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Posted by: djellison Feb 22 2007, 12:41 AM

As you might all know by now - I'm heading to ESOC for the media event that ties in with the flyby and so with a lot of help from Emily and the Rosetta Science Operations Centre at ESA - I've done a flyby chart...just the imaging instruments, but it's fairly usefull. Emily's got a vertical one in the works in the same style as her excellent New Horizons timeline.

Other interesting resources...

http://www.space.irfu.se/rosetta/sci/mars/
http://www.cosis.net/abstracts/EGU2007/06931/EGU2007-J-06931-2.pdf?PHPSESSID=f354d1120145d46d488baf6c8092ff18
http://spaceurope.blogspot.com/2007/02/rosettas-swing-lessons.html
http://rosetta.jpl.nasa.gov/dsp_mars.cfm?buttonSel=scienceObj&buttonSelL2=mars
http://rosetta.jpl.nasa.gov/dsp_aliceMars.cfm?buttonSel=scienceObj&buttonSelL2=mars
http://rosetta.jpl.nasa.gov/dsp_miroMars.cfm?buttonSel=scienceObj&buttonSelL2=mars
http://rosetta.jpl.nasa.gov/dsp_iesMars.cfm?buttonSel=scienceObj&buttonSelL2=mars

And - in CET ( one hour ahead of UT )
25 February 2007, 2 a.m. start

02:00 - Doors open & Filming opportunity in Mission Control Room
02:40 - Welcome by David Southwood, ESA Director of Science Programme
02:50 - Rosetta Mars swingby the manoeuvres and flight dynamics, Uwe Feucht, Head of Flight Dynamics Division/Team
03:00 - En route science, first images, Gerhard Schwehm, Head of Solar System Science Operations Division & Rosetta Mission Manager
03:10 - Introductory comments on approach ; Paolo Ferri, Head of Solar and Planetary Missions Division and Rosetta Flight Operations Director Comments on eclipse, Andrea Accomazzo, Rosetta Spacecraft Operations Manager Comments on closest approach/eclipse, Andrea Accomazzo & Paolo Ferri
03:15 - Closest approach to Mars, eclipse starts
03:17 - Ground stations, Manfred Lugert, Head of Ground Facilities Operations Division
03:28 - Occultation ends - signal back
03:30 - Imagery from Rosetta and Mars Express , Uwe Keller, Mas-Planck Institute
03:40 - Comments on eclipse end and telemetry acquisition, Andrea Accomazzo,
03:52 - Conclusions, Manfred Warhaut, Head of Mission Operations Department
04 :00 - End of event


I'd say I was looking forward to it....but that's somehow not quite enough.

Also attached - Anim Gif of 1 frame per hour flyby

Doug

Posted by: elakdawalla Feb 22 2007, 02:59 AM

I don't mind posting a http://www.planetary.org/news/1997/0221_Rosetta_Mars_Flyby_Timeline.html in case anybody wants to have a look and correct my usual errors or make any suggestions. (Yes, I know it says "1997" at the top; that's how I'm hiding it from general view )

--Emily

Posted by: Stu Feb 22 2007, 07:49 AM

First of all, congratulations to Doug on his new post as UMSF Ambasador to ESA. Seriously, just reward for all your hard work and dedication to Mars exploration in particular and space science Outreach in general. You'll do a fine job there, and I'm sure there'll be plenty of us online at the time to keep you and each other company and share the encounter.

I'm looking forward to seeing the close-ups, of course, but I can't wait to see those crescent images. For some reason, for me personally crescent planetary portraits have always been more aesthetically pleasing than full discs. Not sure why, they just are. Maybe it's because I always used to draw crescent Moons in the sky of my pictures when I was a kid (even in daytime pictures, haha, how my teachers told me off for that!!)... maybe it's because a crescent Moon looks so much prettier through my telescope... don't know... but the crescent images of Jupiter returned by recent missions, and more recently Cassini's (well, Ian's!) crescent Saturn portraits have always amazed me, so a crescent Mars - which I've simulated in Celestia etc many times - will be quickly inserted into my Outreach Powerpoint presentations.

