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Posted by: Oersted May 28 2008, 07:03 PM

Rob Manning of EDL fame wrote this in another thread, which was closed, so I couldn't reply in there. Anyway, I think that this image surely deserves a thread of its own.

Rob, it will become one of the signature images of space exploration.

Up there with
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap951225.html,
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070218.html, and
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070420.html.
...(just kidding about the last one, I took it of the oculus of the Pantheon in Rome )

What a wonderful story this is. Despite the meticulous planning that went into the HiRise shot, despite the effort of tracking, slewing, yawing and whatnot of the MRO, despite all of that, serendipity took you all on a crazy roller-coaster ride of discovery and threw in this awe-inspiring background by complete chance!

Part of what defines a great photo is the framing. And what do you know: ALL of Heimdal crater is included in the shot! - How perfect is that? - Had it been cropped, the image would still have been fantastic, just for the engineering effort that went into it and for capturing Phoenix. With the whole crater included it moves from engineering excellence to a Work of Art. Perfect framing, and perfect 16:9 aspect ratio for that Hi-definition viewing experience . It is an image that will make for great big-size poster art, so that it won't be marred by the close-up box in the corner, which must go away, just for the sake of beauty.

Part of what defines a great photo is timing, and as a result of that, composition. Henri Cartier-Bresson was the acknowledged master (http://digitalfilmmaker.net/photo/HCB/). Again, you guys painstakingly did all you could to assure that HiRise would capture the right instant. But AGAIN serendipity totally took over and delivered perfect composition! - Little Phoenix could NOT have been placed better against the backdrop of the crater: with the crater's edge drawing an ellipse, the lander is almost exactly in the left-most focus point, with an uncluttered background and in perfect counterpoint to the more feature-rich right-side of the crater bowl.

In my country we have a saying that goes more or less like this: you have to strive for it, if you want to get lucky. The group behind "Phoenix over Heimdall crater" certainly got lucky, but you ONLY got lucky because you strived for this shot. You worked hard and intelligently, and for that Mother Nature rewarded you MORE than handsomely.

This picture will be there when we are all gone (my take on how to present it):



Poster-size version http://dalsgaard.eu/Pics/2008-06.Phoenix-over-Heimdall-Crater/Phoenix-over-Heimdall-Crater-by-Soeren-Dalsgaard.jpg

Posted by: As old as Voyager May 28 2008, 08:13 PM

It is a truley breathtaking image and composition.

Reminds me of Lunar Orbiter frame 162 http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/lunarorbiter/frame/?2162

Another image whose beauty is mostly fortuitous.

Perhaps Phoenix, Backshell and Parachute against Heimdall will be the 'Picture of the century' for our time.

Posted by: kenny May 28 2008, 08:16 PM

Agreed, it is an utterly iconic image.

However, the extremely high definition, large image size and miniature nature of the spacecraft image against the enormity of the crater, does raise portrayal issues. Unlike Apollo 8 moonrise, put the Phoenix image in a magazine full page spread, cropped to the width of Heimdall plus a bit more, and the average reader won't see the spacecraft. Most of us still haven't seen it without the blown-up sub-image showing the chute in the corner. Its scale is most unlike any other iconic space image -- if you want to show the enormous context of the whole of Heimdall.

So how this image will be shown in future, to best display its awesomeness, is a real issue. Maybe an entire wall in the Air & Space Museum?

Posted by: As old as Voyager May 28 2008, 08:31 PM

Blown up to huge proportions it would be stunning.

I think the image could pose reproduction problems in print but overall the small size and apparent fragility of the descending spacecraft really compliments the yawning maw of Heimdall.

Its like when you look at the famous Apollo 17 image of Jack Schmitt with the Split Rock on the South Massif, think its amazing and then spy the tiny glint of Lunar Module Challenger sitting lonely out on the valley floor.

Gives an image such perspective.

Posted by: Oersted May 28 2008, 08:35 PM

It is a particuliarity about the image that the "center of interest" is utterly small, but I prefer to think of it as a strength rather than a problem. It tells a story about the small size of the man-made object vs. the enormity of an entire planet. What a way to visualize that!

I would think that a 300dpi glossy magazine spread would be sufficient to show the image without a box. There's practically no detail to Phoenix even in full-size, so not much is lost when it is just apparent as two small, spindly dots. Present-day computer screens don't hack it, that's for sure, but future screens might.

No, what this image is made for is poster art: a huge big wonderful crater, and then this little white smudge that tells such a wondrous story.

We have to get rid of the abomination of the blow-up box, that is for sure. It is good engineering, but not good art I'm sure the image wizards here on UMSF can do something nice to the image, as Astrosurf has already done. If you really can't just show the original image for technical reasons, then maybe a black edge around the original image, and then a much smaller image box centered in the black edge below the big image, with a close-up of Phoenix.

Posted by: paxdan May 28 2008, 08:40 PM

i'd like to see a video with a zoom in, ending on the full res parachute image.

Posted by: Oersted May 28 2008, 09:11 PM

BTW, for those who don't know: Heimdall is a God of the Nordic Pantheon, one of a merry band that include Thor, Odin (Wotan), Loki, etc. Heimdall is the Guardian of the bridge from the land of human beings to the land of the Gods. The bridge was called Bifrost and do you know what it is? - The rainbow! - Isn't that a nice piece of mythology? - The rainbow being a bridge to the land of the Gods. Heimdall rode a chariot and had magnificent senses: he could hear the grass grow, see to the end of the world.

I'm sure our house UMSF poets can work wonders with that and the Bird rising from the Ashes

Here is a drawing of Heimdal (as we prefer to spell his name in Denmark) as he appears in a great series of comic books about the Nordic Gods by Peter Madsen. The series is called Valhalla (Castle of the Gods):

http://www.petermadsen.info/pages/vh/hv-er-hv/heimdal.html

This is cartoon based on the comic book series, for kids it is a great way of getting to know the Nordic Pantheon:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Valhalla+1986+Cartoon&search_type=

Posted by: GuyMac May 28 2008, 09:48 PM

One of the Tucson newspapers, the Arizona Daily Star, has it above the fold in today's issue.

Posted by: PFK May 28 2008, 09:59 PM

Quite so; and as I mention in the other thread
http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?showtopic=5173
it really should be able to be used as a massively inspirational educational tool. After all, just show a full scale blow up of that, explain exactly what it is and what is going on, and then you can branch off to just about any aspect of science you want - let's face it, you can link everything from chemistry to physics to geology to engineering to, well, you name it! You can even factor in the aesthetics of it and the history of science fiction literature etc etc etc.
I was about to say it's worth its weight in gold, but then I'm not sure how that would be quantified in the digital age

Posted by: TheChemist May 28 2008, 10:52 PM

This image most surely needs a warning note though. Something like :

"ATTENTION: view at your own risk. Might result in permanent jaw damage."

