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A huge detailed pic of Rover Opportunity at Endeavour Crater on Mars. 3,090px × 3,809px (nasa.gov)

submitted ago by georedd

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[–]Stabilo86 164 points165 points ago

A little over a hundred years ago we could not fly. Now I am looking at a ground photo of another planet sent by a robot that we put there. I don't know about you, but that boggles the mind and fills me with wonder.

[–]takatori 67 points68 points ago

What boggles the mind even more is that there are people alive today who were born before humans could fly.

When I was a child, there were still some people alive who had seen the Civil War.

[–]pondering_a_monolith 4 points5 points ago

Your comment brought to mind my grandfather. In the '70s my grandfather told me about the first time he saw an airplane, and it was a pretty big deal at the time (the early aughts). A few years ago we were transferring his old super 8 movies to DVD and found something no one in the family knew about: he had filmed the moon landing. That was always important to him: he was damn well aware of how much progress he'd seen in his life and was constantly amazed with NASA and technology.

[–]thaspaam 26 points27 points ago

Congratulations on being the oldest person on reddit.

[–]takatori 11 points12 points ago

That's not true at all. They were all well over 100. The veterans were all dead already.

I'm barely old enough to remember seeing the last moon landing on TV. Plenty of people older than me on here.

[–]DeskFlyer 4 points5 points ago

I think he was joking.

[–]takatori 1 point2 points ago

Mebbe. :-)

[–]big-o-notation 16 points17 points ago

Imagine what we'll do in hundred years more...

[–]DeskFlyer 33 points34 points ago

We'll probably be stuck back here at home waging World War III over our planet's dwindling oil and fresh water resources.

[–]monsieur_bienvenu 54 points55 points ago

Atta boy, way to think on the bright side

[–]DeskFlyer 5 points6 points ago

I'm known as Mr. Optimistic here at the office.

[–]ThinkBEFOREUPost 6 points7 points ago

False. Tim in accounting is known as "Mr. Optimistic". You are referred to as "Mr. Opportunistic", behind your back, of course.

[–]NelsonBig 4 points5 points ago

Yeah, but Tim smells like Curry on a constant basis.

[–]Showbizzah 4 points5 points ago

Tim Curry?

[–]Ambiwlans 0 points1 point ago

That IS positive. Only a few years later we discover warp drive and meet the vulcans!

[–]georedd[S] -5 points-4 points ago

You know what's REALLY dark?

That IS THE bright side :-).

The flip side is the rickety water bucket that is Fukishima # 4 pool storage of unspent plutonium laced nuke fuel cracks and leaks its water from another tremor and 45 times the radiation of Chernobyl floats around the northern hemisphere making us all die puking our guts out.

Told you he was an optimist :-)

[–]Plow_King 5 points6 points ago

r/askscience covered that theory, so you have another reason to be cheery today.

[–]georedd[S] -4 points-3 points ago

I am well aware of Fukishima engineering details and actual raidation risks and the recent proliferation of nuclear apologist's inhabiting askscience and r/energy since Fukishima. Their analysis is NOT correct.

It is and continues to be a huge threat. It is in fact the single most urgent near term threat to the majority population of earth that exists right now - more than epidemics, more than nuclear war, more than globalwarming simply because of it's likelihood of occurring and it's widespread consequences.

Unfortunately reddit has ceased to be a plac ewhere you can get unbiased answers on matters of importance which you can weigh by the upvotes.

The PR teams have swamped reddit and it puts out as much if not more disinformation now as the main stream media.

[–]LouKosovo 2 points3 points ago

So, you're more qualified than the guy with a degree with nuclear engineering? Can you tell me where his explanation was wrong?

[–]georedd[S] 5 points6 points ago

"So, you're more qualified than the guy with a degree with nuclear engineering? " To give an honest and truthful assessment? ABsofuckinlutely.

I have a degree in mechanical engineering, years of structural design and computer simulations and as importantly years in business and politics and experience with the precarious shaping of reports that desperation breeds in failing businesses, and - guess what - I am also more HONEST and have no AGENDA that shapes my conclusions.

