Good Morning Mars

1. Why are all the images in black and white?
   Mars Rovers did a better job taking those pictures than the images so far produced by Curiosity.

   1. Curiosity has only been on Mars for a few days and is still checking out its systems – and you are complaining?

   2. Ummm..   Yohan, it is really easy to find Curiosity info – like right here  on their mission page – with even a color picture!  In case 2 whole days of black and white has already bored you to tears.  🙂

      http://www.nasa.gov/mission…

      Enjoy

      1.  Why even take black and white pictures. I’m trying to understanding the logic and reasoning behind taking pictures in black and white over color. I would have assumed that the first set of pictures would all be in color.

         1. You might do a little research as to how color pictures are taken, why B&W pictures are taken, the bandwidth required, etc. Your assumptions are incorrect.

         2. In almost any situation where terrain evaluation is required, you start with “black & white,” because you can get higher resolution and faster updates for the same instrument mass/power supply. It is also easier and faster to calculate and apply false color (encoded graduated brightness) displays.

            To be accurate, it’s not black and white we’re talking about here, but rather grayscale, which provides the graduated brightness, an important difference.

            This is not unique to spacecraft systems by any means. Aircraft terrain avoidance and “night glasses” technologies are just two examples using the same approach. Your final display is not normal video, like the human eyes see, but rather processed displays presenting detailed data in a non-natural format for more detailed and faster interpretation. Radar displays aren’t color either (except for added annotations and mode information) for the same reason — because its purpose is not to look pretty but to best convey critical information in a timely and easy to interpret format.

            Steve

            1. 🙂

         3. The black and white photos are being taken with the rover’s engineering cameras, the navigation cameras and the hazard avoidance cameras.  Those cameras capture stereo pairs of images that the rover processes into 3D data as it drives, and that the mission team uses to plan drives.  There is no reason for them to be color to perform this function, it would just be more data for the rover to process and to be sent down to the ground.

2. Sort of looks like a high-tech coffee maker on Mars.

3. We need an image of old glory on that rover…I don’t see it.

   1. Why?  How is it scientifically relevant?  Further, have you looked at Curiosity in detail?  There’s very little spare space on that craft.  Having a flag certainly wouldn’t accomplish anything. It wouldn’t make the pictures better.  It wouldn’t inform anyone that little bit more.  As it is, the US and the world is seemingly chuffed silly about Curiosity.  Besides, there’s already a penny on a camera calibration plate.  That should sufficiently identify the country of origin for any of the nine people in the world that don’t know who sent Curiosity to Mars.

      1. “Having a flag certainly wouldn’t accomplish anything”  Seeing the flag has accomplished much in our history as a nation.

      2. If I may expand, and Mr. “your comments are waiting on moderator approval” clears it, seeing the flag as documented by Francis Scot Key was rather important in, what was it, 1812? Reaching high places against tall odds is a theme under which seeing our flag has inspired the nation historically. The flag image on Iwo Jima comes to mind as mightilly rousing to a nation weary of an extremely costly war, nothing comparable since in terms of blood.  The flag planted on the Moon by Mr. Armstrong was also a moment few of us living with the memory will ever forget.  The flag on Pathfinder….The flag over the ruins of the twin towers…belittle as you will “PsiSquared”. 

      3. Bottom line, national pride engenders public favor which translates to funding. Must I spell it out so.

         1. People aren’t complete idiots – it’s not like they don’t understand where the rover came from if they don’t see a flag on it.  From what I see, everyone’s already fully aware of who put that rover up there.  In this case, we don’t need to see a flag waving around to spur national pride, the fact that ***we parked a rover the size of a Cooper Mini on Mars*** is already doing that quite well.

4. Color photographs are now slowly being revealed and they are strikingly beautiful. Everyday I’m amazed at how well the vehicle is operating and the photographs being returned. People are now being bored to tears due to their lack of education,attention span,patience,tolerance.Science doesn’t occur instantly but requires constant attention,planning. So, go with the program and be patient,results will be returned that will blow your minds. Hats off to JPL and NASA for Curiosity and much success in the future.  

5. Looking at above photo reminds me excitement I had when Viking landed, I bought a Newsweek (or Time) magazine at a local store promptly for the one page photo of Martian landscape (wow, Mars is a place and not a spot of light in the sky). Besides pretty pictures, there is much toil and analysis all which is fairly boring for most people… I sure hope they find some organics there!

   And a interesting item from QRZ.com, “Curiosity Imprints Morse Code on Mars Surface”
   http://forums.qrz.com/showt…

6. This discussion reminded me of the story that Keith posted over a year ago about the very first photo of Mars received from Mariner 4.   Makes you realize how far we have come.

   http://nasawatch.com/archiv…

7. Look well at the faces of those involved with this mission. They are young and way into their work and undoubtedly want to see it continue – and they vote.

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