Bring it on!!

Posted by: djellison Feb 22 2007, 09:18 AM

Well - I've not been able to find anything about Philae, the lander, during it's 3 hour phase of operating on its own....but it's cameras should, I think, provide a spectacular view of Mars - and i'm trying to make a little movie of that segment using Dave Seals frankly awesome Solar System Simulator

I'm looking forward to it - it's going to be a flying visit and I'm not sure just how much of a 'live' blogging I will be able to do - but hopefully I provide something more than what people will get from just watching ESA TV

Doug

Posted by: ustrax Feb 22 2007, 09:25 AM

Doug, I'm sure you'll do a great work...

Here's one more http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Rosetta/index.html (including a vodcast)

And http://www.dlr.de/rosetta/Portaldata/7/Resources/hintergrund/Philae_Lander_FactSheets.pdf

Have a safe travel and may ESA treat you well...

EDITED: http://spaceurope.blogspot.com/2007/02/rosettas-swing-lessons.html: CIVA imaging system + ROMAP (the plasma instrument and Magnetometer) + the Standard Radiation Monitor.
Lander instruments can run through closest approach as the Lander has it own power system running on batteries.

Posted by: ugordan Feb 22 2007, 09:39 AM

Apologies if this was already addressed somewhere, but will there be a webcast of the event? There are those of us who don't pick up ESA TV...

Posted by: djellison Feb 22 2007, 09:43 AM

I would imagine there will be something here - http://television.esa.int/default.cfm

Sorting out my stuff ( laptop, mini-disc recorder for interviews and press con. etc ) and my colleague Josh had a GREAT idea...



Maybe not

Doug

Posted by: djellison Feb 22 2007, 11:30 AM

And - courtesy of the brilliance that is Dave Seal's Solar System Sim ( http://space.jpl.nasa.gov )

http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/doug_images/philae_mars.mov ( 3 meg )

This is the view of Mars at 1 minute per frame and played at 15 frames per second (i.e. 1hr = 4 seconds) during the three hours of Philae operations during the middle of the flyby.

Doug

Posted by: ustrax Feb 22 2007, 11:45 AM

http://spaceurope.blogspot.com/2007/02/rosetta-esa-tv-coverage.html
Rosetta is a must...

EDITED: Doug...That's superb!

Posted by: tedstryk Feb 22 2007, 11:54 AM

Is there any significant difference in capability between Omega and Virtis?

Posted by: djellison Feb 22 2007, 12:06 PM

Well -

Omega
Imaging capability

128 contiguous, across track fields of view, each of 1.2 mrad, corresponding to < 500 m at periapsis

Spectral capability

352 contiguous spectral channels to acquire the entire spectrum from 0.36 to 5.2 µm for each resolved pixel

Photometric capability

SNR > 100 over the full spectral range, allowing the identification of percentage absorptions and thermal variations



VIRTIS

The imaging channel VIRTIS-M is required to provide
a minimum signal to noise ratio (SNR) of 100 in both
spectral ranges, 0.25 - 1.0 mm and 1-5 mm at the
nominal sampling under the measurement baseline
conditions relative to the mapping and close
observation phase, which is considered as the design
driver for VIRTIS-M.
The high-resolution channel VIRTIS-H is required to
perform high resolution spectroscopy in the spectral
range between 2 and 5 mm. The above mentioned
scientific requirements imply for VIRTIS-H to provide
a SNR better than 100 and a minimum resolving power
of 1000 to resolve molecular bands. VIRTIS-H design
is driven by the requirements in both the mapping
phase and the coma observation phase, that lasts until
the comet is escorted to its perihelion.