Hell I would be the first to love nukes if only they weren't so much worse than the alternatives we have now. (I did love nukes in the 80's)

but don't believe me

look at the only detailed non industry funded source for worldwide nuclear industry review

enenews.com

plenty of nuclear engineers and workers there.

read away dude.

start with the japanese ambassador's statement as a laymen's guide:

"Japan’s former Ambassador to Switzerland, Mr. Mitsuhei Murata, was invited to speak at the Public Hearing of the Budgetary Committee of the House of Councilors on March 22, 2012, on the Fukushima nuclear power plants accident. Before the Committee, Ambassador Murata strongly stated that if the crippled building of reactor unit 4—with 1,535 fuel rods in the spent fuel pool 100 feet (30 meters) above the ground—collapses, not only will it cause a shutdown of all six reactors but will also affect the common spent fuel pool containing 6,375 fuel rods, located some 50 meters from reactor 4. In both cases the radioactive rods are not protected by a containment vessel; dangerously, they are open to the air. This would certainly cause a global catastrophe like we have never before experienced. He stressed that the responsibility of Japan to the rest of the world is immeasurable. Such a catastrophe would affect us all for centuries. Ambassador Murata informed us that the total numbers of the spent fuel rods at the Fukushima Daiichi site excluding the rods in the pressure vessel is 11,421 (396+615+566+1,535+994+940+6375). [...]"

http://enenews.com/former-japan-ambassador-warns-govt-committee-a-global-catastrophe-like-we-have-never-before-experienced-if-no-4-collapses-common-spent-fuel-pool-with-6375-fuel-rods-in-jeopardy-would

thenr ead these at the bottom of that page

Mainichi Expert Sr. Writer: Gov't sources say No. 4 pool a grave concern -- Storage pool barely intact -- We have no time to humor senseless thinking of those who downplay the risks
Asahi TV: "Unbelievable" -- If Unit 4 pool gets a crack from quake and leaks, it would be end for Tokyo -Expert -- Doesn't have to be large tremor, already shaken many times (VIDEO)
Radioactive Waste Specialist: Would be just a few hours before fuel catches fire in Reactor No. 4 pool if cooling water supply was lost (VIDEO)

[–]monsieur_bienvenu -2 points-1 points ago

That...I....please excuse me, I'm going to build a radiation-proof bunker now.

[–]tvrr 7 points8 points ago

"Crisis precipitates change."

[–]VonDoom_____________ 0 points1 point ago

ive heard that line before, where is it from?

[–]tvrr 1 point2 points ago

I got it from a Deltron 3030 song called "Virus." I believe it is older than that however.

[–]deathmuffin 0 points1 point ago

When?

[–]tvrr 1 point2 points ago

Hold on -- Let me get my crystal ball.

[–]deathmuffin 1 point2 points ago

"When?" is a quote. The crisis is/has been on-going. Are you any good with that thing?

[–]Ambiwlans 0 points1 point ago

Unfortunately, after a nuclear war, that precipitate will be acid rain.

[–]Bernie_Roscoe 3 points4 points ago

Please, we see the most technological advancement in response to war.

Armageddon just gets easier and easier.

[–]ThinkBEFOREUPost 3 points4 points ago

Whatever, that movie was terrible!

[–]georedd[S] 3 points4 points ago

Yeah.

History is not a continuous line of forward progress unfortunately.

If it were we'd be wearing togas on the moon now and speaking Latin.

[–]iamadogforreal 0 points1 point ago

This is an excellent point and often ignored here for some reason. There's this assumption that everything is progressing nicely like theres some mastermind in charge playing some grand game. Err no, we're probably due for a another dark age or near extinction or full extinction event soon.

From what I can tell we have a much higher chance of devolving into theocracy and barbarism than ever coming close to a utopian sci-fi like future. The worlds most powerful country is full of and run by people who believe things like abortion or gay marriage go against the will of a supreme invisible being who they know of only via the writings of bronze age fanatics.

Not to mention every recent war is a war of resources, not ideology or defense. We didn't go into Iraq because of WMDs or terrorism, we did so because we saw an opportunity to make an oil grab from a weak and unpopular regime. Israelis dont hate arabs but they do need land for their expanding populace and access to potable water. Indians dont hate pakis really, but they do want all the resources of Kashmir. Islamacists in Africa dont want to bomb you, they just want access to potable water and access to a trading port. etc etc.

Some project 2030 as being a pretty bad year for us. We had about 2 billion people in 1950. In 2030 we'll have 8 or 9 billion. That's 4x the population in the span of lifetime. But its not all doom and gloom, it might work out just fine in the end, but not because of progress or technology, but because of our old friends famine, disease, and war. The real question is how much of this will spill into the comfortable lives of us first-worlders.

tldr; meesa, people gunna die

[–]georedd[S] 0 points1 point ago

"tldr; meesa, people gunna die"

yup. We screwed..

[–]stinky-weaselteats 0 points1 point ago

If not sooner.

[–]Sojoez 0 points1 point ago

That picture will be your back yard. /pessimist

[–]RayWest 0 points1 point ago

Probably turn that entire valley into a series of gated communities.

[–]stinky-weaselteats 1 point2 points ago

I find this deeply impressive as well. Cheers to the hope and future of space exploration.

