Phoenix over Heimdall Crater, - a signature image in space exploration Options

[mars loon]

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.

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

[tuvas]

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...

[Tesheiner]

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...

[ugordan]

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

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

[fredk]

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...

[um3k]

I noticed that too, fredk.

[Ant103]

Fredk : maybe something like this?

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[fredk]

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

[elakdawalla]

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

--Emily

[Ant103]

Okay Emily . An other try with a bit desaturation :

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[GuyMac]

We have made higher resolution versions 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 descent image with inset using the higher-resolution versions. It is 4096x2038 and 5.1 MB.

[elakdawalla]

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

[volcanopele]

I've put together a new version of the descent image with inset using the higher-resolution versions. It is 4096x2038 and 5.1 MB.

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

[ElkGroveDan]

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.

[GuyMac]

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

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.