Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Update Thread

[kane007]

Four images, fingers crossed they're more than just smears!

 

[kane007]

The HiRISE camera -- the most powerful telescopic camera ever sent to another planet -- will take four images of Mars between 9:41 p.m. and 9:50 p.m. Mountain Time Thursday, March 23 (between 4:41 and 4:50 Universal Time Friday, March 24). A live web blog will be updated at least hourly tonight beginning at 9 p.m. at:<br /><br />http://hiroc.LPL.arizona.edu/first_images<br /><br />HiRISE Principal Investigator Alfred S. McEwen said plans are to release the images of Mars taken by HiRISE on NASA and UA Websites on Friday, and they will be posted on the above web site for HiRISE's first images of Mars.<br /><br />The camera will take a second set of Mars images Saturday morning, March 25. The live blog will begin again at 9 a.m. on Saturday.<br /><br />Unfortunately there is not enough room in HiROC to make this a public event. (So please check the web blog!) Members of the news media are welcome to join the team at HiROC, located in the C.P. Sonett Space Sciences Building, 1541 E. University Blvd., on the UA campus in Tucson, by making advance arrangements with HiRISE team member Loretta McKibben, 520-626-7432, or Lori Stiles of University Communications, 520-626-4402.<br /><br />HiRISE images taken tomorrow and Saturday will be the camera's only photos for the next six months, while the spacecraft "aerobrakes" into a circular orbit for its science mission. Aerobraking involves dipping repeatedly into the upper atmosphere about five hundred times to scrub off speed and drop into successively more circular orbits.<br />

 

[kane007]

I estimate about 7 hours to go. How long after before we get even blurred images is dependant on the good graces of the staff an HiROC.

 

[kane007]

Anyone in Tuscon - Channels 9 and 4 are televising the for their 10 o'clock news.<br /><br /><i>Our data "pipeline" which obtains and processes the raw HiRISE data has been tested, is working perfectly, and everyone is both nervous and excited! Two local Tucson television stations are here to televise the event (Channel 9 and Channel 4) for their 10 p.m. newscasts.</i>

 

[telfrow]

The test images have been received (one can be seen in the background of the photo below) and will be released later today. <br /><br />From Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Site:<br /><br /><i>03.24.06 -- Team members for the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter enjoy seeing the first Mars images from the camera, at the instrument's operations center on the University of Arizona campus, Tucson. Images will be released later today.</i><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <strong><font color="#3366ff">Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild.</font> - <font color="#3366ff"><em>Tennyson</em></font></strong> </div>

 

[toymaker]

First pictures:<br />http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/MRO/multimedia/pia08013.html <br /><br />A wider perspective:<br />http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/MRO/multimedia/pia08014.html

 

[spacechump]

Outstanding!<br /><br />Yeah, those a sharp and contain a lot of detail even from that distance. I can't wait to see some images at its final altitude.

 

[kane007]

Currently 2 excellent shots available from HiRISE.<br /><br />The thumbnails link to larger resolution images. Have copied them here and here.<br />

 

[telfrow]

<b>First Data from Mars Climate Sounder</b><br /><br />Snips:<br /><br /><i>The Mars Climate Sounder, an instrument on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter designed to monitor daily changes in the global atmosphere of Mars, made its first observations of Mars on March 24, 2006.</i> <br /><br />-------------<br /><br /><i>The visible-and-near-infrared image (left) is bright where surface ice and atmospheric hazes reflect sunlight back to space. The view is of the northern half of Mars, with the north polar cap visible as the bright semicircle at upper left. The night half of the planet (lower left) is dark. The "terminator" boundary between the day side and night side of the planet cuts from lower left to upper right, through the polar area. During the science phase of the mission, after the spacecraft has shrunk its orbit to a nearly circular loop approximately 300 kilometers (186 miles) above the surface, these visible-and-near-infrared readings by the Mars Climate Sounder will track how the amount of solar energy reflected from Mars varies from place-to-place and season-to-season, particularly in the polar regions where absorbed sunlight vaporizes the seasonal carbon-dioxide ice. <br /><br />The 12-micron image (center) indicates that heat is being emitted from both the day side and the night side of the planet. The polar cap is dark in this image because it is cold (minus 190 degrees Fahrenheit) and emits less heat than surrounding areas. During the science phase of the mission, the thermal-infrared readings at this wavelength by Mars Climate Sounder will be used to track dust and clouds in the atmosphere. In the current season on Mars, the atmosphere is relatively clear except for an equatorial belt of thin water-ice clouds present in the visible-and-near-infrared image, and so the 12-micron image is dominated by the infrared radiation from the surface on the relatively hot dayside (upper right). <br /><br />The 15-micron image (right) indicates the temperatures of the atmosp</i> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <strong><font color="#3366ff">Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild.</font> - <font color="#3366ff"><em>Tennyson</em></font></strong> </div>