[–]georedd[S] 1 point2 points ago

Yeah it's cool but honestly what boggles my mind is we have had the capability to launch and establish large permanent human bases on the moon and mars and asteroids for nearly 50 years and we have settle for (very cool) little unmanned probes taking (very cool and beautiful) single frame rate snapshots.

It only seems cool because you don't see those orbiting space wheels flying overhead sending ion powered rockets filled with people off to the moons of Jupiter.

(and if we had diverted just 10% of the money spent on "other stuff" ( and I won't say what because I don't want this to be political) we would have people leaving the space wheels in ion powered rockets going to the moons of Jupiter.)

[–]keymaster999 0 points1 point ago

I maximized the picture on my screen and sat there looking out, imagining what it would be like to be on another planet, knowing you were the only other living thing on there. Pretty awesome.

[–]zthirtytwo 25 points26 points ago

I find it crazy at how relatively similar the features are to earth. Then I think about how many stars with planets exist, and that there must be billions of worlds that would look just like this.

[–]northenerinthesouth 4 points5 points ago

Yeah i was thinking exactly the same thing! My immediate reaction was that if the sky was blue, and you were blindfolded and taken there, you would just naturally assume you were in a desert of some kind.

Obviously apart from the whole craters thing, and how small the sun is.

[–]henryroo 9 points10 points ago

The whole -67F average temperature thing might cause you to rethink that.

[–]Zackeriess 7 points8 points ago

The first thing I'd be worried about is being able to breathe.

[–]LFAB 14 points15 points ago

COHAGEN! GIVE DOZE PEEPOW AYYYYYAR!!

[–]VonDoom_____________ 1 point2 points ago

"ive been dreaming of going to mars where mutants drive plastic cars

so i go there you know the rest

the best part was the girl with three breasts."

[–]KingToasty 1 point2 points ago

Sorry if it's a stupid question: Do you need a spacesuit to survive on Mars? Couldn't you use a very warm jacket and a gasmask?

[–]maximalyst 0 points1 point ago

You need some kind of pressure suit as well, either air pressure as we use today or mechanical pressure. The air pressure is low enough for your blood to begin boiling if your body is left exposed.

[–]KingToasty 0 points1 point ago

Really? On Mars? I thought it was at least survivable.

[–]maximalyst 0 points1 point ago

Nope! I wish. Hahaha

[–]Ambiwlans 0 points1 point ago

It wouldn't need to be an EVA suit. Something closer to a wetsuit would be enough to survive in. I mean... you could probably go out on a warm warm day butt naked for a few seconds and live. It would just be stupid. Sort of like Northern Canada in a Blizzard. (Some parts of earth are more dangerous than Mars if you ignore the oxygen issue.)

[–]HannsGruber 0 points1 point ago

Your blood, being contained within your body, is already a pressurized system. Even in the vacuum of space it wont boil.

[–]wintermutt 2 points3 points ago

And one third the gravity. And the fines...

[–]profgunnington 4 points5 points ago

Or ours?

[–]iamadogforreal 0 points1 point ago

Its kinda sad. sci-fi illustration is so full of color and weird natural landmarks. In real life sand and rocks + gravity = everything looks the Arizona desert.

[–]Ambiwlans 0 points1 point ago

You don't think those hills are funny coloured?

[–]iamadogforreal 0 points1 point ago

Sure, but I think this is false color for 3D glasses. Real color photos of mars are pretty boring

http://www.thelivingmoon.com/43ancients/02files/Mars_Blue_Bird_Color_01.html

[–]Velenne 50 points51 points ago

The layers of dust really seem to be building up on the little guy (sorry but I can't help but look at it and not think Wall-E). How does NASA handle that? I mean it's not like it rains on Mars.

Anyway... Day 3041 and counting. Keep truckin, Opporutnity.

[–]FogleMonster 32 points33 points ago

They got lucky with some wind storms that blew away the dirt, but mostly they DON'T handle it. It's a miracle they've lasted this long. Fortunately, the MSL Rover (landing in 75 days) will be powered by an RTG instead of solar panels.

[–]raybrignsx 16 points17 points ago

What is an RTG?

[–]Tsunderella 7 points8 points ago

A radioisotope thermoelectric generator is an electrical generator that obtains its power from radioactive decay.

[–]Devroush 18 points19 points ago

Basically it's own small nuclear reactor. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_generator

[–]wartornhero 6 points7 points ago

IIRC it is the same power supply technology that is powering Voyager 1 and 2 almost 40 years later. I could be wrong, I am on my phone so I can't source it.

[–]Bernie_Roscoe 2 points3 points ago

Very similar. It uses the energy generated from radioactive decay to power the vessel. Naturally, things don't say radioactive forever but it certainly works more reliably than solar power.