(from http://servirtis.obspm.fr/virtis/virtis_exp.html )


At the sort of range that Virtis will be working (i.e. not CA) - It's going to be lower res than Omega - but higher spectral res ( 3x by my guessing )

Doug

Posted by: ustrax Feb 22 2007, 02:02 PM

Doug

I've just received an e-mail from Dr. Schwehm pointing out that the schedule you present (http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Rosetta/SEM5WDBE8YE_0.html)is not updated:

"I will briefly present the overall mission objective - Uwe Keller will show
some of the first images from the approach to Mars, a panoramic view of Mars
and hopefully images of Phobos.

So we hope to get some of the results from the approach phase during the
night."

Don't miss it!

This post has been edited.

Posted by: Zvezdichko Feb 23 2007, 01:49 PM

An update:

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Rosetta/SEMR7IBE8YE_0.html

Posted by: Harder Feb 23 2007, 08:07 PM

Doug,
if I recall correctly one of the ESA papers on the Pioneer Anomaly stated that the Rosetta spacecraft would not be suitable for measurements which would be accurately enough to further narrow down the observed anomaly.
Is that a 100% no-no, or is there some possibility after all of ESA using this Mars swing-by for further investigations?
I'm sure the Rosetta navigational accuracy is second-to-none if ESA aims at only 250 km distance from Mars at 36000 km/hr, but that is not the only factor. The "noise" from spacecraft stabilization and very large solar panels probably drowns any potential PA effect.

Posted by: elakdawalla Feb 23 2007, 08:22 PM

As far as I understand things the Pioneer Anomaly can only be studied with spin-stabilized, not three-axis-stabilized, spacecraft. Rosetta is three-axis stabilized.

--Emily

Posted by: djellison Feb 23 2007, 08:44 PM

Using the European DDOR ability that I mentioned in my Valencia blog - they're currently within 5km of that target point, which isn't bad

Emilys points about P.A. stuff is very true - which is why Voyager can't really help - but NH can during some of it's pseudo-hibernated cruise phases.

Doug

Posted by: John Flushing Feb 23 2007, 09:38 PM

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6375717.stm

Posted by: Zvezdichko Feb 24 2007, 08:28 AM

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/space/02/22/rosetta.mars.reut/index.html

hmmmm...
Quoting:"For 24 minutes, it will lose the source of power for its major instruments, leaving it reliant on a brace of tiny batteries which were not designed for the task. In the worst case, the probe may fail to reestablish contact with Earth when it emerges on the other side of the red planet."
Could this be compared to the "deep sleep" mode of the Mars Rovers?

Posted by: djellison Feb 24 2007, 07:06 PM

First blog entry
http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00000876/

Posted by: nprev Feb 24 2007, 08:27 PM

...and, he's off! Well, done, Doug!

Posted by: Zvezdichko Feb 24 2007, 09:45 PM

First image published:

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMM15CE8YE_index_0.html

Posted by: nprev Feb 24 2007, 09:49 PM

Beautiful!!!

Just occurred to me how spoiled we are...a Mars flyby this week, a Jupiter flyby next week, two Mars rovers, three working Mars orbiters, a Venus orbiter, and Cassini...what a great time to be a UMSFer!

Posted by: djellison Feb 24 2007, 10:14 PM

And that's not even a science product...didn't see that one coming at all.

Posted by: nprev Feb 24 2007, 10:21 PM

Really? Odd...you'd think that they'd alert the press corps for nice photo-ops like that.

Posted by: Zvezdichko Feb 24 2007, 10:22 PM

Well, it will take some time We have to wait until after the eclipse, then the images to be sent... According to ESA's website we'll have to wait until 13:00...

And yes, it's a great time to be UMSFer

Posted by: volcanopele Feb 24 2007, 10:30 PM

If I understand the first post, we should be able to expect images between 2 and 3 am CET (I think), so that makes it between 6 and 7 pm MST...

Posted by: volcanopele Feb 24 2007, 10:35 PM

Interesting. Given the results at Cassini that suggest that suggest dust rings are common with small moons, it would be a good idea to check this with Phobos and Deimos. But I don't think the BBC article explains why Rosetta is uniquely positioned to look for dust rings effectively. It has nothing to do really with resolution, but with phase angle. Rosetta will observe Mars at very high phase on its outbound leg, which is great position to look for rings made of very fine dust particles. Remember, it took very high phase observations at Saturn to reveal the Pallene ring and the Janus-Epimetheus ring.

