Phoenix on Mars

mann, the reply 238 image SSI camera pointing was about Az 53, El -33. The LCL2-RAR2 synthetic false color 3D version is here with links to 3D animation of lighting changes in the area of interest.

Looks like the lines are the edges of very thin "plates" or layers of material. I'm sure the soil / rock guys can describe the geological micro processes that create such features.

Er, while you're at it soil / rock guys, how about an explanation of the micro-processes that produce circular soil patterns something like this.

And finally, for those who like to look a little up from the ground a couple of synthetic false color images here and here

These are parts of lighting change sequences with lots of missing data.

I don't plan to do any more in these sequences -- they're just too damn time comsuming aligning all the images.

Damn you, Red Baron.

mann, forgot to mention that I have put a location link in the comments field of the color 3D.

Thanks horton, the way i saw this little area was by downloading your big pan.
It still looks like a wet slump. A mini surge of liquified soil.

I saw some of the little holes, and have been keeping an eye out for more forming as time goes on.

Some seem to have formed by small impacts of debris, while some appear to be some type of outgassing.

mann re:240

I see now what you pointing to. The surface is uneven, but unexpectedly smooth compared to surrounding.

Well, not many days left of the 90, and with those holidays..

Best,
es

Sol 38 starting to appear at UA site.

Here is a sol 35-38 animation of changes to the "icy soil" in the scoop. It is finally breaking up.

er, the plan is to dry this soil out completely before feeding to the OM and WCL?

But TEGA, no soup for you.

Horton, regarding Reply 241:
Amazing stuff!!!
The first "here" appears to be a former channel with a platey material exposed at the lower elevations. This material is most likely exposed bedrock. It's thin layering is horizontal to the exposed surface. Wind and water likely eroded it to give it the mudcrack-like appearance.

IF it is not this then I would guess it's a eposited muddy material with mudcracks.

I have also seen organic debris (like algae) form structures like this on the ground surface of dried up lakes and puddles.

Regarding "this":
I have been hollering about stromatolites forever. I have rocks that look a lot like those and most of them were associated with cyanobacteria.

Regarding the second and third "here":
What a stunning panorama. It looks like that area had a higher energy water stream flowing through it at one time. It also looks like it has been scoured by dust.

Reply 246: Deposited muddy material, not "eposited muddy material"

Regarding Reply 245:
Why doesn't the Soup Nazi tell us about the increase in water vapor levels when the scoop scoops? They must have a water vapor detector for the outside atmosphere (and not just ONLY inside the ovens). I would think that the most basic scientific experiment would measure the atmospheric levels as a control group/factor.

And finally, some fireworks for the 4th, a sol 0 - 38 comparison around the landing leg here.

er HOrt

That animation does'nt seem to show any settling of the leg into the subsurface over the 38 days. Could it be that the whole thing is settling?

Winston

Here is the right SSI animation of the sol 0 to 38 changes of the footpad with an image link to a 2x 3D of the "bright spot" changes...

I used NASA TIF versions of the sol 0 images and balanced the shadow details in the sol 38 JPG images to within a few percent of the sol 0 image.

Why the (* insert bad word *) were'nt the sol 38 images taken at exactly the same time and orientation?...

Er, maybe the camera pointing was the same -- relative to the lander! Although this leg, which is resting on soil, didn't settle -- but maybe the others are on exposed, sublimating ice and did!!

Ah well, maybe there be "offical" comment -- someday in a galaxy far, far away on these minor Mars mysteries.

A little mystery.

So I says, hey, I can check if the SSI cameras were pointing in the same direction for the sol 0 and sol 38 lander leg images.

