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Coffee Table Book, Thread
djellison
post Dec 14 2004, 11:15 PM
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Right - I'm actually going to go ahead and try and get this thing made. I'm starting to make proper panoramas - a collection of probably a dozen for each rover - which will be submitted to the publishers as a portfolio and proof of concept.

However - for the best chance of being published - I need to know what people want - so.....ermm..whadda you want smile.gif

I'm not going to do any 3d images. red-blue glasses just are NOT coffee table material - and as these rovers dont have Green+Blue in the right eye - it's not easy to make colour anaglyphs

But - I am going to do several mosaics - and a few individual images - but 99% pancam. Do you think I should use Navcam as well? What about Hazcam? What sort of text descriptor would you like for each image - perhaps a diary type format - or collate all the text at the back as a sol-by-sol account.

Do you want MOC images showing routes and image location and direction? etc.etc.etc.

Any and all ideas much appreciated - as they give me more idea of what will be acceptable when I come to present to a Publisher. I will initially be approaching Random House - whos inprint Jonathan Cape published 'Full Moon' here in the UK. If I have no luck there - I'll go to National Geogrpahic - who published a similar book called 'Orbit'.

I'll keep you all posted smile.gif

Doug
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tedstryk
post Dec 14 2004, 11:50 PM
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Is your book going to be only MER, or Mars from the surface, with a little from the Vikings and Pathfinder?


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djellison
post Dec 15 2004, 12:09 AM
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MER onlyy - it's the first mission with t e ability to take images at a high enough resolution to do justice in print and stand on their own next to film camera images from Apollo etc.

Also - if I introduce other missions then i have 3,4,5 stories to tell.

Ultimately - this is a call that the publisher would make, however - but I dont see it diverging from mer + mgs-moc

Doig
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M_Welander
post Dec 15 2004, 12:35 AM
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There are some spectacular views that - as far as I know - have only been covered with the navcams (take for example the recent cloud image panorama). Since a coffee table book is a lot about the look and less about pure science, I wouldn't mind the inclusion of processed navcam images (though the resolution might or might not be a problem). Using reference pancam images, producing good looking colorized panoramas from navcam images should not be a problem, if you're willing to spend a little time on it (which you obviously are, since you're seriously considering actually making a book). In fact, to me, the whole point in a coffee table book is that it should show beutiful things you usually don't see anywhere else (like in a purely scientific publication where synthesized data for obvious reasons are banned). Obviously, any such processing should be noted in the book, to avoid confusion.
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tedstryk
post Dec 15 2004, 01:01 AM
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That is true, although the pathfinder set does have the one advantage of having images of a rover actually in situ on Mars. I look forward to seeing the book. I realize what to include and what to exclude can be difficult. I know on my website I am limited to 10 megs, which has led to some painful decisions.


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Guest_Sunspot_*
post Dec 15 2004, 01:45 AM
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Images and panoramic mosaics providing the narrative story of Spirit and Opportunitys journey across Mars - perhaps accompanied by small captions.

How about including a few individual and mosaiced navcam images - some of the images of the rover tracks leading off into the distance are stunning and very evocative I think - and rocks that had the RAT brush applied to them - remember Humphry and Mazatzal? Martian rock art. Sunsets too tongue.gif ......and who knows what the etched terrain will look like blink.gif
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tedstryk
post Dec 15 2004, 02:08 AM
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I would certainly agree with the Navcam mix. If they can be colorized well enough to look natural, colorize them. If not, black and white is better than cheesy color.
There is a bit of an issue I can think of. There is no hurt in looking for a publisher or beginning to process images. But so far, the end is not in sight for the MER mission, particularly Opportunity. Who is to say that Opportunity won't be cruising until at least the next Martian winter? Spirit may too, although due to its power strains it is more likely to die soon. Of course, both rovers could die tomorrow. I would strongly recommend you wait until the mission of both rovers ends before completing such a book, as it would, even by the time of press, be extremely dated otherwise.


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djellison
post Dec 15 2004, 08:06 AM
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QUOTE (tedstryk @ Dec 15 2004, 02:08 AM)
I would strongly recommend you wait until the mission of both rovers ends before completing such a book

Oh - yes - I have every intention of doing that. Although - if I do find a publisher who says "I want to go with this for next Christmas" - then I'll simply do one earth year's worth ( A year on mars....) - and then a follow up when they die.

But yes - Its the one thing that will hold this up - is the damn things not falling over smile.gif

Just had a VERY encouraging email from Jim Bell, who says he likes a few sample images I sent him and is glad to see someone taking the time and effort to use the proper PDS Archives.

I'm resolved now that if I dont get my own book together - I WILL get my images published somehow. I owe the MER team that as thankyou and recognition of their efforts!

Doug
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Rxke
post Dec 16 2004, 01:00 PM
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Wish list:

-Stuff with whispy clouds, heehee! (I'm pretty serious, though. I think this is important to add )

-Some Spirit 'in the hills' panorama's with the faraway terrain just visible...

-The 'berries' plane. With induvidual berries visible near the camera, stretching out into the distance.

Hazcam or other pics of the rovers' shadow near sunset.