[–]ANDYHAWES93 19 points20 points ago

so it is an early terminator?

[–]wildcard1992 12 points13 points ago

...fuck

[–]hotsizzlepancakes 0 points1 point ago

soon

[–]HurricaneHugo 4 points5 points ago

"They sent me out here to die...they failed...I'll be back."

[–]molo1134 5 points6 points ago

No, its not a nuclear reactor. It does not require active cooling or contain any enriched uranium. It harvests the heat of natural plutonium decay (alpha radiation) and turns it to electricity, using something similar to a peltier mechanism. There is no neutron moderator or anything.

[–]40oz_menace 2 points3 points ago

Not basically it's own small nuclear reactor, more like a really really long lasting battery.

[–]raybrignsx 1 point2 points ago

Thanks!

[–]brmj 1 point2 points ago

No, it really isn't. It just uses the heat from radioactive decay, not a nuclear chain reaction of any sort.

[–]JohnBoone -1 points0 points ago

Here you go.

[–]joeatwork86 16 points17 points ago

If only they'd given the new lander some kind of duster or brush and landed it near our little buddy.

I don't know how much longer he's got, covered in dust the way he is.

[–]mjrdanger 9 points10 points ago

Solar panel wipers wasn't a design consideration for a 90 day mission. You would think there be a car wash open somewhere.

[–]OriginalSyn 13 points14 points ago

http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2008/11/why-dont-the-mars-rovers-have.html

Well, in fact, they thought of it. They thought hard about it. Dust accumulating on the solar arrays was clearly a big problem - that's why they could only officially promise a 90-day mission. They badly wanted to include some sort of dust-clearing system. But there were compelling reasons why they couldn't.

[–]marsmedia 1 point2 points ago

Came here hoping for something like this. Well done.

[–]FlippyWippy 0 points1 point ago

Could they not have just implemented some sort of air compression system to blow the dust off periodically?

[–]OriginalSyn 1 point2 points ago

Yes but they weren't sure it would be effective and didn't want to risk it . Turns out it would be... The article states as much.

[–]Very_Clevar 1 point2 points ago

There's lots of things they could do that would require additional time, engineering and testing.

[–]Yeugwo 6 points7 points ago

Isnt the new lander going to be I. Nearly the opposite side of Mars?

[–]tuckidge 23 points24 points ago

Yes but in my mind they still find each other some day. Ahhhhhhh, true love...

[–]eternalkerri 1 point2 points ago

now that would be exciting. land two rovers on each side of the planet and have them meet up and then move on to where the other one landed.

[–]wintermutt 1 point2 points ago

High fiving in the middle of course!

[–]tuckidge 8 points9 points ago

Not even a glance at each other. Just extend arms and high five and roll on like nothing happened

[–]intisun 1 point2 points ago

And rescue Spirit out of the sand!

[–]superdude4agze 6 points7 points ago

Dear NASA,

Please send me and a small brush to Mars to clean the dust off Opportunity's solar panels. Do not concern yourself with a return trip. I'll happily expire on Mars.

Sincerely,

Superdude4agze

[–]pryomancer 5 points6 points ago

They need a bloke to go up there with a hoover.

[–]stormtrooper775 2 points3 points ago

Reminds me of Black Rock Desert. Where Burning Man is held. The dust isn't as red, but the terrain is similar.

[–]stevexe 0 points1 point ago

Burning Man 2100!

[–]charlesml3 1 point2 points ago

Do you know how many miles it's traveled over that time period? The tenacity of this rover is just staggering. 3041 days on a 90 day mission....

[–]stinky-weaselteats 0 points1 point ago

Awesome, a little over 8 years and I had no idea we've been there that long. Remarkable achievement.

[–]kwelstr 0 points1 point ago

To this day I do not understand why they wouldn't add a duster to the rover arm. I think they probably considered it and decided against it, but wtf? Dust on Mars is everywhere!

[–]thisisjohngalt 0 points1 point ago

Seriously, why did they not give the rovers an arm with one of these on the end? Wouldn't it be really simple and make a lot of sense?

[–]rhombomere 16 points17 points ago

How do you know that the blades can generate enough force to remove the dust? After all, it is a very thin atmosphere and there may be a lot of electrostatic forces that make the dust want to cling to the glass. Also, how much power, mass and volume does that take? Will you need to ditch a scientific instrument to make it all fit (you'll need at least two of these fans because there are two wings of the solar panel, and the panels are good sized so maybe you'd need even more). Is that a smart trade, given that the mission was only going to be 90 days? All these things need to be considered.