 

[kane007]

MISSION NEWS<br />NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Craft Begins Adjusting Orbit 03.31.06<br /><br />NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter yesterday began a crucial six-month campaign to gradually shrink its orbit into the best geometry for the mission's science work.<br /><br />Another article available at Spaceflight Now re this "aerobraking".<br />

 

[earth_bound_misfit]

Crikey, at that res, the orbiter will be able to resolve the registation number plates on the rovers <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p> </p><p>----------------------------------------------------------------- </p><p>Wanna see this site looking like the old SDC uplink?</p><p>Go here to see how: <strong>SDC Eye saver </strong>  </p> </div>

 

[telfrow]

From the HiRoc Home Page:<br /><br /><i>Look for another release of new HiRISE images on April 6, 2006. A press release is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Thursday. Please come back to this site for more information. Multiple images of Mars taken by HiRISE in March will be released! These newly released images will also be available for viewing or download on NASA's web sites.</i><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <strong><font color="#3366ff">Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild.</font> - <font color="#3366ff"><em>Tennyson</em></font></strong> </div>

 

[telfrow]

Note: The release is scheduled for 10 am MST...not EST. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <strong><font color="#3366ff">Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild.</font> - <font color="#3366ff"><em>Tennyson</em></font></strong> </div>

 

[telfrow]

Still no new releases. <img src="/images/icons/frown.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <strong><font color="#3366ff">Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild.</font> - <font color="#3366ff"><em>Tennyson</em></font></strong> </div>

 

[telfrow]

<b>Update:</b><br /><br /><b><i>News Flash:</i></b> The HiRISE images release scheduled for April 6 has been postponed due to some server hardware problems. Hopefully they will be released on Friday, April 7. As soon as a date and time are confirmed, it will be posted here.<br /><br />We are very sorry for the delay in releasing the images, and any inconvenience that visitors have experienced from our web site being down on the afternoon of April 6. Please check back! Multiple images of Mars taken by HiRISE in March will be released! These newly released images will also be available for viewing or download on NASA's web sites.<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <strong><font color="#3366ff">Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild.</font> - <font color="#3366ff"><em>Tennyson</em></font></strong> </div>

 

[Philotas]

Is this the images you are talking about?<br /><br />http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08061<br /><br />http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08049<br /><br />(RAM killing image <img src="/images/icons/tongue.gif" />)<br /><br />Just a question, how close is the resolution of these images, to that of the image with the highest resolution taken so far(from Mars orbit)? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[telfrow]

May be - three photos were to be released at 10:15 am MST today.... and then "more" at 1:00 pm MST. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <strong><font color="#3366ff">Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild.</font> - <font color="#3366ff"><em>Tennyson</em></font></strong> </div>

 

[telfrow]

Those are two of the three. All three can be found here. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <strong><font color="#3366ff">Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild.</font> - <font color="#3366ff"><em>Tennyson</em></font></strong> </div>

 

[abq_farside]

Wow - those look really good. Any idea of the kind of resolution we are seeing in those images? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><em><font size="1" color="#000080">Don't let who you are keep you from becoming who you want to be!</font></em></p> </div>

 

[telfrow]

According to the MRO site, the color photo is 2.49 meters per pixel and The Argyre Impact Basin Rim photo is a 9.65 meters per pixel. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <strong><font color="#3366ff">Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild.</font> - <font color="#3366ff"><em>Tennyson</em></font></strong> </div>

 

[telfrow]

Here's the Perspective View (four more to follow):<br /><br />Full Image <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <strong><font color="#3366ff">Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild.</font> - <font color="#3366ff"><em>Tennyson</em></font></strong> </div>

 

[telfrow]

All new release photos are now posted. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <strong><font color="#3366ff">Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild.</font> - <font color="#3366ff"><em>Tennyson</em></font></strong> </div>

 

[brandbll]

I got a question. Is this thing gonna be able to take a picture of the landers or any of the lost ones like Beagle? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="3">You wanna talk some jive? I'll talk some jive. I'll talk some jive like you've never heard!</font></p> </div>

 

[brandbll]

Waht about beagle 2 or whatever it is called? Tehy thought they found the site. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="3">You wanna talk some jive? I'll talk some jive. I'll talk some jive like you've never heard!</font></p> </div>

 

[paulanderson]

There's another complete index listing of all images here also:<br /><br />http://hiroc.lpl.arizona.edu/first_images/first_three/images/JPG<br /><br />Lots to look at!