Flawless second day on Mars for Curiosity, high-res pic (including R/B 3D)

a pair of cameras -- set like two large eyes on the newly extended remote sensing mast -- will be used Thursday to give scientists their first full-color panoramic 360-degree view around the rover.

Read more at: phys.org...

I sure do hope that those colour images will be amazing.

NASA released a low resolution black and white panoramic images Wednesday that shows a vast sediment-covered plain, with low mountains in the distance. "The first impression you get is how earth-like this seems," commented John Grotzinger, a scientist for the mission.

Read more at: phys.org...

Indeed it does. Non the less extremely beautiful.

In other good news, Trosper said the indications are that Curiosity's electricity generator is making "more power that was expected." That's going to keep the rover operating longer, she explained, and added that the team was also able to resolve an anomaly that had been hindering the rover's weather-sensing equipment. She noted that the data shows temperatures around Curiosity are a little warmer than predicted, but they "are still looking at why."

Read more at: phys.org...

All and all not to bad news. Considering the distance of the trip and the fierce forces in the descent.
Quite impressive.

Next up, Curiosity will haul the Mars Science Laboratory as far as halfway up Mount Sharp, a towering three-mile (five-kilometer) Martian mountain with sediment layers that may be up to a billion years old. But it may be a full year before the remote-controlled rover gets to the base of the peak, which is believed to be within a dozen miles (20 kilometers) of the rover's landing site.

Read more at: phys.org...

Good luck and Bon Voyage!















For you lucky owners of old-shool 3D glasses






I did a ATS-search but could not find these pictures.
If I missed any similar thread let me know.

I don't understand how it is that $200 billion only buys you a black and white camera these days.
I really don't.

I love the way the regolith is breaking down. It is quite revealing as the hard rocks erode
In a distinct pattern. You could imagine once there was an earthlike atmosphere.

Can't wait for more. THanks for posting

reply to post by Awen24

I totally agree with you (except your 00), but we will get colour photos in two days hopefully.
Let us see then if we will be surprised and amazed.


reply to post by magma

Mars looks more than beautiful and I can not wait to get a better look.

reply to post by Awen24


$200 billion? The probe and mission is costing an estimated $2.5 billion.

www.newsdaily.com...

reply to post by Peruvianmonk


Ops I missed that little print error.
But I think it is only a case of butterfingers from our friend Awen24.

I really don't understand all these people who are winging about the 2 billion dollars they spent on this mission. That is really nothing at the end of the day, considering how many billions are wasted on other crap everyday.

And obviously the people who think we should be getting high res colour photos and video immediately, don't quite understand how it all works.

Here you can see where all the parts landed.

reply to post by homeslice


Agreed it is very little and already part of the NASA budget for this fiscal year. It's not like that money can now be used to pay for schools, hospitals etc.

Fantastic pictures, looks just like Arizona. Capricorn 2?

Originally posted by LiberalSceptic

In other good news, Trosper said the indications are that Curiosity's electricity generator is making "more power that was expected." That's going to keep the rover operating longer, she explained, and added that the team was also able to resolve an anomaly that had been hindering the rover's weather-sensing equipment. She noted that the data shows temperatures around Curiosity are a little warmer than predicted, but they "are still looking at why."

Read more at: phys.org...

Maybe no "anomaly" at all.
Maybe all of the planets are heating up some...

reply to post by homeslice


Personally I am 110% positive towards space exploration and I would not mind paying even higher taxes if I knew the money went to just that.
But I also want to see results, and as an impatient person when it comes to waiting, well that makes one blabber without any sense

reply to post by Corruptedstructure


Hopefully they will let us know more about this.

reply to post by Awen24


The cost of the project was not $200 billion, it was closer to $2 billion and that includes the R&D, manufacture and subsequent deployment of the Rover, in addition to operational costs for at least the next 2 years. This programme has already been active for 6 or so years and so that money is spread out over something like a decade.

The Rover has 17 cameras, the vast majority of them are black and white,because they are in use only for hazard identification and navigation. However there is a full HD camera that is able of taking videos at 10fps in colour that is yet to be fully deployed. In the coming weeks we can look forward to such videos and images being beamed back, in addition to the high resolution video of the descent after heat shield separation.

Please inform yourself before wrongly criticising a fantastic project and programme.

What really irritates me is NASA's demonstration of the ability to get as close as they do with an image mosaic top down view of the rover. Granted, the primary mission (that we know of) is to seek evidence of the primordial composition of life but one would think with all the anomolies on the planet they would zoom in for a close up on those. Maybe they have?!?!?. I am getting pretty damn tired of looking at rocks.

Nice images OP; keep them coming

reply to post by bkfd54


You mean like this?

reply to post by LiberalSceptic


I like the third picture down,

Mist over the mountains, then a small pyramid and last but not least, a couple of pot holes just like you get on dirt roads here on earth.

You can even see the water marks.

Just a little teaser of what to come

This is the latest panorama released by NASA July 2012. It was assembled from 817 images taken between Dec. 21, 2011, and May 8, 2012, while Opportunity was stationed on an outcrop informally named 'Greeley Haven'. on a segment of the rim of ancient Endeavour Crater.

360 degree panaoramic interactive moving view of Mars taken by Opportunity Rover.

www.panoramas.dk...

This looks like two VERY RECENTLY dried up puddles. They look like they are still a little damp.

reply to post by LiberalSceptic


What´s the jagged black edge in pics 3 and 4?

In pic 3 it's because seperate pics where stuck together to get a panoramic pic, but why in the 4th pic?

reply to post by VoidHawk


There could easily be moisture under the ground in that shot. It looks like some depreesive low lying area. It
Also looks like bedrock to the right of the photo.