[–]griffin8116 5 points6 points ago

I agree with a lot of this, with the exception of

Is that a smart trade, given that the mission was only going to be 90 days?

One of the major reasons why the mission duration was targeted at 90 days is because the experiment PIs expected dust accumulation to become too severe after that point.

[–]thisisjohngalt 2 points3 points ago

Haha I think you're taking it a lot more seriously than I was.

[–]rhombomere 4 points5 points ago

You're right, but it's my job to think about these sorts of things seriously!

[–]Foxonthestorms 1 point2 points ago

And it's good to have people who are. Overlooking minor details is what caused the Apollo 1 failure.

[–]gyro12 4 points5 points ago

Wouldn't it be really simple

No - anything that in space that involves a moving mechanism is never as simple as it seems on Earth. Besides all the junk about needing additional mass and volume and power (and the associated monetary cost that comes with those), you have even more subtle concerns. You need lubricant doesn't evaporate in a space environment and can work after being exposed to a vacuum for a few months, you need seals that work in space, you need even more seals to keep dust out of the motor. All the material in the motor needs to be non-outgassing. Also, there aren't many (if any) fans already developed for space because fans won't work for most space vehicles, so that entails research and development costs that won't be cheap.

God forbid you want to reposition the fan so you can clear off more than one panel. Then you need mechanical linkages that won't bind, a whole control system (meaning more space-motors and other actuators), supporting software, months of testing ...

All in all, there's probably a reason they didn't do it.

[–]wilc8650 1 point2 points ago

From the rocket science point of view, adding extra weight that isn't absolutely necessary to the function and required instruments needed for study would be a waste.

[–]kwelstr 0 points1 point ago

It is necessary NOW, but they probably considered at the time that the rover would last under 1 year, so yeah, why dust off?

[–]interestica -1 points0 points ago

You'd think in testing they would have foreseen that...and figured out a way to prevent/mitigate/remove the dust. Or maybe it was just figured that they wouldn't last this long...

[–]rhombomere 15 points16 points ago

This question comes up a lot. This article captures the salient points about why dust removal wasn't implemented.

[–]interestica 3 points4 points ago

much appreciated! great read....though I wish it were able to cite some research/development sources.

[–]ironcrotch 1 point2 points ago

Or maybe it was just figured that they wouldn't last this long...

Yup. Their original mission was something like 90 days.

[–]iamthemik3 16 points17 points ago

Is this a true-color image? If so, that is quite an amazing shade of blue

also, whats with the color smearing (see shadow of the mast)? Is that because the color channels are taken at different time intervals?

[–]cubic_thought 5 points6 points ago

Not true color but it looks to be IR/G/B, look at the calibration target (lower left) compared to this reflectivity chart and this filter list, note the 'pink' blue target in the panorama and the L2,L5,L6 example.

[–]iamthemik3 0 points1 point ago

Thanks!

[–]Lampjaw 3 points4 points ago

Look at the bottom right and left. It's a bunch of pictures thrown together.

[–]DocGonzo420 5 points6 points ago

The chromatic aberration, as it is called in the imaging world, is caused by the physical properties of the lens materials and the shape which end up diffracting visible light into the color spectrum. In this case it does seem that the separate color filters in the camera sensor were exposed at either different times, or each individual color filter contains a separate sensor and are mounted next to each other. Great observation.

[–]Naito- 17 points18 points ago

it's not chromatic aberration in the traditional sense. As you suspected, it's that the image is composed of three images taken with three different colour filters. Cameras on spacecraft are always black & white only, but they have the ability to change filters depending on what scientists want to record, in this case they used red/blue/green filters in succession, but the exposures were long enough that the sun shifted the shadows enough for you to see each individual exposure.

[–]iamapizza 5 points6 points ago

Cameras on spacecraft are always black & white only, but they have the ability to change filters depending on what scientists want to record

Why are they B&W only with separate filters? Is this for cost reasons, energy reasons, processing reasons?

[–]iamthemik3 12 points13 points ago

Other filters are used so that you can look at various spectra of light. The cameras aren't on there just to take pretty pictures but to analyze what kind of light is present (from infrared to UV).

Here is a link to a photo of a flower taken using traditional RGB filters (visible light) on the left and a set of filters shifted into the UV spectrum on the right http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/08_01/PrimroseDM_1000x390.jpg Aside form the UV one looking cool, you can potentially gather more information than you could by just observing visible light.

[–]cubic_thought 2 points3 points ago

In addition to the other replies, a sensor on a consumer camera uses some type of filter array. If NASA used some similar system it would lower the effective resolution per wavelength significantly and these rovers have eight filters per camera. So in stead of using a massive sensor where each filter may only get 1/8 of the information available in an image it is more effective to use a wideband sensor with selectable filters.

