Phoenix on Mars

sol 2 4x2 RABC:

Thought it was time to start a topic devoted to the mission on the ground.

This image was created from the RA, RB, RC panoramas posted on the University of Arizona LPL site.

Thanks guys - and gals - for going the extra kilometer by including the image metadata in the files -- and for providing the "raw" pamoramas.

It looks like the left / right differences in my own crude color panorama were processing artifacts.

Hi Hort.. I'm trying to understand. Does that mean that your "crude color panorama" is not accurate and that there really isn't icing sugar (frost) coating the area?

RJS if

RJS, we'll have to wait for the chemical analysis -- but, yes, icing sugar not likely.

Perhaps I should start posting the "color by Horticolor" warnings again...

color by Horticolor: lets throw a few pictures together and see what happens...

My images are not intended - and have never been intended - to be authoritative. They are an idle amusement -- a trifling -- a mere nothing.

If you take the Opportunity see them in that Spirit, then you will be reborn like the Phoenix from the ashes of your nest of cinnamon twigs. ( or your funeral money cheerfully refunded. )

Hi Horton. I don't get it either, despite the disclaimers. In the middle third of your "crude color panorama" there seems to be a fairly smooth transition between the reddish-brown on the left and the white on the right. If this was an artefact caused by different sections of the image having been processed in different ways, I'd expect there to be an exactly vertical line sharply demarcating the two regions. The stitching process might alter the colours a little in the immediate vicinity of the join, in order to make the join less obvious, but I don't see how that would be enough to produce the smooth and decidedly non-vertical transition in your image.

Meandering through the center of the paonrama is a rill, or gutter, if you will, creating a depression. The color differences in both color panos is most likely due to the different angles to the sun which show up as sugary goodness (high albedo)on the right side (maybe). The hirise images i have been studying do show some color differences in the direct vicinity of the lander. Not sure if they are related but it's something to think about.

Earth-Mars R-ABC color comparison:

Looks pretty close to my eye.

What I find amusing is:

IF the Earth version had been photographed under a nice shade tree, THEN the NASA "true color" version would have been bluish -- without any attempt to "white balance" the image and compensate for the color of the anbient light -- something any professsional photographer ( or a smart digital camera ) would do automatically.

See White Balance for an explanation of my gripe with NASA from day one.

Image comparison of 12 bit RAD with 8 bit JPG:

href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hortonheardawho/2532325570/" title="NASA-JPG-compare by hortonheardawho, on Flickr">

white balanced 12 bit RAD panorama here.

I am sooo depressed by this comparison that I will not do any more JPG color processing of Phoenix images. I will wait for the release of the "official" images. The image team is releasing the results within hours -- so why bother?

Besides, the important results from this mission will most likely squiggly lines on graphs.

( Man, I gott'a get a life.)

Here is the correct link to the comparison of reply 6.

RABC of nearby rock and soil:

with links to views up and down from this image and links to overlap of the images.

These are 2X views without white balance.

Very curious. the images had to be translation registered to produce the color image. Was the arm moving when the images were taken?

OK, what do the rock guys see?

Not basalt?
What are the white edges?
What are the "blue"(er) surfaces?
What are the subtle pattterns in the soil?

Looks like some of the rocks have a patina that on some is chipped.

My favorite surface pattern is here -- lower left.

Whats making the the dirt stick to the rocks, like the dirt stuck to the big clam shaped rock in the upper left?

made me ROFL It is worth your time

Hort

Excellent images!

Now I am even more convinced that Pnx will find existing life at the surface. Hope that the arm will do close up microimager shots of that big rock in the lower right corner. There are some very provocative textures on it (sticking to the surface as Mann says). Even more provocative than the gusev and meridiani sods.

Winston

@ #388

A small warning upfront. I'm not a rock guy, so what I'm going to say is just a thought, and nothing more.

By looking at the picture I had the impression that the thrusters broke the blue rock / mushroom / whatever (blue on the outside, white on the inside) and blew the remains onto the terrain,leaving the marks. The inner parts of the blue rock / thing (the white parts) picked up dust, while the dust won't stick to the blue parts (outer shell)

But that's just me, I guess.

My post above (#12) makes reference to #388. This should be #8. And hortonheardawho, thanks for all your labour!

Virtual View

Hope you don't lose it like last time???????

3D Robotic Arm view of lander underside:

with location link to original 3D pair.

A couple of interesting things:

• a hole in a rock under the lander
• a 4-5 cm long screw-like feature
• a 10 cm biconical rock

Hey, maybe the RA can get a closer view?

Forgot to mention a couple of new color/mono 3D images near the lander: here and here.

If this screw-like feature isn't a part from the lander, then, what IS this?

The screw feature is quite interesting. Let's hope the lander isnt falling apart

There is another picture of the screw here i think:

http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/images.php?gID=943&cID=25

if anyone can get a brighter view on their photoshop that would be great