Posted by: Zvezdichko Feb 24 2007, 10:35 PM

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Rosetta/SEMR7IBE8YE_0.html

After 13:00 - Results expected to be available on ESA portal

Maybe it's the same situation with the images. I do hope that some of them will be published before 13:00

Posted by: elakdawalla Feb 25 2007, 01:29 AM

If you're all wondering why Doug hasn't posted anything lately it's because, to our surprise, there appears to be no way for him to get on the Net from ESOC! So we're going to do things the old fashioned way -- he'll be phoning me with an update before long. Stay tuned.

--Emily

Posted by: nprev Feb 25 2007, 01:32 AM

Thanks, Emily. Kinda figured there was a comm problem of some sort!

Posted by: Stu Feb 25 2007, 01:46 AM

Morning anyone else crazy enough to be up at this ungodly hour...

I'm almost as baffled why ESA isn't showing this live on EAS internet TV as I am why Doug can't get online... What do those guys use to talk to each other over there, Coke cans connected with string..?

Anyone else about, or am I sat here on my own..?

Posted by: ugordan Feb 25 2007, 01:49 AM

Doug, not to nit-pick, but isn't that 0.0000075 cm/sec figure awfully large? Mars is many, many orders of magnitude more massive than Rosetta than the 2191/0.000000075 figure implies. Am I missing something here?

Posted by: Stu Feb 25 2007, 02:00 AM

Emily... any idea what the yellow toy mascot is, sat on top of the console there?

( I remember when we were all waiting for Beagle to phone home; the Beagle mascot was whipped off the consoles very shortly after the probe was meant to report in, so I emailed them asking them to please put it back as Beagle wasn't dead yet... it reappeared shortly after... a coincidence I'm sure... )

Posted by: elakdawalla Feb 25 2007, 02:13 AM

No idea! I'll try and remember to ask Doug to find out.

I'm feeding a baby...cooking dinner...watching the webcam...waiting for Doug's call...drinking a beer...this is true multitasking!

--Emily

Posted by: Stu Feb 25 2007, 02:20 AM

Very impressed by your multi-tasking Emily! I'm sat here at 02.20 (an hour behind Doug), looking like a James Bond villain as I try to simultaneously stroke a white cat sat on my knee whilst tapping away on my PC, alternating between looking at your Blog, this UMSF page and the ESOC webcam and working on the Powerpoint presentation for my next school talk at the same time...

Posted by: nprev Feb 25 2007, 02:26 AM

Emily reports that http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00000880/ LOS from Rosetta dead on time...trajectory appears nominal.

Posted by: Stu Feb 25 2007, 02:50 AM

Emily is http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00000881 on her Blog that Doug has phoned to confirm Rosetta's signal has returned as scheduled, so all appears well. The Great probe-eating Ghoul of Mars let another one go!

Also, the mascot's name is Orville and he's a duck. Ain't it wonderful that we spend gazillions of dollars, Euros and pieces of gold-pressed latinum on these spaceprobes, hurl them into the depths of space, calculate their trajectories and positions to the nth decimal place with supercomputers, convinced that the laws of physics will triumph... and then put a soft toy of a duck on top of a monitor for luck... Human beings, gotta love 'em!

Right, back to bed for me, I'm at work tomorrow... look forward to sharing the pictures with all of you later...

Posted by: djellison Feb 25 2007, 03:41 AM

What time is it.

What day is it.

Osiris observation from about 100,000km out in just Red and Green filters fudged to make a colour image - presented by Horst Uwe Keller, PI for OSIRIS.

Since 0730 on Friday - I've had 4 hours sleep. Going to do a brief "that was fun" blog entry - with a more verbose entry at about 1300 tomorrow.