[–]wlievens 1 point2 points ago

All image sensors are fundamentally Black&White, or Grayscale actually. Color images are taken by placing filters in front of your sensor. You can either do this at the pixel level (e.g. a Bayer Filter) or by taking 3 shots with e.g. a mechanically swapped filter.

[–]vowdy -2 points-1 points ago

my guess is, if one of the filters breaks down, they could still send B&W images back to earth. If all 3 colors/filters still work, so much the better.

[–]iamthemik3 0 points1 point ago

Thanks. thats what i figured.

Is there any info out there on what filters were used to take the photo? The unnaturalness of the colors makes me feel like it wasn't through traditional R,G, and B filters.

[–]DocGonzo420 0 points1 point ago

Up votes for a very good (and correct) explanation

[–]MenthollyChallenged 13 points14 points ago

Wow. That's the surface of another planet!

[–]AD-Edge 10 points11 points ago

Came on here to make sure this pic was up already, the most amazing picture Ive seen in ages. Youve really got to take some time to appreciate what your looking at here...

[–]Gordondel 7 points8 points ago

I'm sorry to be that ignorant but I wondered a couple of times how does it transfer the picture from mars to here?

[–]TheJabrone 13 points14 points ago

You never need to apologize for not knowing, only for not being willing to learn. This page explains it briefly.

[–]squidgy 14 points15 points ago

The same principle as sending a picture from your phone really. The rovers (well, rover now) don't have very powerful radios, so they send whatever data/photos they've gathered up to the Mars Odyssey Orbiter when it passes over, which in turn uses its high-power antenna to transmit everything back to Earth.

[–]wintermutt 4 points5 points ago

It never ceases to amaze me that we already have in place a little infrastructure on another planet. Three operational satellites and one (soon, two again) rover.

[–]sirbruce[!] 2 points3 points ago

Unfortunately NASA cancelled the Mars Telecommunications Orbiter, so they'll have to keep relying primarily on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for data link. Bandwidth is going to be a serious issue in the coming years.

[–]DdCno1 -1 points0 points ago

I like the optimistic layout of this Wikipedia page, if you know what I mean.

[–]Scrimpton 0 points1 point ago

It uses its nipples as telescopic antennae to transmit data back to earth

[–]TabascoQuesadilla 1 point2 points ago

I bet ya do, you freaky old bastard, you.

[–]voxpupil -1 points0 points ago

Internetz

[–]stinky-weaselteats 0 points1 point ago

solarwebz

[–]big-o-notation 8 points9 points ago

Source: http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/newsroom/pressreleases/20120522a.html

The image is stitched together out of several images taken March 9 2012.

[–]AsAChemicalEngineer 11 points12 points ago

What I wouldn't give to be there right now.

[–]danrdelaney 24 points25 points ago

http://imgur.com/eombG

[–]GuruM 5 points6 points ago

but you'd be dead

[–]cholo_aleman 9 points10 points ago

..but WHAT A WAY TO GO!

[–]wip3out_HR 0 points1 point ago

but maybe, just maybe.... there is air on mars.

i want to believe

[–]Strideo 2 points3 points ago

But you'd die of asphyxiation!

[–]bananapeel 7 points8 points ago

Still, he'd be the first human to set foot on Mars. When they find his body in a hundred years, he would make every history book for the rest of history.

[–]wildcard1992 4 points5 points ago

But he would die of asphyxiation!

[–]bad_llama 4 points5 points ago

dm;fpom

[–]Strideo 1 point2 points ago

I'd like to think that Opportunity would spot him pretty quickly and the team on Earth receiving the pictures would absolutely flip out.

[–]marsmedia 1 point2 points ago

But he would die of asphyxiation!

[–]bananapeel 0 points1 point ago

His dessicated corpse would be photographed...

Headline: DEAD ALIEN ASTRONAUT FOUND ON PLANET MARS

[–]Strideo 2 points3 points ago

And NASA would probably get more funding! :D

[–]djfutile 6 points7 points ago

I don't even stare at our own deserts with this much amazement.

[–]w32stuxnet 6 points7 points ago

Here's a question for the panel, why do we use multiple combined filters in photos like these instead of using the same methods we use in consumer cameras on earth? The photos taken by these rovers always seem so dodgy (weird colour overlaying) compared to what would be considered commonplace for consumer electronics on earth.

[–]Major_Small 5 points6 points ago

Another user explains why here

[–]TabascoQuesadilla 1 point2 points ago

Photos like this, and ones taken from the Hubble telescope (or other space-based photography, not counting photos shot by astronauts) use very sensitive B&W cameras, and have swappable filters for different ranges on the spectrum of light.