Posted by: nprev May 28 2008, 11:10 PM

It's a bit hard to describe what this image really signifies when considering how far we've come in such a brief period.

All I know is that it makes me proud to be a human being, and so happy to be alive at this point in history. This simple picture of a speck of our ingenuity blasting through the atmosphere of an alien world iconically represents the best within us.

Posted by: SpaceListener May 29 2008, 12:12 AM

At the first, the mentioned picture has scared me since due to its optical illusion that Phoenix was falling into a very beautiful crater in fact that it has a very nice concave bowl! Later, after studying and analyzing the picture, my reaction has changed to start in thinking that the nature close to a very tiny Phoenix spacecraft is of a great beauty.

Posted by: nprev May 29 2008, 12:19 AM

True...makes you think of the awesome vistas that must exist on Mars, even from orbit. There are so many craters just like Heimdall; imagine standing on its rim and hearing a faint sonic boom through your helmet as Phoenix made its passage!

Posted by: rlorenz May 29 2008, 12:27 AM

Also makes you wonder what MARDI would have seen if it had been taking images during descent. And
also calls into question whether you'd not also want side-looking, rather than just down-looking, images
during descent...

Posted by: nprev May 29 2008, 01:04 AM

(Sigh)...yes. I am certain that MSL will make up for this loss, and then some.

Somehow, I knew you had poetry in your soul, Ralph!

Posted by: mars loon May 29 2008, 01:46 AM

I agree. This is an iconic, jaw dropping image for the ages that evokes both the poetry and humanity which Rob described in that referenced post.

Personally I think the close up box is absolutely required for context: Parachute plus Crater makes the magic.

the position of the box is debatable

just a thought as I try to detach my jaw from the table

ken

Posted by: tuvas May 29 2008, 02:26 AM

As to the frequent comments of looking for the heat shield, well, it should be there somewhere close, but it would be very hard to tell a tiny heat shield from the rocks at the bottom of the crater. The parachute being so bright and very much unnatural, well, helps alot... A heat shield would look alot like a rock...

I suspect that the way it will be found is by a future HiRISE image of the site, looking to see if any of the black dots in the area are missing...

Posted by: Tesheiner May 29 2008, 09:44 AM

I, like others, am also of the opinion that the zoomed box is required.
The WOW factor on the image is based not only on our knowledge that those little "dots" are the parachute & lander but (and more important, imo) on the fact that (almost) all of us already saw the zoom image the day before and have that picture on our minds. But this image with the crater is not only for us here at this and similar forums, it's for the whole mankind; it should be understood by anybody else looking at the picture. Without the zoom, those little dots are just that: little dots.

BTW, yesterday I submited a request to APOD and I'm pretty sure I was not alone...

Posted by: ugordan May 29 2008, 10:26 AM

Judging by this line on the APOD site: "Tomorrow's picture: dramatic oblique", I think we know what's coming up tomorrow!

Posted by: fredk May 29 2008, 02:48 PM

About the zoom box, I almost feel guilty nitpicking this image, but my only criticism is that the diagonal lines don't connect corresponding corners...

Posted by: um3k May 29 2008, 03:00 PM

I noticed that too, fredk.

Posted by: Ant103 May 29 2008, 03:35 PM

Fredk : maybe something like this?

Posted by: fredk May 29 2008, 03:46 PM

Beautiful, Ant! And I see you've got the small box more accurately indicating the zoomed area, too.

Posted by: elakdawalla May 29 2008, 03:50 PM

Looks a bit pumpkin-orange to me -- I'd prefer more muted colors.

--Emily

Posted by: Ant103 May 29 2008, 04:12 PM

Okay Emily . An other try with a bit desaturation :

Posted by: GuyMac May 29 2008, 04:32 PM

We have made http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/phoenix-descent.php available of the crater and the contrast enhanced spacecraft (look for "unannotated" near the bottom of the page).

I've put together a new version of the http://pirlwww.lpl.arizona.edu/~guym/PSP_008579_9020_Descent.png using the higher-resolution versions. It is 4096x2038 and 5.1 MB.

Posted by: elakdawalla May 29 2008, 04:37 PM

Awesome, GuyMac, thanks. I assume the answer to this question is "no" but I'll ask anyway: was any color data taken at the time that this photo was shot?

EDIT: Just saw this at the bottom of the page Guy linked to: "HiRISE is currently producing its standard product images for this observation, but it is unlikely that a color version will be available, since the above image is not within the camera’s color swath."

--Emily

Posted by: volcanopele May 29 2008, 04:47 PM

Sweet! I presume that's the version up on the HiWall now?

Posted by: ElkGroveDan May 29 2008, 04:50 PM

I was thinking the same thing about the color in the Heimdall image. I'm guessing not. If we could encourage someone to arrange for a color image from either HIRISE or other device at a similar angle at a time in the near future, it wouldn't be difficult to drop in the color behind the original.

Posted by: GuyMac May 29 2008, 04:59 PM

Right, we may be able to get the center of the crater in color, but it failed the automatic color co-registration, probably because the CCD offset and overlap corrections don't match anything we've done before.

Posted by: MarsEngineer May 29 2008, 05:22 PM

Wow. I am glad that you all feel the same about this image as I do. (actually you may feel stronger about it ... I am simply way too biased)

Oersted, while being compared with Henri Cartier-Bresson would make my photo-loving wife laugh her head off ... the truth of the matter is a bizarre multistate photography session.

In Denver CO: the MRO team first points the UHF antenna (and camera by default)
In Pasadena CA: (in a final PHX EDL risk review) they casually mention that we really ought to click
In Pasadena CA: I frantically yell "CLICK!" (many meetings ensue to discuss risk - all the way to the east coast)
In Tucson AZ: the HiRISE team adjusts the exposure settings (via a new small sequence)
In Denver CO: the MRO team adjusts the pointing orientation and sets the camera to go "click" (a 50-something sec long click)
In Pasadena CA: We say GO!
Everywhere: Days later we discover what we where really taking a piicture of!