Checking the metadata in the JPF files for the Left exposures:

sol 000, 17:07:41 : -63.4431, 39.9232
sol 038 17:39:16 : -64.4138, 38.8618

Well OK, now I can check the expected pixel difference between features in the images:

elevation difference: -0.9707 = -71 pixels
azimuth difference : -1.0614 = -78 pixels

distance difference: 105 pixels

So I load the L1 sol 0 and 38 inages into Stereophoto Maker and expect to see registration differences of about -78 pixels in X and -71 pixels in Y ( assuming Phoenix is sitting level and hasn't moved )

I start measuring and am more and more puzzled:

center : -38,-70 ( 80 pixels )
upper left : -45,-80 ( 92 pixels )
upper right: -48,-64 ( 80 pixels )
lower left : -30,-83 ( 88 pixels )
lower right: -29,-65 ( 72 pixels )

OK, I know neither of the SSI cameras pivots through their optical axis, so some of this may be due to that effect.

Lets see, 7.5 cm from the pivot point and 1 degree pointing difference -- mumble, mumble -- about 1/2 pixel difference can be due to the off axis rotation for a target at 1 meter -- so that's not it....

The elevation differences are within (-1 to +12 pixels of the expected differences -- but the azimuth differences are between (-49 to -30 )

Er, the lander rotated 1/2 degree???

Naaaah.

They must have changed the lander coordinate system a few days after landing...

But the elevation pixels differences...

Another coordinate system change?

Maybe. Maybe not.

Making sense of remote data: Damn queer business.

OK, back to the sampling program:

Here is a sol 38 RAC montage that I think is showing the delivery of some the dried out "icy soil" to the MECA sampling wheel.

It looks like some soil did move in the scoop -- including some juicy clumps that may have made it through the screen.

I guess that means the raw OMs will be posted tonight -- right?

Right??

Hi Hort

I looked at your animations again and I think that they are actually showing that the leg is rising slightly out of the soil. Perhaps that leg is moving up while the other legs, resing on the ice, are settling in the ice.

I did'nt notice that before as well as the significant movement of small particles (pebbles) around the leg saucer.

It looks as if your deduction of the legs slipping/settling was, as usual, a good call.

Winston

Hey Hort

From the sol 40 releases there are two adjacent images of a rock that was presumably moved by the thruster jets and have left a very distinct trail in the soil. What is in the soil looks interesting, as well as the various textures along the length of the trail that suggest different soil structures just under the surface.

I have very slow access to the web while i'm travelling so I can't post my autostiched composite image but I would really appreciate if you could autostich the 2 images and post them. The rock trail's curvy movement as well as the details of what was unearthed looks interesting.

Winston

Reply 253 that would be consistant with melting Ice but also each time the scoop goes into the trench it will lift that side of Pheonix up as the pressure is exerted to dig in. In addition when a scoop full of soil is manouvered towards the various experiments it will cause a shift in the balance of weight around Pheonix. I wonder if those "ice bits" on the legs fell out of the scoop when moving or depositing into a TEGA or on the Pheonix itself with some overspill landing on the landing gear?

sol 41 Mars coloring book:

Looks like Mars likes to color inside the circles...

sol 41 Matisse's Mars:

The color is right on the Monet, of that I'm Cezanne.

It might Picasso you off, but I Dali don't care.

Hort

This the area of the sol 40 image that I was referring to in reply 254. It would be appreciated if you would colour the #1 filter images of these RABCs and post. The Monet colours would be fine.

Winston

Here are th near lander sol 40 3D pairs with the R1 images colorized with the 1/2 size RABC images.

I didn't bother trying to white balance them or any other matching, mostly because of the problems of matching across shadow areas.

I have been busy trying to catch up with the flood of old data from Oppy. To make things worse, I accidently deleted the directory of new images after downloading them -- and had to download them again. Sigh.

I need a rest. I am planning a holiday from Mars next. I won't be any where near a computer.

Thanks Hort

Here is an anaglyph of a crop from your excellent 3D image above. I think it demonstrates several things about the phoenix site and the landing. NOte the puddly areas; note the curves in the track and differing depths; Note the possible fissures in the soil. If I had a choice I would scrape some soil from this area for examination for organics.

I was trying to upload the png version of the image which is much clearer but the slow connection won't allow that. Even this jpeg took extraordinrily long and only loaded after 2 attempts on Internet Explorer. Neither versions would load with Firefox, my browser of choice.

Winston

Winston