So in order to get a true-color image from one of these, you'd need to take three pictures, one with a red filter, one with blue, and one with green, then combine the images (after tinting each resulting B&W image its desired color) - this is actually also how 3-strip Technicolor works (how The Wizard of Oz was shot).

And sure, they can do this. But what's of interest to scientists isn't the visible spectrum - it's infrared, ultraviolet, X-rays, gamma rays, etc. So most images they release are composites of several of these different images, with each one tinted a certain color to represent each spectrum (so, maybe blue = ultraviolet, red = x-rays, green = gamma rays - not necessarily how they actually do it, just an example).

That way, when a scientist looks at one of these images, he can a lot about what materials the item being observed is made of, or what type of energies it emits, or other cool shit. We see a nifty picture with pretty colors.

I have seen some Hubble images rendered in true color, and honestly they're not quite as impressive-looking as the ones that are tinted based on spectrum.

(If any of this is incorrect, someone please point it out; this is how I understand it, and if I'm wrong, I want to know how it really works!)

[–]NikKnack 0 points1 point ago

Real photos might not be of interest, but the might go a long way to convincing the taxpayers who pay their bills. This should be a no brainer for NASA by now. Worrisome that it still isn't.

[–]TabascoQuesadilla 0 points1 point ago

The average person doesn't have any idea that the cool photos of space nebulae they use as desktop backgrounds are false-color. In fact, if you showed them a true-color version of something they're used to seeing in false-color, they'll probably bitch and moan about how it looks fake.

My point is, it really doesn't matter. All the things that are important to see in true colors (planets, etc.) are released as such, and the things that need to be studied in other spectra (nebulae, etc.) look more impressive visually in false-color anyway.

And most images are released in true color along with false, so I don't know why you're complaining at all.

Here's an example. Visible spectrum is top-left, the others are variations of the infrared spectrum (with the top-right being a combination of visible and infrared).

[–]davisb 1 point2 points ago

Absolutely. I'm sure this will get downvoted into oblivion, but this picture, while insanely impressive that exists at all, looks like shit. I feel like I'm looking at a freeze frame from a shitty 1950s 3D movie.

[–]Nanoo_1972 2 points3 points ago

I want so bad to reach into that photo and brush off the dust. It's driving me nuts!

[–]intisun 1 point2 points ago

I keep blowing on my screen and nothing happens!

[–]Scrotums 2 points3 points ago

I really, really need to brush the dust off those PV cells.

[–]mymyreally 2 points3 points ago

I want to give Rover a bath.

[–]readytofall 2 points3 points ago

Does anyone have any information on the probe sent to Pluto? It seems I always hear of these things taking off but never of what they actually accomplish.

[–]mfenniak 2 points3 points ago

The probe to Pluto is New Horizons. It will begin observation of Pluto in 2015. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Horizons#Key_mission_dates

[–]nibbles200 1 point2 points ago

I cant wait to see a picture of the sun from Pluto!

[–]Ambiwlans -1 points0 points ago

You've seen this pic before right? http://plaza.ufl.edu/ivandiaz/earth2.jpg

It was taken from 6,000,000,000km out. About as far as Pluto.

[–]nibbles200 0 points1 point ago

yeah I have but is that little spec the sun?

[–]Ambiwlans 0 points1 point ago

Earth.

The sun just looks like a lense flare. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Solar_System_Portrait_-_View_of_the_Sun%2C_Earth_and_Venus.jpg

Seriously though, watch THIS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wupToqz1e2g

You won't regret it.

[–]wablamo 1 point2 points ago

This pic gives me a space boner.

[–]profgunnington 1 point2 points ago

I'm sure someone will be able to answer this question: Why does the image seemingly switch to negative the further away the objects are? If you know what I mean. Is this an atmospheric phonemenon, etc?

[–]hipnosister 1 point2 points ago

Why is there blue? What causes that?

[–]roriok 1 point2 points ago

Looks lonely. Lonely and dusty.

[–]Btshftr 1 point2 points ago

Too bad they didn't build in some simple rod containing a foldable, springmounted plumeau to sweep the solar cells every once in a while..

[–]seidita84t 1 point2 points ago

May be a stupid idea, but couldn't the designers/engineers of the rover mount a small compressor in there somewhere? There's atmosphere, it could be compressed, and used with small jets to blow all the Martian dust/sand off of the solar panels and other top mounted instrumentation.

[–]hmistry 0 points1 point ago

My thoughts exactly.. Imagine the increased lifespan...

[–]fat_fatties 4 points5 points ago

Just slightly adjusted some of the tones and levels ....

new image

[–]xG33Kx 3 points4 points ago

Someone, install CS6 on Opportunity!