In addition to the great HiRISE team (did I mention I love HiRISE?), I had to thank the "can-do" MRO S/C team, and especially MRO's Jim Erickson who understood the technical importance (for fault reconstruction) and I (assume) also the potential historical importance. Also I stressed out some members of the PHX team (they were stressed as it was and I made them more worried we would be "breaking" something on the MRO side that was working).

One of the ironies is that in our presentation to upper management that stressed the fault reconstruction benefits (and balanced them against the risk of causing a loss of MRO Electra UHF open loop record data or worse) we did not talk about whether this image might have historical or "cool" importance ... we did not have to.

Thanks again all!

You all made my day!

-Rob Manning

Posted by: helvick May 29 2008, 05:28 PM

I like the idea of making it a colour image but I agree with Emily - I'd prefer to see (far more) muted colours.

Posted by: GuyMac May 29 2008, 05:35 PM

Just re-did it at 16 bits per pixel to match the TIFFs, the file is now 7.4 MB.

Posted by: Tman May 29 2008, 05:39 PM

Could that be the heat shield? It looks rounder and sharper than most of the other "spots".

http://www.greuti.ch/mro/phoenixheatshield.jpg

Posted by: ugordan May 29 2008, 05:57 PM

Looks to me to be in the wrong direction. I'd expect it to be somewhere in the extension of the parachute-backshell line and somewhat downwards. This appears to be sideways too much and there are some other dark pixels like that in other places of the image.

Btw, GuyMac, I'm curious how you managed to produce such a nice enhanced color view of the chute, I was under the impression the source data was badly underexposed and noisy? Nice work!

Posted by: djellison May 29 2008, 06:20 PM

I'd expect the heat shield to be below, and a little downrange (right) of the chute - that spot looks feasible to me - we're what, 20s after chute deploy, roughly 10s after heatshield jettison - it's not going to be a million miles away.

Doug

Posted by: tuvas May 29 2008, 06:27 PM

The dot being the heat shield is a strong possibility, but the proof will only come when a HiRISE picture of the crater comes minus the lander. You are at least the 3rd person to independently suspect that that is indeed the heat shield though (myself included).

Posted by: ugordan May 29 2008, 06:32 PM

I'd like to know more about the geometry of the observation and which direction relative to this image Phoenix was heading. Using the EDL HUD anim as reference, the stack was moving at a 45 degree angle downward so this image gives me the impression of Phoenix moving principally toward MRO. That's why the dark speck seems too far right to me, although I have to admit it does look conspicuous. I'm not totally convinced, a full resolution crop would probably show if this is an artefact of the sharpening process.

Posted by: stevelu May 29 2008, 06:56 PM

I'll have to cast another vote for muted colors. Ant103 -- your effort is much appreciated! But to be honest, if your first desaturated version was "one click" desaturated, I would say at least 3 or 4 clicks.

However, it sounds to me like somehow, by hook or crook, they will probably contrive some 'real' coloration for us at some point. So do as you will, we can easily enough desaturate our own

Shifting to the main topic, I agree with others: a stunning and historic image. I am waiting to see if TIME or Newsweek put it on their cover, but that is ephemera.

As one of the first posters in the thread observed, we have one of the truly iconic images of space here. Perhaps it will come to be seen as more than that, as some of the early space age images of the Earth did, this one iconic of the hope and wonder, the fragility and persistence, of humanity's dreams and aspirations as we move into the 21st century.

A deep thanks to all whose work, vision, and tense shoulders made this happen!

Posted by: dburt May 29 2008, 07:04 PM

Agree. What I especially like is what that georgeous image (and I prefer desaturated too) seems to say about why Phoenix was able to find a boulder-free area for its landing - that nearby crater didn't kick out any big rocks, because its target area apparently didn't contain any (or many). In terms of impact science, we might have visual confirmation of William K. Hartmann's contention (2003, A Traveler's Guide to Mars, p. 272) that "A cosmic impact into such weakly consolidated old materials may produce only a kablooey blast of steam and dust but no rocks shot into space" (made in relation to energy dissipation and the ages of martian meteorites found on Earth).

-- HDP Don

Posted by: Stu May 29 2008, 07:05 PM

I kinda like these colours...

Hope you don't mind me playing about with your gorgeous original, Ant...

Posted by: Tman May 29 2008, 07:37 PM

There's an animation from the second briefing (http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3704&Itemid=1) that shows approximately the geometry of the observation (moving away to MRO path during the exposure) http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/multimedia/9247.html
Therefrom I'd expect too that the heat shield is a little right of the chute, which also corresponds with the final landing spots on the ground.

Posted by: ugordan May 29 2008, 07:38 PM

My goofy whack at colorization http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/9/14/1431389/phoenix_colorization.jpg.

Posted by: imipak May 29 2008, 07:41 PM

Mmmm, sepia. Yummy

Posted by: ahecht May 29 2008, 08:05 PM

If you download the 25MB 4k image the lines are fixed.

Posted by: ilbasso May 29 2008, 08:29 PM

My first reaction on seeing Phoenix over the crater was to recall Alan Bean's excited shouts on Apollo 12, just after the LM pitched over for final approach: "There it is! There it is! Son of a gun! Right down the middle of the road!"

Posted by: dvandorn May 29 2008, 08:35 PM

Yep -- except that was Pete Conrad yelling, not Al Bean.

-the other Doug

Posted by: Shaka May 29 2008, 09:46 PM

goofy? You're too modest, Gordo. I find your version both tasteful and serene. The one to hang in my living room above the sofa.

Posted by: Nix May 29 2008, 10:09 PM

I messed around a bit in PS with the 'match color' function, and as a sourcefile a soil-only-crop of one of the full-colour press-release images. Fun

http://www.awalkonmars.com/PSP_008579_9020_4096sx2038lweb.jpg (large res)

Nico

Posted by: GuyMac May 29 2008, 10:18 PM

Well it's not color, but you're right, the original is under-exposed, very low signal to noise, like our AEB images. This version is reduced from the original by a factor of 5 instead of 10. So really, it's the averaging every 25 pixels into 1 that takes care of the noise. We will release everything once we can make our RED RDR product, which we think is days away (pointing kernels for this obs should be ready now).

Tim Parker earlier noted the spot that is mentioned and suggested that it could be the heat shield since it is darker than other spots, about in the right location and looks less jagged. We are planning a Heimdall observation upcoming (it will not be oblique however).

Posted by: ugordan May 29 2008, 10:23 PM

LOL, yes I didn't mean color, it was a typo. I understand the S/N improved when you downsized the whole image, but I was actually commenting on the full resolution lander inset. It's light years ahead of the dark, original release. Maybe it's just due to the brighter background, I dunno.