This post was brought to you by Red Bull. Other caffine drinks are available.

Other pictures are available here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/doug_ellison_tps/

Doug

Posted by: ElkGroveDan Feb 25 2007, 04:07 AM

Stu is reporting that Emily is reporting Doug's report that all is well. Give that man a bottle of Lipovitan-D!

Posted by: nprev Feb 25 2007, 04:27 AM

Argh...poor Doug! Intrepid reporting in difficult circumstances, my friend; major kudos and sincere thanks to you & Emily from us all!!!

Posted by: tedstryk Feb 25 2007, 05:05 AM

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Rosetta/SEMWZ5CE8YE_1.html

Posted by: antipode Feb 25 2007, 06:14 AM

Oh now that is something! What anb unusual viewing geometery!
I love the cload layers on the limb, and that polar hood!

P

Posted by: lyford Feb 25 2007, 06:16 AM

Well, the duck mascot I can understand, but why is there a book on "power poker" on the monitor beside it?

Posted by: mchan Feb 25 2007, 07:42 AM

With HiRise providing great views of the leaves, it's the shots like these that remind us of the forest the leaves are in. And it's a beautiful forest.

Posted by: dilo Feb 25 2007, 07:48 AM

Nice to know that OSIRIS Narrow-Angle Camera is equipped with a 2kx2k sensor!
Correct me if I'm wrong, this is the widest bi-dimensional sensor ever flight in a spaceprobe...

Addendum: at http://www.oamp.fr/osiris/observations.html you'll find some nice pictures aquired in 2004/2005 (I do not know is someone published them).

Posted by: Stu Feb 25 2007, 08:18 AM

That is a BEAUTIFUL image. Please, any gods that are listening, let someone at ESA realise what a treasure they have there and make sure they wave it like a banner at every opportunity possible, instead of hiding it away...

Posted by: Zvezdichko Feb 25 2007, 08:26 AM

And, Stu, don't forget that the top icecream pleasure will be the pics of Phobos

Posted by: Stu Feb 25 2007, 08:41 AM

I know a lot of people are looking forward to those but sorry, that's my top ice cream view right there - the planet itself, looking like a real world against the blackness of space. As mchan said so well earlier, with all these close-up mega-zoomed in MRO views, and eye-level postcards from Oppy and Spirit, we can lose sight of what a beautiful planet Mars as. Let's hope ESA uses these images wisely and squeezes every last drop of publicity - and more importantly, Outreach - value out of them.

Posted by: JTN Feb 25 2007, 11:29 AM

Some nice OSIRIS limb images in http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMUDT70LYE_index_0.html -- I think this includes all the images we saw in Doug's photos.

Posted by: SFJCody Feb 25 2007, 11:45 AM

Yep, this is a good replacement for that overused Viking composite view of Mars centered on Valles Marineris. Maybe just a bit too too colour saturated, but otherwise fine.

Posted by: Zvezdichko Feb 25 2007, 11:51 AM

It's almost 13:00. Maybe we'll have the second set of images soon.

Posted by: ugordan Feb 25 2007, 11:52 AM

I tweaked the red/green image a bit to give it a more Hubble-esque appearance. This, of course, to ease our wait for the full color official release.
http://m1.freeshare.us/view/?128fs3009950.jpg

EDIT: Updated with a cleaned-up version removing some camera artifacts.

Posted by: Stu Feb 25 2007, 12:15 PM

ugordan...

There it is, right there: that's why we love that volcano-covered, canyon-slashed, crater-pocked world. In that one picture you can see why so many of fell, and continue to fall, in love with Mars... blue-white clouds wafting over the stony deserts; ancient volcanoes standing proud above dusty plains...

Thank you ugordan for giving us that. I now have a new "Mars" opening slide for my talks.

Posted by: JTN Feb 25 2007, 12:20 PM

That's what I thought too, but I've just found this text on http://rosetta.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=40697:

Posted by: ugordan Feb 25 2007, 12:40 PM

Thanks, Stu! If you think this one is cool, you should wait for the official image with a proper blue channel before you pick your opening images.
I suspect that might look a lot like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Mars_Hubble.jpg.