[–]zingbat 5 points6 points ago

Error: Not Enough Memory.

[–]MusikLehrer -1 points0 points ago

Cool thanks

[–]BitBrain 0 points1 point ago

I want to go there.

[–]voxpupil 0 points1 point ago

Oh cool, I see a Martian!

[–]xhosSTylex 0 points1 point ago

I can't even fully grasp the scale of distance and incredible feat of humanity shown here.

This is the best picture I've seen of Mars, and that rover is just incredible in its longevity.

[–]chem_101 0 points1 point ago

Pics like these just blow my mind.

[–]Wintermutemancer 0 points1 point ago

Now why there are those rectangular rocks on Mars?

[–]sirbruce[!] 1 point2 points ago

Aliens.

[–]Wintermutemancer 0 points1 point ago

Is such a thing even possible?

[–]clayjohnson 0 points1 point ago

I think that's just a dusty rover.

[–]Wintermutemancer 0 points1 point ago

No, that black rock on the ground

[–]clayjohnson 0 points1 point ago

Oh.

[–]Foxonthestorms 0 points1 point ago

Did anyone else notice the discrepancies in the picture in the foreground of the image?

[–]Ryeneker 0 points1 point ago

Sundials!!! Now we can reckon time on another world!!

[–]MedievalManagement 0 points1 point ago

Can someone answer a question for me? Not that one. This one...

Why didn't they give the rovers a brush or a hairdryer or something to help them clean themselves up a bit?

[–]WeAllWin 0 points1 point ago

I would be interested in REAL colour and REAL light conditions. I think it doesn't exactly look like this in the picture, Mars is probably depressingly grim.

[–]nefthep 0 points1 point ago

The decades worth of photographs NASA has provided us have never ceased to increasingly amazing and wonder. I can't wait to look at the photos from the next 50 years! And maybe hopefully be in one of the photos while on vacation :)

[–]Steve_the_Scout 0 points1 point ago

I find it amazing that I looked at this picture and thought "Wow, what a beautiful but desolate desert."

Then I realized that this is another planet. It's not on Earth. Nowhere near Earth, in terms of everyday measurements. Amazing.

The sky even looks like it's got just a little haze, not as if it's iron dust or carbon dioxide, just a little smoggy.

The ground also looks a little damp, almost. Really fascinating.

I remember something about how the scientists that study Mars are about 99% sure there are bacteria just sitting in the soil. Unfortunately, they can't understand how amazing this looks to us.

[–]adamjm 0 points1 point ago

So was there really no 'windscreen wiper' or 'static field' approach they could have taken to wipe the dust off the solar panels so the poor robotic guy doesn't have to run on 10% of his potential juice? Even a crappy robot arm attachment that has a brush on it would work better than just letting dust layer up. Those panels seem to be quite coated.

[–]cdlight62 0 points1 point ago

Sat here staring at the picture for about 10 minutes trying to grasp the reality that this is a different planet millions of miles away.

[–]IsaacHolladay 0 points1 point ago

Why is everything further away blue?

[–]goldenrod 0 points1 point ago

Is this a true color photo?

[–]teknocratbob 0 points1 point ago

lots of dust on them there solar panels

[–]DaSeraph 0 points1 point ago

Why don't they make a 'windshield wiper' type deal for the solar panels? Seems like it would be very helpful solution to their occasional power issues and short life span.

[–]dougb 1 point2 points ago

A windshield wiper used without water tends to scratch the shit out of what it's wiping.

[–]DaSeraph 1 point2 points ago

Well yes, I was imagining a windshield wiper but with a soft brush end, to sweep the dust off.

[–]Julian_Berryman 1 point2 points ago

I hear what you're saying, but it simply wasn't designed to have a long life span (the mission proposal was 90 days), other systems could have failed - were probably anticipated to have failed - long before the dust issue became a problem.

The reality is that every program, public or private, has to have a budget (see Duke Nukem Forever for an example why) which in this case limits the total weight of the vehicle.

Make no mistake, though, the mission was (is) a complete success.

[–]DaSeraph 0 points1 point ago

Thanks, I'm not suggesting we go back in time and add something to take care of the dust. I'm aware the initial expectation was 90 days but I'm guessing that the next mars mission will have higher life expectations and that would make a good addition.

Or you can downvote, because fuck me, right?

[–]Julian_Berryman 1 point2 points ago

I didn't downvote you :)

[–]Kakofoni -2 points-1 points ago

This is an amazing picture and extremely beautiful. I really like it, but the first thing I thought was that it only needs some helvetica'd text on it and an upload to instagram.

It's beautifully colored anyway.

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