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alegator
sage
Reged: 10/27/04
Posts: 272
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To my surprise, images sent back by Phoenix are not as good as those sent by MER...or they have not been uplinked/processed yet? I mean panoramas like THIS ONE
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Celestron 8 (1978 model!)+tripod+eq.wedge
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David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 6782
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
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I think you are expecting way to much right now. The early "quick look" panoramas taken just after landing from the MER rovers were of similar quality. Do you know just how long it took for that wonderful color MER panorama you mention to get sent down? It took three days just to image over the right areas, and a lot longer than that to get the data down from the spacecraft, processed, and put together into its final form. Indeed, that particular panorama was taken over several days in September of 2005 but wasn't released until December 22nd of 2005. Right now, Phoenix is "on the clock", as it has a definite time table that it *must* meet to fulfill its mission requirements. It has to get its samples dug and processed before the sun sets on the polar region, bringing an end to the mission. Hi-res "Panoramas" just aren't a very high priority right now, and probably won't be for the immediate future. Oh, eventually, once they have some hard data from the sample scoop and instruments to chew on, the controllers will probably start doing a few high-res panoramas between extended runs, but for the time being, the mission is science and not picture taking. I for one am *far* more interested in what the lander will find in its analysis of the soil and ice than in what the images show of a distant and unobtainable horizon. Clear skies to you.
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David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
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alegator
sage
Reged: 10/27/04
Posts: 272
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David,of course that the main interest of Phoenix is the soil/ice analysis to find out for clues of life in Mars. I never meant that pictures were more important or interesting. I just mentioned it because I remember that as soon as MER Opportunity/Spirit landed they transmitted nice images of their surroundings to satisfy our curiosity of how the surface around the rovers looked like, and they did with much more detail than Phoenix. And one would expect that the camera onboard Phoenix is more sophisticated than those on the MER rovers.But there might be different mission constraints for Phoenix that prevent this.Regards.
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Celestron 8 (1978 model!)+tripod+eq.wedge
Edited by alegator (06/03/08 07:52 AM)
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AleX`G
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 05/29/06
Posts: 877
Loc: Scotland UK
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It seems to take these probes forever to do anything at all. I mean can't they dig whilst taking photos 
Alex
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Celestron/Vixen 102 f9.8
Vixen GP
Canon EF300mm f4L USM (non IS)
Canon 300D
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Never express yourself more clearly than you think. - Niels Bohr
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llanitedave
Humble Megalomaniac
Reged: 09/26/05
Posts: 10474
Loc: Amargosa Valley, NV, USA
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I don't know what the differences or similarities are between the suites of cameras carried aboard MER and Phoenix respectively, but I do recall that on the Spirit and Opportunity, the panoramic cameras are vital parts of the mission, since they are used to select and evaluate upcoming destinations and travel routes. Phoenix, on the other hand, isn't going anywhere, and panoramic vistas are a distant second in the priority list. Closeups and sample analysis is a much bigger deal on this one.
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"S.O.E." (Sauron's Other Eye) 16" Royce conical mirror: A permanent work in progress.
10" Homebuilt dob, old Coulter mirror
Next Project: The "Eye of Sauron" Observatory!
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David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 6782
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
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Quote:
David,of course that the main interest of Phoenix is the soil/ice analysis to find out for clues of life in Mars. I never meant that pictures were more important or interesting. I just mentioned it because I remember that as soon as MER Opportunity/Spirit landed they transmitted nice images of their surroundings to satisfy our curiosity of how the surface around the rovers looked like, and they did with much more detail than Phoenix. And one would expect that the camera onboard Phoenix is more sophisticated than those on the MER rovers.But there might be different mission constraints for Phoenix that prevent this.Regards.
There is a bit of an illusion here. The Spirit lander images had more detail because there *was* more detail there to begin with (hills, craters, rocks, etc.). It landed in an area where there were huge numbers of very small rocks, and the rocks were quite angular (ejecta from nearby impact craters). This gives the surface a more detailed look. Phoenix landed in an area which was *deliberately* selected to have as few rocks as possible, so there is considerably less detail to see in the area. Indeed, it would be better to compare the images from Phoenix to that of Opportunity, as the "parking lot" images from the 2nd MER generally show *less* detail than in the Phoenix images. In addition, the sun angle in the Phoenix images is pretty low, so the surface looks a lot darker than it did in the MER images. However, comparing the two spacecraft images of both the horizon and the parts of the landers shown, I see little difference between the resolution of the two. The Surface Stereo Imager on Phoenix and the Pancam on the MER probes are very similar in capability, although the MER Pancam has a slightly wider field of view and very slightly lower resolution per pixel. Again, the post-landing panorama was basically to let the controllers know where the spacecraft was and what was immediately around it. Once that was done, it was time to get on with the task which the lander was sent to Mars to do. Clear skies to you.
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David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
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