Posted by: Zvezdichko Feb 25 2007, 12:45 PM

I'd like to see a composite image after snatching photos through IR+Green+Blue filter.

Posted by: Stu Feb 25 2007, 12:46 PM

Yeah, I will, but time and time again now I find myself looking at "official" images and thinking "Hmmm, xxxx did it better on UMSF..." That's not to say that UMSF images are better or more accurate, it's just that, well, without sounding all corny, I think that people here use an extra filter for their images, one labelled "Love of Mars", you know?

(cue sound of multiple UMSF members reaching for a sick bucket!)

Posted by: djellison Feb 25 2007, 12:47 PM

I'd wait for the out-bound images from ESA...they should be very very very special. That distant inbound image is nice - it trumps HST stuff - and it does look more 3d than your average Mars shot.....BUT....

This is the sort of shot I'm looking forward to.

Keller was a really nice chap - chatted to him for a while - he liked the fact that because I was 'from' TPS as he said "ahh...knowledgeable bunch" - and we talked cameras for a while. I mentioned how stunning the approach image was from a few weeks ago and he said that he loved it because it's really not a big telescope of a camera - 700mm FL at f8 - and he then said each image is fairly big - about 5 mbits - and I remarked on the large 2048x2048 ccd ( to act knowledgeable ) and he said he thought it might be the best camera flying right now. I added it is possibly the best framing camera flying - and he conceeded that pushbroom, obviously HiRISE takes the honours. He's a really nice guy - and I think he gets the value of Kodak moment pictures - but I couldn't get out of him just what the outbound sequence was like.

Also - throughout all of last night there was almost no mention of Philae. They said it was going to be on, taking pictures in in-situ obs - but not what pictures it would be taking, when, in what filters etc etc. They could be stunning - as 'mum' was essentially turned off for the closest part of the flyby.

Doing a better write up now for the blog

I have a couple of hours of continuous recording of the media room from last night - would it be worth chopping it up, encoding it and uploading it for true diehard enthusiasts? It'd have to be about . The funnies tthing is that CA went totally totally un-noticed

Doug

Posted by: Stu Feb 25 2007, 12:54 PM

Welcome back Doug! ("back" that is from the shadowy, internet-free interior of ESOC). Some of us got up early this morning to keep you company, only to find that you weren't actually 'there'... oh well, with you in spirit!

Yep, looking forward to those outbound shots - me being a crescent fanatic and all - but for public presentations (as you will know, cos you do so many yourself) I've always found that a whole disc image goes down best. It's a horrible, horrible generalisation, I know, but a LOT of People Out There think of planets as "round" and anything crescent shaped as "the Moon", so I try not to confuse them when I give a talk! I'm definitely going to use crescent Mars images in the Mars sections of my "Tour of the Solar System" and "Seven Wonders of the Universe" talks, but not at the beginning of it, that needs a full disc eye popper, and I reckon this is it.

Bring on the crescents tho!!

Posted by: 4th rock from the sun Feb 25 2007, 01:13 PM

While waiting for new images I merged the Red Green NAC image with the UV NAC one, creating a proper Blue channel. Coverage is partial, but it looks nice.

http://imageshack.us

Posted by: Stu Feb 25 2007, 01:27 PM

New pics please... I need to go to work in ten mins...

Posted by: Zvezdichko Feb 25 2007, 01:56 PM

Are all pictures on the website of ESA copyright free? I'd like to upload them on my website and post the link to the thread.

Posted by: tedstryk Feb 25 2007, 01:56 PM

Yes, but when the version with a blue channel is out, Ugordan can work on that one too!

Posted by: Sunspot Feb 25 2007, 02:30 PM

Wow!!

http://www.esa.int/images/CIVA_Mars_30_H.jpg

Posted by: Zvezdichko Feb 25 2007, 02:33 PM

Philae lander... Just ... spectacular!