It would be utterly cool if you were to find there's no corresponding dark spot in the Heimdall observation. This image just seems to have ways of getting better and better. Maybe we should be looking for fragments of the cruise stage somewhere in there as well

Posted by: Astro0 May 29 2008, 10:34 PM

OK, here's my version of the Heimdall image.
Colourisation and surrounding terrain added.
Removed the inset and actual vehicle.
Added a parachute and backshell taken from the EDL animation.

Two versions on offer...
Wide poster (larger version available on request)

Enjoy
Astro0

EDIT: WARNING! ARTIST@WORK - NOT SCIENTIST!

Posted by: Astro0 May 29 2008, 10:36 PM

And the desktop version.

Astro0

PS: There is a movie version on the way.

Posted by: Oersted May 29 2008, 10:46 PM

Astro, sorry, thanks but no thanks! - I think it doesn't do the picture a favour to include a big image of Phoenix. I really like your black border in the original shot though.

What I'm envisioning is the original picture, a black border and then the Phoenix inset placed somewhere in the black border, maybe centered below the main image, and with some discreet indication in the black border of where to look for the lander in the main image. Basically, an inset that doesn't tamper with the original shot, but rather has a box somewhere outside the main image.

Posted by: helvick May 29 2008, 11:21 PM

Agree 100% with Oersted on this - there is the potential for an absolutely breathtaking presentation of what is technically a unique image here provided we are careful enough to present the key features subtly enough.

I'm not being critical of anyone's work - I can't do this sort of thing at all - but I feel that there is a magnificent composition within reach here that nobody has quite reached yet.

Posted by: Astro0 May 29 2008, 11:38 PM

Sorry you didn't like it
It's an "artist's impression" after all.
Is this more satisfactory?

Astro0

Edit: Desktop-ified for lyford

Posted by: ElkGroveDan May 29 2008, 11:51 PM

I liked it.

Posted by: tim53 May 30 2008, 12:26 AM

Don't laugh! I actually think that's a good idea.

At the MPF site, there are several bright "flecks" spread over a few hundred meters around the proposed heatshield impact site (one of these was visible in the 'presidential pan' from the ground) that are puzzling. At first I thought, 'can't be the heatshield after all, because they're too far apart and if the heatshield were inclined to fall apart while descending, it would have done so first thing upon hitting the atmosphere'. So, I started to wonder if they were pieces of the Cruise Stage. Initially, Rob Manning was thinking that it should have burned up completely, but I think he now believes that some of it should make it to the ground (correct me if I'm wrong, Rob).

But lately I've been thinking that those flecks are instead pieces of the mylar insulation on the inside of the heatshield that were exposed to the wind after heatshield separation and tumbling. The bulk of the heathsield is identifiable - particularly when viewing the area in stereo - but there are a lot of big rocks at the MPF site and so we might not know for sure for a long time.

If the Cruise stage hit the atmosphere somewhere in the Heimdall HiRISE scene, perhaps the best chance of finding falling fragments would be to look for anomalously bright (or bluish, if there's color) pixels. But unless Rob has a pretty good idea of where it should be relative to the lander, it might be a ginormous task. Chances might be better around the landing site, provided it's not too far away.

I've been looking for remnants of the cruise stages for the MER rovers and MPF, but haven't found anything suspicious yet (with the exception of the bright flecks at MPF, that is).

-Tim.

Posted by: lyford May 30 2008, 01:19 AM

Hello new desktop!

Posted by: nprev May 30 2008, 01:41 AM

Astro0, I like both the artist's impression (which you certainly are!) and the desktop...spectacular work as always, thank you!

Posted by: Shaka May 30 2008, 01:51 AM

AstroO, me old matey, I'd parachute from a plane for your "composite images"!
If we didn't have the 'miracle' of the real photograph, your version would be indispensable.

Posted by: Astro0 May 30 2008, 02:38 AM

Shaka, you bring up an interesting point. If we didn't have the actual image, then no one would believe that an artist's view like mine were feasible at all. Wait for the movie version which I hope to get done over the weekend. Found a great soundtrack to go with it.
Astro0

Posted by: glennwsmith May 30 2008, 03:07 AM

I think this image captures the essence of the human condition, much as Sagan's "pale blue dot", and which can be summed up in the word "poignant" -- the paradox that it is the very vastness of the cosmos that renders our personal experiences -- the love for a stillborn infant, for example -- meaningful. "Poignant" comes from the same root as "point", as in the pin that can collapse an entire balloon. Or from the Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are the meek" . . . So Rob, right on man! I am so damn proud to be part, in a small way, of all of this!

Posted by: ilbasso May 30 2008, 03:30 AM

There's a similar scene in the IMAX movie, "Walking on the Moon in 3D." As the Apollo 15 LM, Falcon, is descending, there's a long shot that shows the tiny LM almost completely invisible, silhouetted against the vastness of the Hadley area. In fact, while I could see the LM in that shot in the IMAX theatre, I almost cannot discern it when viewing that scene on my 42" HDTV. Even if the Moon or Mars are relatively small compared to Earth, our measly space vessels easily are almost as nothing compared to the "magnificent desolation" that surrounds them. We're used to seeing close-up shots of our vessels, and that makes them seem bigger and somehow more impressive than they really are.

Posted by: Pando May 30 2008, 07:13 AM

I made a quick movie out of this. Crank up the sound and enjoy!

Click on the link, then click on Heimdall1.mpg

http://www.speedyshare.com/290615381.html

(credit goes to Nico who's colorized image I used, and of course NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)

Posted by: Shaka May 30 2008, 07:35 AM

If I were Ustrax, I'd hug you, Pando, if you didn't look so much like Mr. Bean.
A supernatural inspiration, but I never saw the parachute. You need to bring in the full-res enhanced parachute right below the word "parachute" and then linger on the closeup before panning out. (Sure, you might have to double up on Zarathustra, but Strauss won't mind.)

Posted by: ugordan May 30 2008, 07:44 AM

Since we opened this can of worms, what is (in principle) the delta-V imparted on the cruise stage at sep and how different is the entry trajectory supposed to be? If the thing is tumbling while burning up in the atmosphere, shouldn't that produce an even larger landing impact ellipse than the lander's ellipse due to lift/drag effects?

Posted by: imipak May 30 2008, 07:49 AM

Very nice - could I suggest the zoom out / reveal should be a little slower?

