First full-resolution images of the Martian surface
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Re: First full-resolution images of the Martian surface
#2i hate to be critical of an image sent from millions of miles away but I have an honest question:
Why do images from landers like this always look like there were taken from a iPhone 1's camera?
Re: First full-resolution images of the Martian surface
#3i hate to be critical of an image sent from millions of miles away but I have an honest question: Why do images from landers like this always look like there were taken from a iPhone 1's camera?
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 navigation cameras, so they're probably just good enough to be able to point the rover in a direction free of road hazards and tell it to boldly go where no other machine has yet gotten around to going.
Re: First full-resolution images of the Martian surface
#4i hate to be critical of an image sent from millions of miles away but I have an honest question: Why do images from landers like this always look like there were taken from a iPhone 1's camera?
Patience, better images will come. They need to deploy the camera fully and it will take time to retrieve the data.
Re: First full-resolution images of the Martian surface
#5i hate to be critical of an image sent from millions of miles away but I have an honest question: Why do images from landers like this always look like there were taken from a iPhone 1's camera?
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.
Re: First full-resolution images of the Martian surface
#6i hate to be critical of an image sent from millions of miles away but I have an honest question: Why do images from landers like this always look like there were taken from a iPhone 1's camera?
These images aren't even from the main cameras. These are still navcam images.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curiosity_rover#Rover_instrumen...
Re: First full-resolution images of the Martian surface
#7i hate to be critical of an image sent from millions of miles away but I have an honest question: Why do images from landers like this always look like there were taken from a iPhone 1's camera?
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 electronics would be fried.
That said, the Apollo missions took a not-very-modified Hasselblad camera with them that worked fine, which is why we have much higher resolution pictures of the moon, despite it being decades ago.
Re: First full-resolution images of the Martian surface
#8i hate to be critical of an image sent from millions of miles away but I have an honest question: Why do images from landers like this always look like there were taken from a iPhone 1's camera?
They're using Instagram filters. ;)
Re: First full-resolution images of the Martian surface
#9i hate to be critical of an image sent from millions of miles away but I have an honest question: Why do images from landers like this always look like there were taken from a iPhone 1's camera?
Have you seen it at full res or not ?
http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/674898main_pia16013-full_...
(To me, it does not look like iPhone anymore.)
Re: First full-resolution images of the Martian surface
#10Looks like the image was stitched together from multiple images, judging by the jagged edges at the top and the "fold" to the right of middle in the image. Very neat, nonetheless.