And a gazillion other ones, of course. The more, the merier!
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MizarKey
post Dec 16 2004, 07:06 PM
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Wish list:

A page showing perhaps 9 or 16 images of Spirit driving away from the lander platform.

The view of Eagle crater from the other side of Endurance

Nice panorama of Fram crater.

Those images from Bonneville showing the rim of Gustev and other hills.

Some of those eclipse images of Phobos and Deimos (sure they're small, but they were cool).

I've saved a bunch of images, I'll go through them for some ideas, when I get time.

I fully encourage you to publish a separate 3-D specific book, I know that's one of the most exciting aspects of the MER mission for me.

Looking forward to owning an autographed copy of the coffee table book (wink wink nudge nudge).

Eric P / MizarKey


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paxdan
post Apr 22 2005, 05:50 PM
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Doug

I am looking forward to a full moon style book of MER imagery (use the MGS and MOC imagery sparingly). I'll definitely be pre-ordering my copy. As for a wish list:

Style/Layout:: I love square format books that allow pictures to be presented full frame. My two favorite space books that have upped the ante with regard to presentation have been Full Moon by Michael Light and Beyond: visions of the interplanetary probes by Michael Benson. The books differ in the details but have the same basic layout. i would like to see the images presented in the book with a very basic legend (perhaps just MER A/B, sol x, and location) then at the back of the book, in a seperate section, have a thumbnail of the image at the end with more detail, e.g., Picture code number, number of frames, time of day or spread of time over which the pans were taken, processing technique, POV-Ray or PTgui, story behind the image, perhaps a MOC contex map and labelled version of image, rock names, etc.

Images:: As for the images themselves my preference is for images that have aesthetic value. The images that are jaw droppingly beautiful and instill a sense of wonder. I think perhaps the most evocative of all the mars images are some of the accidentally perfectly composed single frame NAV- and PAN-cam pictures. There have been a few (and i mean very few) of them that i'm sure you could hang on a wall in an art gallery. I also love the large mosaics, however, please crop them all square or all a certain aspect ratio (please don't present images in anything more than three basic formats, e.g., single page square, double page spread or four pages accross gatefold. One of the most pleasing things about Full moon is the square format used throughout. Simplicity of layout and using the same aspect ratios for images implies confidence about your material, and always improves the apperance. Whatever you do please dont leave any uncropped edges of mosaics that reveal where the individual frames are. I'm a sucker for minimalism.

Couple of other favorites i love those high quality PAN-cam polar self portratraits taken showing the relative ammounts of dust on the pannels.

Another suggestion/request:: Have you considered expanding the book project, doubling-up. Why make one book when you can make two? You could do a two volume set, one for each MER. Identical style etc, but emphasize that these are two seperate locations on one planet. Potentially you could sell each for the price of a combined volume. I'd pay 25-30 quid for a single volume if it was sufficient quality and if you pull pull out all the stops i can see a single volume going for 25 quid each or 35-45 for the pair. Do a box set: Spirit, Opportunity and the Exploration of Mars with a volume dedidated to each MER. In many ways seperating the image and the story provides a better opportunity to tell each story through imagery.

Please aim for the definitive hard-back coffee-table work of art for this phase of Mars exploration. I, for one, am very much looking forward to seeing what you do. Aim high, thats all I can ask.

I'm sure i speak for all of the board when i say we are all rooting for you with this book project.
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Bill Harris
post May 4 2005, 12:54 PM
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Good idea, Doug.

The coffee table book should be aimed at those who are interested in Mars and not those of us who have followed the Rovers since before Day One. You'll have to capture the former audience; the latter, you have assured sales.

I'd start with a brief history of imaging Mars: early 1800-1900's drawings, early Earth-based photography up to CCD imaging, Hubble imagery, then to spacecraft imaging-- Mariner through MOC and closing with landers-- Viking through Pathfinder. Give a description the MER hardware and then present the wonderful imagery produced by our Intrepid Heroes. You might want to include a brief description of the geology/geomorphology of the two areas to give the audience a background of how the things we see got there.

Good luck!

--Bill


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Astrophil
post May 4 2005, 04:43 PM
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Since _Beyond_ has been mentioned, my edn (which I got for Christmas 2004) has one panorama in from the rovers, I think - a view of Endurance. That's not to say I'd not be keen on a whole book of them. smile.gif

Speaking of Endurance, that dune in the bottom of it is really amazing. Even the b/w pictures of details it are just hypnotic, they look like they're done in charcoals or something.
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lyford
post May 4 2005, 07:07 PM
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I still think you should make it trapezoidal in shape so it can unfold like the solar panels... tongue.gif


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"Zis is not nuts, zis is super-nuts!" Mathematician Richard Courant on viewing an Orion test
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Guest_PhilCo126_*
post Dec 31 2005, 01:11 PM
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Superb idea & initiative Doug ... smile.gif
Where are You for the moment with this ?
As Bill proposed, a short introduction about mapping & imaging the planet Mars would be great!
I would be glad to help You out with the texts for this as I already wrote some articles on mapping the planet Mars and its moons Phobos & Deimos wink.gif
Just send me a message smile.gif
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