Posted by: Tesheiner May 30 2008, 08:28 AM

Add myself to the list...
I downloaded the big image by GuyMac a few minutes before reaching Tman's post and thought the same about that "black dot".


http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080530.html

Posted by: dmuller May 30 2008, 09:26 AM

to open it even further ... anybody ever looked for remnants of the Mars Climate Orbiter?

Posted by: ugordan May 30 2008, 09:44 AM

I'd say that one is an impossibility. It entered the atmosphere at such a low angle that the ellipse would probably be in the hundreds of kilometers length by several tens of km in width. We'd have more chance of finding Beagle 2, I'd say...

Posted by: Tman May 30 2008, 10:48 AM

To be honest, creating that cutout, every tenth second I was thinking "hurry up, hurry up"

Posted by: Oersted May 30 2008, 11:43 AM

Ouch, the crop....

Posted by: Oersted May 30 2008, 11:46 AM

Astro, I love this one on the other hand! Almost exactly what I was looking for.

Don't take my critique of the other composite to badly, it is just my opinion, others I'm sure like it a lot. I'm sure you appreciate that I give you my true opinion and don't just praise even that which I don't like too much. The major thing is that it is great to have all you image wizards churning out lot's of different artistic visions.

Posted by: tim53 May 30 2008, 05:34 PM

I asked Rob about how long the error ellipse might be, and I think he said "envision a great circle around the planet".

Finding the Soviet landers is going to be hard enough - requiring upwards of 1,000 HiRISE images each.

I honestly gave up the idea of finding MCO.

...for the time being, that is

-Tim.

Posted by: djellison May 30 2008, 06:07 PM

What are your thoughts on B2 Tim? I can consign our failure to find an MPL 'chute to the changing environment, the 'rise and fall' as it were of the frost and ice etc. But the B2 chute should be as easy to find as that of MER, MPF etc.

Doug

Posted by: Reed May 30 2008, 08:39 PM

Full inline quote removed - Doug

It will be very interesting to see what the Phoenix stuff looks like after a season. Personally, I think there's a pretty good chance that MPL just isn't in any of the hirise images taken thus far.

Posted by: PFK May 30 2008, 08:50 PM

Good stuff. Made me think of having a go. Again, a bit of sound cranking wouldn't go amiss, but you definitely need bass...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O3AgfBLNHg

Posted by: tim53 May 30 2008, 10:28 PM

Hi Doug:

So far, HiRISE has taken 3 images of the Beagle 2 landing ellipse, all toward the east, downrange end (because both MERs went downrange of the center of their ellipses, and the atmopheric conditions were similar to Beagle 2). It looks like maybe 20% or so of the ellipse itself is covered (going on the ellipse posted on Malin's website during the MOC search). There's another image east of the end of the ellipse. I've looked at all 4 images, and haven't found anything obvious... ...but I'm planning on starting over, now that I know what another lander and its "stuff" looks like on the surface of Mars now.

I forget how big the Beagle chute was, but there were two of them - a drogue and a main, IIRC. Even the main is small compared to MER, but I think you're right and, if it worked, it ought to be fairly easy to spot.

-Tim.

Posted by: tim53 May 30 2008, 10:30 PM

There is a good chance, since as Rob pointed out, initial targeting fell west of the center of the ellipse - and so there's a "painful gap" just east of the center of the ellipse by a few kilometers.

I can't wait for the sun to come back up.

-Tim.

Posted by: Eric Hartwell May 30 2008, 10:49 PM

There's an RGB slice of the crater rim in http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_005717_2485. Looks more grey than red.

Posted by: jumpjack May 31 2008, 12:55 PM

Sorry guys, I can't understand a thing:
is thise image a detail of the overall "heimdall image"?


If yes, why is it black, and why is the lander moving in the opposite direction wrt big image?!?
If no... where is the remaining of the HiRISE image?!?

Other question: why "hi res" images of heimdall still do not show lander and parachute in full resolution?!?

Final question: first caption in descent image said it was under investigation if lander shadow is visible on crater rim: is this investigation still going on?!?

Posted by: djellison May 31 2008, 04:52 PM

Because the dynamic range of the image is huge - the parachute is much much brighter than the background, thus to render the parachute visible, one has to tone down the rest of the image.



Opposite direction to what? EDL started from the left of that image, the landing site is below it - that orientation is correct


They're still working on the full image - it's a very unusual and off-nominal observation for HiRISE to do, so it take manual processing to get it right.

Doug

Posted by: Oersted May 31 2008, 07:03 PM

It IS true that the smaller image shown above for some reason is flipped horizontally compared to the big image. But Hirise took just one image, so that is the one we see in all the different versions.

Note that Rob Manning didn't get to see the big shot either in the very beginning. He only saw that complete image of Heimdall crater later on and thought it was a fake, until he realized it was true enough.

BTW this week's The Economist carries the amazing picture prominently:

http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11448741&CFID=7716801&CFTOKEN=15088232

- Good article.

Posted by: DaveM May 31 2008, 08:06 PM

full inline quote removed - Doug

The parachute image is not flipped, it's just rotated differently. When the HiRISE team was looking for Phoenix, they had no idea they had caught Heimdall crater in the background because it was too big to see in the individual CCD images. When they found the parachute, they just cropped it out and rotated it manually to make it look nice. It was only later when they stitched together the other CCDs and saw the picture of the crater in the background that they were able to rotate the image to the proper orientation.

Posted by: djellison May 31 2008, 08:25 PM

I've put together an animation of what I think will help put this breathtaking image into context. I've made a very crude chute and backshell model, put it over Tim's May 25m map of the landing ellipse, and start off with as similar view to that of HiRISE as I can fudge, and then zoom right in, fly around it, and fly out and above it to show the landing site below. It's rendering now, I wont have time to get it finished and online before I do my uStream lecture at 2230BST, but it'll be online tomorrow.

Doug

Posted by: Oersted Jun 1 2008, 08:18 AM

sounds good, can't wait!

Posted by: Stu Jun 1 2008, 10:09 AM

OVER HEIMDALL

Look…

Two specks. Two snowflake flecks of white
drifting through a fire-threaded sky:
a sign that for a brief, bright golden time
Mankind reached out across the Black
and grasped the many mysteries of Mars…

Far behind and far, far below, the great hole
of Heimdall gazes at the sky, an empty eye
socket in the ice-scraped skull of the northern
plains, stained and tamed by Time,
sighing as the Phoenix flew on by…

Just two full stop dots on a portrait of
a planet far away, but their presence proves
the paws of curious apes reached out and touched
the face of Mars; built a glittering steel butterfly
to try and tell them if they really are Alone…

Two mere pin pricks on a pixelled picture, but they
scream into the dark “We failed but tried a second time!”
And like a lamp, lighting up the abyssal martian night,
those Phoenix flames ignited the sense of wonder yet again
in all who watched her landing.