Posted by: ugordan Feb 25 2007, 02:40 PM

That scene looks like it came from an SF movie! Looks like a bit overexposed, but the sharpness of the image is just WOW. Both Mars an solar arrays in focus... Just WOW!

Posted by: MarcF Feb 25 2007, 02:41 PM

This picture is absolutely amazing !!!!!
I did not realize that the Philea lander was able to take such kind of pictures.
I'm looking forward for a lot more like that !
Marc.

Posted by: ugordan Feb 25 2007, 02:47 PM

Is that picture actually color or simply colorized?

Posted by: nprev Feb 25 2007, 02:49 PM

...oh, man...it's like you're looking out of a porthole on a Mars version of the ISS! Spectacular...

Posted by: mars loon Feb 25 2007, 02:53 PM

Truly, that is beyond spectacular .... science and sci-fi

I'll be highlighting this at my outreach talks, this week and beyond ...... hoping for more

I cant recall anything like this in the history of Mars exploration. is there anything comparable at Mars?

a great follow-up to the ESA swing-by animations here (scroll down):
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMM15CE8YE_index_0.html

ken

Posted by: remcook Feb 25 2007, 03:14 PM

simply amazing! I don't think there have been such 3rd person perspectives beyond earth+moon, has there?

Posted by: nprev Feb 25 2007, 03:21 PM

The flyby's on Google News, CNN.com, etc., but all the articles are purely descriptive with no images. ESA's own press release on their webpage doesn't even have a link to them.

Not trying to criticize, just puzzled...these shots are pure gold, and would capture the imaginations of many people.

EDIT: Okay, this is more like it! Nice set of OSIRIS images posted:

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMUDT70LYE_index_0.html

Also, a full story on the Philae pic, which was apparently taken four minutes before periapsis:

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMFTZM0LYE_index_0.html


Finally, a technical question for Doug to ask if he'd like, if it hasn't been asked already: How much atmospheric drag did Rosetta experience, and did they modify the spacecraft's attitude or configuration in any way to offset this? Those high haze layers seen in the upper left quadrant of the full-disc OSIRIS image made me realize at a gut level that Mars' atmosphere isn't dense by any means, but it sure is deep...

Posted by: djellison Feb 25 2007, 03:50 PM

http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00000883/

and

http://www.flickr.com/photos/doug_ellison_tps

Good question about the drag - but I left ESOC 12 horus ago and wont be able to get in and ask anyone now - it really was a short, sweet event - I will send an email and ask the right person though (ps - sent an email to Kristin who sent me the planning docs that helped make the flyby timelines)

My net access is about to die in the hotel so I'll be out of touch till I get home, monday lunchtime. More OSIRIS images should be out in about 7-8 hours.

Doug

Posted by: nprev Feb 25 2007, 03:54 PM

Welcome back to the world of the living, man! Grab some more rest, you earned it & then some...

EDIT: Very good blog entry; gives a real sense of being there. Mission accomplished!

Posted by: gndonald Feb 25 2007, 04:40 PM

I had exactly the same feeling when I saw it, except I thought it looked like a Chesley Bonestell illustration, it's just incredible... almost as if you're there...thanks ESA!!!

Posted by: Zvezdichko Feb 25 2007, 04:54 PM

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070225_ap_esa_marsflyby.html

Posted by: nprev Feb 25 2007, 05:37 PM

Yep...that's the Associated Press story that's on all the major news outlets. But...they forgot to include the pics!!!

Posted by: lyford Feb 25 2007, 05:49 PM

Ditto this - Thanks Doug for some truly excellent work!!!!

Posted by: mars loon Feb 25 2007, 05:49 PM

Spaceflight now has posted this article WITH the stunning CIVA/Philae image. ken

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0702/25rosettamars/

Comet-bound probe enjoys close encounter with Mars
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: February 25, 2007

Europe's Rosetta comet probe shot past Mars early Sunday to line up for another swing by Earth later this year, putting the craft on course to reach its icy target in 2014.

