Viking Lander 1 detailed w/MRO, Results of imaging process VL1 detailed with MRO Options

[JRehling]

This is a great image! Historic, even. I think the Viking 1 site is right up there with Apollo 11 as a place where we pushed forward as a race. Good work!

[vikingmars]

This is a great image! Historic, even. I think the Viking 1 site is right up there with Apollo 11 as a place where we pushed forward as a race. Good work!

Thanks a lot JRehling for your kind comments !
...And here is the "basic" original color HiRise image from which the final color overlap (see hereabove) was produced (it has less resolution/pixel) and after final color calibration of course (deleting also the blue halo around VL1)...
Enjoy also !

[ustrax]

This is truly a keeper Olivier!
Fantastic work on showing how VL1 still looks great after all this years.

[ugordan]

VL1 still looks great after all this years.

Are you sure about this? It looks to me like the paint job at some parts of the s/c is starting to decay from all the sandblasting, definitely wouldn't strike me as "mint condition"!

[JRehling]

Well, the rust-proofing was an extra million dollars, and it sounded like the salesman was just trying to add extra features.

[dilo]

...And here is the "basic" original color HiRise image from which the final color overlap (see hereabove) was produced (it has less resolution/pixel) and after final color calibration of course (deleting also the blue halo around VL1)...

Great!
I made this modified version in order to improve contrast/pixelization/color... (I do not know how much realistic is, however ).

[ustrax]

I made this modified version in order to improve contrast/pixelization/color...

Looks shiny to me...
So...when we will see Phoenix will we be facing an image with similar characteristiques?
Doug, one of yours simulations would be really appreciated!

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

Looks shiny to me...
So...when we will see Phoenix will we be facing an image with similar characteristiques?
Doug, one of yours simulations would be really appreciated!

I think MRO will have trouble picking out Phoenix, after the technical problems with the camera, image quality has degraded quite significantly.

[djellison]

Doug, one of yours simulations would be really appreciated!

Phoenix will be EASY to spot - very very easy indeed. I did a simulation just over a year ago ( Bottom of http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00000840/ ) - but it appears, from above, about three times the size of MER. Basically, imagine two MER's with a brighter disk parked between them.

And to be honest, claiming that HiRISE has degraded significantly is just not true. The most recent image of Spirit ( from January ) is as good (and infact, imho, better than) as the very first ( from Nov 06 )

Attached thumbnail(s)

 

[ustrax]

THANK you Doug!
I'm really excited about it...this is, believe or not..., my first martian landing...
I've only followed MER after thwey reached Mars...

[nprev]

...you're in for a treat, Rui. I'm so old I remember VL1! (Drags out pipe, strokes grey beard, begins nostalgic story for the youngsters, who fidget...)

Back in the day, only PBS (US government-sponsored domestic public television) offered coverage of the landing, at least up in Montana. Fortunately, we got our local channel. I was still fairly young (13), and didn't understand all that was happening during EDL, but the cheer in the control room when they learned that VL1 was down successfully was a real thrill and all the confirmation needed.

Of course, the big payoff was the first picture from the surface of Mars, which assembled itself, slowly, painfully, from right to left...there's some soil...there's the footpad!!!...oh my God, there's a bunch of little rocks (which were really not expected)!!! Absolutely engrossing; almost forgot to breathe watching that first image come down, even as Carl Sagan provided excited background commentary. (Side note: Does anyone know if tapes of the EDL footage are available anywhere? I'd love to watch it all over again.)

In short...Mars landings are a truly remarkable experience. Can't think of any other similar feeling, really.

[ElkGroveDan]

In short...Mars landings are a truly remarkable experience.

Yeah I'll never forget Mars Polar Lander (as much as I'd like to.) "This isn't unexpected, there will be a better opportunity for communication in 20 minutes, then the data should come streaming in. Nothing to worry about yet...."

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

But technical problems with some channels in the camera are well known, which has let a dramatic increase in noise in the images and decrease in image quality.

See these:

November 2006: http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_001513_1655
January 2008: http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_006735_1650

[Stu]

I'm really excited about it...this is, believe or not..., my first martian landing...

Oh Rui, Rui, you poor thing... I had no idea, I'm sorry....

Boy are you in for a treat. Well, when I say "treat" I mean, of course, several hours of gut-knotting tension and worry, as you sit at your computer, staring into the monitor, your increasingly-tired eyes focussed on that little media player screen, helplessly watching people thousands of miles away helplessly following events millions of miles away. You'll watch every face behind every console for signs of success or failure; you'll hiss "Shut up!" at any commenator trying to describe what's happening because they'll be talking over "the good stuff"; you'll feel like an idiot whispering "Go on... go on... " as the seconds tick down to landing itself, and then feel absolutely lost and useless as the time delay leads to that awful wait before confirmation of a safe landing is received. And you'll shamelessly shout "YES!" - and might even do a silly little dance... not that I did (cough) - when the first picture comes in and you realise that we're Back On Mars... And when there's nothing "new" to see, when you finally leave your computer and step outside into the sunshine you'll let out a long "Thank **** for that...!" sigh, but you'll also have a ridiculous grin on your face, wondering what fascinating and amazing sights the next day will bring... and the day after that...

Some tips: You'll not want to miss a minute of it, not want to leave your chair for longer than you absolutely have to, so make sure you have snacks and hot drinks ready and around you. Be wary of logging off NASA TV because you might not be able to get back on again, there'll be huge demand at the time, and you don't want to be locked out as the big moment approaches. You're going to get tired, and there'll be stretches of time when nothing happens - or is appearing to happen - so have something else to do if you need it, just so you don't lose concentration, but do NOTHING that could jeapordise your link to NASA TV!

But most of all, try to be patient, and take nothing for granted. Landing on Mars is hard, and dangerous, and it's easy to forget the losses of Polar Lander and Beagle when we're being spoiled by daily images from Oppy and Spirit. I don't envy the Phoenix team sitting there at their consoles, going through all this for real. Mars is a planetary Shrike, it's killed more spacecraft than it has let live, and all we can do is hope that Phoenix is allowed to land safely.

Hmmm, here's a thought... how many people here will be watching the landing "Live"? Where will you be watching from? Sneaking a peek at work? Watching from home? I'm sure there'll be a lively real-time discussion here on UMSF as Phoenix descends.

Tick tick tick...

[peter59]

I think MRO will have trouble picking out Phoenix, after the technical problems with the camera, image quality has degraded quite significantly.

I don't agree with your opinion.
Fragment mentioned above by you image PSP_006735_1650

Spirit at Home Plate still look wonderful.