© Stuart Atkinson 2008

Posted by: djellison Jun 1 2008, 11:24 AM

Zooming from 700km to 50m, 1 deg FOV to 45deg FOV is quite a long camera pull, and it wasn't really working - so I'm re-rendering now - shouldn't take took long. Here's a preview JPG of just using the initial shot ( 1deg fov ) with a subset I added on of 0.1deg FOV. I fudged the elevation around the crater, I don't have the MOLA data to do something cleverer than that - but if you compare and contrast with the HiRISE image - it's 'representative' if not accurate.

Posted by: Julius Jun 1 2008, 11:30 AM

was checking the phoenix landing site on MOLA map by MGS and noted the relatively low altitude below the average reference ground level for Mars;I think it must be between 0 to 4km below the average;then i just checked the southern cap which lies on a considerably higher ground(between 0 to 3km above the reference point);it looks like Phoenix had an extra 4km or so of atmosphere to slow down compared to MPL which we know crashed....any ideas /suggestions on this?

Posted by: Julius Jun 1 2008, 11:58 AM

dont know whether it is the right place to comment about this,but any ideas as to the origin of hills on the horizon of the phoenix landing site..we're sitting at the edge of Alba patera;could these represent ash/volcanic deposits from Alba and as to The 'green valley',is this a fracture from the same Alba??

Posted by: dmuller Jun 1 2008, 12:26 PM

If I recall correctly, a "low" altitude that was one of the engineering constraints for the landing site selection. Wasn't it like min MOLA -2.5km or so? The extra atmosphere (length of flight and density) does add to the effectiveness of the parachute. But they knew the landing altitude for the MPL lander and the EDL there was designed accordingly - a possible cause being discussed is that the MPL 'thought' it had touched the ground when it was actually still 50m or so up, rather than the atmosphere being too thin (as was a problem for Beagle2 / Spirit / Opportunity)

Posted by: djellison Jun 1 2008, 12:59 PM

Simulation movie - http://www.dougellison.com/?p=19 - not 100%, but I think it'll help put it into context

Posted by: ilbasso Jun 1 2008, 01:13 PM

Beautifully done! That puts it into context very well. The only thing I might add would be to have a view from the right side of the current picture - perpendicular to the HIRISE image, that shows both the lander and the crater in the same shot. You could achieve that by "pulling back" from the viewpoint about halfway through your movie. I thought the changing focus effect was particularly good, when you pull focus on the lander and the background goes fuzzy.

Posted by: Airbag Jun 1 2008, 01:14 PM

Very nice Doug; really shows that the lander is very much in front of the crater and not "in" it. My personal preference would be to remove the somewhat jarring zoom out from the crater and back in again and just zoom right in on the lander instead.

Airbag

Posted by: Ant103 Jun 1 2008, 01:18 PM

Very good animation who showing exactly the context .

Posted by: djellison Jun 1 2008, 02:45 PM

The 'zoom out- zoom in' is actually the camera going from a 1deg fov to a 45 deg fov, whilst zooming in from 700km to <1km - it is a bit jarring, but it'll do

Doug

Posted by: Airbag Jun 1 2008, 03:07 PM

Or perhaps start with the wide angle view, then "zoom" to the "classic" view and continue from there with the closer zoom in etc. to the model? Well, it is your animation of course so who am I to say what is best!

Airbag

Posted by: glennwsmith Jun 1 2008, 03:24 PM

Stu, you have lived up to your title of Poet Laureate! The skull conceit is more than clever.

Doug, fabulous animation man -- really gives you an idea of the huge expanse that MRO/Hirise was challenged to cover.

Posted by: nprev Jun 1 2008, 03:47 PM

Whoa... ...VERY cool animation, Doug, thanks!

Stu's poems are always on target, and I liked the skull metaphor as well. Waiting patiently for the collection in book form!

Posted by: Tman Jun 1 2008, 04:09 PM

Great Doug! It put the (my) misty/undefined 2D feeling into the right place about the location - even made me feel a little queasy.

;-) Where's the heat shield?

Posted by: djellison Jun 1 2008, 04:57 PM

Updated - more of a dolly-in-THEN-zoom-out - still at http://www.dougellison.com/?p=19 If we had an unquestionable heatshield location, I'd put it in. Someone was asking about shadow. The shadow would be way way off the bottom of this image, and way to the right as well.

Doug

Posted by: mhoward Jun 1 2008, 05:56 PM

<Keanu Reeves voice> Whoa. </Keanu Reeves voice>

Posted by: paxdan Jun 1 2008, 06:46 PM

excellent doug.

how about overlaying in the colour image of the lander on the surface and then zooming down to show it.

Posted by: Airbag Jun 1 2008, 06:57 PM

Yes, I prefer the second version - very nice! Wait, I think I just saw some things that looked just like letters on the ground below the lander - nah, they are probably just rocks!

Posted by: glennwsmith Jun 1 2008, 09:22 PM

Doug, you've nailed it with this second version!

Posted by: Nix Jun 1 2008, 09:57 PM

Awesome animation !! !!

Nico

Posted by: Oersted Jun 1 2008, 10:17 PM

Fine animations, for sure, great work!

Posted by: ilbasso Jun 2 2008, 01:40 PM

Beautiful! Thanks for sharing! Great software being run by a real artist!

Posted by: Skyrunner Jun 2 2008, 01:49 PM

Superb animation doug, It tells a story!

Posted by: elakdawalla Jun 2 2008, 02:52 PM

Awesome, Doug. Just to be sure: all of the motion in the animation is just because of the motion of the camera; Phoenix is standing still in space. Is that correct?

--Emily

Posted by: jmknapp Jun 2 2008, 04:29 PM

Neat!--where does the topo map come from?

Posted by: stewjack Jun 2 2008, 05:15 PM

Oh Yea!.
Oh: Yea Yea Yea.

Jack

Posted by: gallen_53 Jun 2 2008, 05:25 PM

Beautiful animation.

I assume that the crater in the upper right hand corner of the animation's last frame is Heimdall Crater. I have no sense of scale. How far is Phoenix's landing point to the edge of Heimdall Crater? Maybe a scale indicating one kilometer might be a good idea for the last frame?

