are there" experience should be a priority. If it were totally a privately-funded operation, then they can do whatever they want. I understand the desire to have rock-solid confidence in the overal system and it's components, thus testing-fest, thus analysis-fest, thus ultra-conservative instincts. But I'm sure there are ways to, say, isolate a "higher risk" component like a modern camera/microphone, and design for redundancy. And if you're going to spend $2.6B you might as well cough up an additional $100M, for example, if that's all it would take to put better, human emo-optimized sensors on there. Precisely because it takes so long and is so expensive anyway. So once it lands there and deploys, you can yield maximum ROI, including emotional/psychological ROI.

Anyway, if a NASA operation never gets around to doing such a thing, I bet if SpaceX puts a craft on Mars they'll have the philosophy where they could justify doing it.

And this is only a minor criticism on my part. I have massive appreciation for the NASA engineers and team, and what they just accomplished with the MSL landing. I think this issue is just one little blind spot it's easier for somebody outside their org to see and point out. They clearly nailed all the hardest bits of the mission, and "stuck" their EDL phase, even though it was so seemingly complex. Between SpaceX, the NASA Mars teams, and Planetary Resources, Armadillo Aerospace, etc. I feel these folks are taking us back to the historical trajectory we all thought we were on as kids. They're taking us back into the Space Age again, leaving the static doldrums of the Shuttle/ISS era.

Re: Mars 360-degree panoramic view from Curiosity

#68

Post by ZoFreX »

hereonbusiness wrote: post #56
uvdiv wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The bandwidth to the orbiters is up to 2 Mbps, but because they're in low orbit they're only in sight 8 minutes per day. http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/communicationwithearth/...

I think it may be time to put a dedicated communications satellite around Mars. These rovers do seem to last a long time so it probably would be worth it.

We would need at least three for constant contact, Arthur C. Clarke style.

Re: Mars 360-degree panoramic view from Curiosity

#70

Post by delinka »

raldi wrote: post #42
eta_carinae wrote: post #26

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that this piece of metal traveled 350 million miles through space and then landed on Mars.

Don't forget the part where it rode on top of a giant rocket to escape a unfathomably deep gravity well.

And was eased to a landing by a rocket-powered sky crane. Yeah, it's cool that it rode a rocket, but man has been doing that for some time. But sky cranes? Completely automated? And no crashing?!? Holy crap...
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