Posted by: djellison Jun 2 2008, 06:27 PM

Everything is totally static - I thought about emulating the rest of the landing, but until we see the PHX team releasing an EDL reconstruction, it would be fairly pointless. The elevation is fictional - I made it up - I gave the crater a bit of a rim, some of the hills a bit of elevation - just enough to hint at something. The final frame shows Heimdall.

Posted by: lyford Jun 2 2008, 08:06 PM

http://www.collectmad.com/madcoversite/index-dmd.html (words fail me!)

I am jealous of your mad skills. Thanks for enthusing this enthusiast!

Posted by: bcory Jun 2 2008, 11:37 PM

Simply superb Doug!

Puts it all in perspective.

Just like I imagined it....

Thanks for sharing!


-Dave

Posted by: PDP8E Jun 3 2008, 12:29 AM

Doug,

Beautiful work
I am truly humbled by your skills
wow!

Posted by: Oersted Jun 3 2008, 12:41 AM

I'd like to have a go at the original image, do some Photoshop framing, etc. Which is the best version out by now? And where do I find it?

Posted by: jamescanvin Jun 3 2008, 07:12 AM

Go to the http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/phoenix-descent.php for the latest versions. No full res yet but some pretty big .tif images are there, with and without the insert.

Posted by: Oersted Jun 3 2008, 08:57 AM

Thank you James. I'll work with that one, can't wait for the full-res though!

Posted by: As old as Voyager Jun 3 2008, 06:39 PM

Stunning animation Doug!

Really shows just where Phoenix is in relation to Heimdall and the surface.

Posted by: Oersted Jun 3 2008, 08:35 PM

Here's my version of the image, what do you think?



Poster-size version http://dalsgaard.eu/Pics/2008-06.Phoenix-over-Heimdall-Crater/Phoenix-over-Heimdall-Crater-by-Soeren-Dalsgaard.jpg

Posted by: Oersted Jun 4 2008, 08:32 PM

I think I can quote this PM, which I appreciate a lot, from MarsEngineer:

---

"Very nice Soeren!

I like the way that the inset was moved off of the crater. It makes the scene of a lonely lander on the parachute seem all that much smaller and the surface of Mars all that much more vast.

Thank you!!!!"

---

- I wonder if it is not really clear to people what the white bars represent. Well, they line up with Phoenix in the main image, and are more or less of the height and width of the box insert. Maybe it should be done otherwise, if it doesn't spring immediately to the eye of unsuspecting onlookers...

Anyway, I had fun doing the poster (a big 4380x2693 pixels, linked above), and think I'll print it out and put it on my wall someday soon!

Posted by: ugordan Jun 4 2008, 08:45 PM

Actually, I think the box marking the inset in the zoomed out view is larger than the actual inset in the HiRISE release.

EDIT: Ahh, yours looks just about right, sorry about that. Great concept, btw!

Posted by: kenny Jun 4 2008, 10:21 PM

Great stuff Mr Oersted

I would suggest putting the enlargement of Phoenix picture box next to the word "Phoenix" rather than "over" to increase the association of image with name.,...

then make the white lines thinner and put a small arrow head where they meet the picture edge... and lose the one on the far right -- not necessary and a distraction away from where the main action.

Just some ideas, good work!

Posted by: glennwsmith Jun 4 2008, 10:28 PM

Oersted, very professional looking.

Posted by: Oersted Jun 4 2008, 10:50 PM

Thx for your comments guys!

Kenny, those are very good suggestions, and would probably improve the poster. I'll leave it as it is, though, since it was just a little project for an evening. I hope others will take up some of those ideas of yours. The arrows would be very good: Not so aesthetic-looking, but people would probably "get it" much more easily.

glennwsmith, professional is the last thing it is, but thanks! - I'm a total photoshop amateur, and most measurements in the poster are a bit off because they were merely made with the good old Mark 1 eyeball There isn't any fancy stuff in the framing simply because I wouldn't know how to do it! - Sometimes less is more though, and keeping it simple is probably not that bad.

Posted by: Astro0 Jun 5 2008, 03:31 AM

Here's a very tiny version of a movie that I'm working on at the moment.
In the larger version, you can see Phoenix crossing the crater scene.
Not for scientific accuracy remember, just to be pleasing to watch.
Uses animation previously produced for Phoenix and combined with new shots/editing/music etc.
 Phoenix_Heimdall_sml.wmv ( 837.95K ) : 688

Enjoy
Astro0

Posted by: dmuller Jun 5 2008, 04:52 AM

Marvelous Astro0!

Just an idea, and since I dont know how to make such movies, I have no idea if it works out anyway: maybe at the end you could zoom out and keep zooming out until MRO comes into the picture, camera facing Heimdall ... 'click' ...

Posted by: Tman Jun 5 2008, 09:30 AM

Very nice! Like the sequence where the crater appears. Afterwards Doug's animation would be cool

Posted by: Bill Harris Jun 5 2008, 10:01 AM

>Phoenix over Heimdal

One small but major comment-- Phoenix is not over the crater. The gives the absolute wrong interpetation of what was happening since the lander has passing several tens of miles in front of the background crater. Good press, poor science.

My 2c.

--Bill

Posted by: climber Jun 5 2008, 10:54 AM

Do not forget inspirational.
AWS&T, june 2 issue, Craig Covault : "About 20 sec. after parachute opened, MRO took one of the most remarkable image in space program history".
When I see the image, when any people see the image, if the thought is : "it worth it" or "whoua", who would care about science? We'll never get science if people do not back Space Exploration. Rob's words are very powerful in this sense when one realise that even MarsEngineer(s) feel their hard work has paid off for themselves. I think there's time for science, there's time for wonders.
I understand what you mean though and lack of precision drive me mad sometimes... But I don't even care when the topic is out of my interests or when I don't know what it has been talked about.
And if I refer to The Other Doug saying that an event do not happen before an observer can see it, Phoenix is definately OVER Heimdall Crater

Posted by: Oersted Jun 5 2008, 12:22 PM

I thought about that of course, Bill, and I think it is valid to say "over Heimdall", because it can just as well be interpreted as "overlaid" or "seen over the background of". And for presentational purposes "Phoenix over Heimdall Crater" is a heck of a lot better than "Phoenix ten kilometers in front of...". Planes are also said to fly "over the North Pole", even though they probably weren't even within 10 km's of the place.

My interpretation: "Over" is definitely sufficiently vague to encompass the actual geometry.

Posted by: centsworth_II Jun 5 2008, 02:53 PM

A time-honored interpretation.

"Image of the Earth rising over the Moon from Apollo 8"


"The cow jumped over the moon."

Posted by: MahFL Jun 5 2008, 03:28 PM

Holy cow !!

Posted by: Oersted Jun 5 2008, 04:47 PM

Looking very much forward to the end-product Astro0! - I hope it will show just how far in front of Heimdall Phoenix is.

Posted by: helvick Jun 5 2008, 11:59 PM

I must apologise for having been too critical of one of your compositions earlier in the thread but I really love the emotion of the Heimdall shot and wanted to see it presented in the best possible way (for me obviously, which is quite subjective I admit). Anyway, while my preference was for a still image like the one Oersted produced (which I think is excellent), your video really does bring it all together extremely well. When can we get the high res video? This one's a keeper, and just as excellent as Oersted's still presentation IMO.

Posted by: Astro0 Jun 6 2008, 12:54 AM

Thanks Helvick. I didn't take it to heart. Art and science don't always mix.
The movie is still the weekend away from being closer to what I want. Keep an eye on this thread.
In the meantime, here's another version of the Heimdall image.
Yes, I know, it's colourised (I'm such a heathen), but I've kept the colours subtle to not overwhelm the significance of the image.
Also, taking a cue from Oersted, and a few other comments, I've included some inset shots and a description.

I'm sure that the teams over at Phoenix and MRO are really happy with all the interest (and fuss) that this image has produced.

Enjoy
Astro0

Posted by: MaG Jun 6 2008, 04:07 PM

Doug: great idea with model of the lander, it looks very nice.
Astro 0, all your work is great. I can't imagine what we will see on larger resolution video or images from you. Thank you!

I'm only a member of this forums since MER's (my bookmark still "Mars Exploration Rover Forum" is), but I'm proud of be here with you.

Posted by: Astro0 Jun 9 2008, 01:21 PM

Here's my movie version of the Phoenix/Heimdall descent image.
I've uploaded a 9mb version to Speedy Share which you can http://www.speedyshare.com/933748915.html.
BTW - remember that this is for educational/entertainment purposes only.

I do have higher res versions but given I'm still in the dark ages at home with dial-up, this is the best I can do for now.
An acknowledgement to the Phoenix and MRO teams for all their work and the graphics team at DIAL for their wonderful EDL animation that forms the basis of this version. Please, can I say again what a fantastic tool your animations have been in my outreach work. Many thanks.

Enjoy
Astro0

PS: Can I note that with Doug's excellent animation, if you play it backwards, I think that it gives a better idea of the location of the parachute in relation to the crater. Try it, you can easily run Quicktime files in reverse.

Posted by: aconnell Jun 9 2008, 02:11 PM

Let me be the first to congratulate you sir. Dramatic and compelling with a fantastic soundtrack !! Hope you can get broadband sometime soon so we can see the higher res version

Posted by: Skyrunner Jun 9 2008, 02:58 PM

Then I'll second that. A masterpiece! Phoenix...risen from the ashes to appear soon...in a cinema near you....

Posted by: ElkGroveDan Jun 9 2008, 03:16 PM

Posted by: Shaka Jun 9 2008, 08:42 PM

Too modest, Mate! It's also for exhilaration and enchantment.
You should do the whole mission. We'll wait.

Posted by: Bill Harris Jun 11 2008, 06:37 PM

From Jim Bell's Planetary Society Blog update:

Posted by: tty Jun 11 2008, 08:20 PM

I don't remember seeing any figure for just how far away MRO was when the image was taken? Anybody knows?

Posted by: akuo Jun 11 2008, 08:35 PM

http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/phoenix-descent.php

Posted by: Oersted Jun 12 2008, 10:23 PM

Only saw this version now Astro0: excellent!

Posted by: nprev Jun 13 2008, 01:54 AM

My belated congrats, Glen; stunning, absolutely marvelous. I presume you'll share this with your TV audience?

Posted by: Astro0 Jun 13 2008, 03:15 AM

I did an episode which included an update on Phoenix and did use the Heimdall image, but the movie version is just for UMSF.
The last few eps have had Phoenix updates and next week I'll be filming my 100th episode of Skywatch.
Astro0

Posted by: nprev Jun 13 2008, 04:19 AM

...major congratulations!!! May there be hundreds more (unless you get your own series, of course...)

(Gonna embarrass you here)... For those who might not know, Astro0's day job is as an intrepid Australian TV reporter and science educator who does some remarkable things to bring the magic and wonder of space to his audience...not the least of which was to jump out of a perfectly good plane to illustrate Phoenix's descent, which, despite 26 years in the USAF I wouldn't do for love or money.

Somehow, he finds time to regularly dazzle us here on UMSF with amazing images of Mars. I strongly suspect that he's been cloned at least three times.

FWIW, I salute you, sir; you are greatly enriching the lives of others, and certainly educating the young and old alike in the importance of space exploration. Surely there is no more noble calling. Keep on keepin' on!

Posted by: Astro0 Jun 13 2008, 05:36 AM

OK, that was embarassing. I just do what I do.
There are lots of people on UMSF far more talented, doing better image manipulation, and encouraging the masses through their outreach efforts.

I am the one honoured to just be here and contributing every now and then.
Thanks nprev, I am appreciative of your words.

Astro0

Posted by: hendric Jun 13 2008, 02:46 PM

Astro0 - Just wanted to say that your images have been regulars on the T-shirts I order from Cafe Press. Got a couple coming in now with the Heimdall Crater shot on the back, with the footpad pic and scoop mosiac pic on the front for my son and I. His class in school is named "Phoenix"!

Posted by: imipak Jul 10 2008, 12:15 PM

Wow. It's http://www.universetoday.com/2008/07/09/one-more-item-found-in-astounding-hirise-image-of-phoenix-descending/

(The UniverseToday story points to http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.rss.spacewire.html?pid=25910 , which points back to the http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/, but I can't find anything there yet.)

Posted by: elakdawalla Jul 10 2008, 12:31 PM

http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/phoenix-descent-color.php

We finally have an answer to where the color swaths fell.

I have a lot of info on why there are gaps between the color coverage that I'd like to post later today. But mostly it has to do with the fact that the CCDs on HiRISE are not all in a line, they're offset vertically, so since HiRISE had to slew in order to follow Phoenix, there were gaps between some of the image swaths.

http://hirise.seti.org/epo/hirise_lesson1_files/image017.png

(Thanks to slinted for pointing out the new image at the end of yesterday's Ustream chat.)

--Emily

Posted by: Oersted Jul 10 2008, 10:14 PM

Kudos Tman for seemingly getting it right very early on!