Launched three years ago, Rosetta zoomed just 150 miles above the Martian surface at about 22,500 miles per hour relative to the Red Planet. The probe made its closest approach at 0215 GMT Sunday (9:15 p.m. EST Saturday) as it flew behind Mars and temporarily broke off communications with Earth.

Posted by: Zvezdichko Feb 25 2007, 06:09 PM

We, in Bulgaria, didn't forget to post some of the images here: http://www.space-bg.org/

More here:
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=21990
And here:
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=23437
Enjoy!

Posted by: nprev Feb 25 2007, 06:22 PM

(whew!)...Thanks, Loon & Z...that's reassuring. Would hate to see these incredible images NOT receive the wide exposure they clearly deserve. To drag out that old chestnut yet again, "no bucks, no Buck Rogers". Effective PR is important. Thanks again!

Posted by: Zvezdichko Feb 25 2007, 06:30 PM

nprev: I just have to do it We ( space-bg ) are the only spaceflight media in Bulgaria We have to show the images

I just checked the Emily blog:

http://planetary.org/blog/

I would add to this:
Yes, Rosetta, you were there. What saddens me is that you'll be back in 2009. You will be the first spacecraft to go to Mars and to get back to Earth. You should have carried a capsule and some aerogel, to throw us some atmospheric probes. Maybe next time... the next spacecraft.

Posted by: nprev Feb 25 2007, 06:56 PM

Thanks, Z, for all you do!

Terrific blog entry by Emily; it is both odd and exciting to see a piece of the spacecraft with Mars as the backdrop. I guess that makes it all seem somehow more "real": that's really something made by human hands, and that's really Mars that it's flying by! Just looking at the wire runs making a 90 deg turn at the edge of the solar panel with Mars below was somehow thrilling...

Might be a good idea on future missions to arrange similar shots whenever possible...can you imagine seeing the rings of Saturn as well as, say, the magnetometer boom of Cassini in the same image? This adds immediacy & relevance, provides a connection if you will between our daily lives and frames of reference and the unknown...possibly very important in many ways.

Posted by: fredk Feb 25 2007, 07:08 PM

Transformed to hsl-space that CIVA image shows essentially constant hue over the mars portion. And the solar arrays are exactly grey. So it must be colourized. I could find no technical info on the CIVA cameras.

But gosh darnit, that's one of the coolest orbital views I've ever seen!!

edit: I couldn't've said it better, nprev. Ultra-realism in spacecraft imaging.

Posted by: Zvezdichko Feb 25 2007, 07:21 PM

nprev : Yes, that's cool! And that's also a big success for ESA - Rosetta is the second successful Mars mission. Now we have one successful flyby and one successful orbiter.
Also a terrific picture should be an orbiter that snatches photo of a lander and the planet is in the background. Unfortunately, Beagle 2 wasn't in front of Mars when ESA snatched photos and the planet can't be seen.
Maybe we will see a separated lander and Churyumov-Gerasimenko in the background, or something like that. Minerva snatched a photo of Hayabusa after she left the mother craft, too...

Posted by: Sunspot Feb 25 2007, 08:53 PM

I thought all the images were supposed to be released around 1pm local time in Europe? At least that's what was said on the website.

Posted by: Zvezdichko Feb 25 2007, 08:55 PM

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMUDT70LYE_index_0.html

some of the images are being updated.

Posted by: John Flushing Feb 25 2007, 08:55 PM

http://www.marstoday.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=23437

Posted by: JTN Feb 25 2007, 09:53 PM

...including a 3-filter, true-colour version of the full disc image (and some others).

Also a release on http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMFQ0N0LYE_index_0.html.

Posted by: Stu Feb 25 2007, 10:06 PM

Just got back from work, clicked on the link to That Picture...



Unbelievable, just unbelievable! Well worth the wait!

Looking forward to seeing the magical crescent images... anyone know when they're due for release?

Posted by: dilo Feb 25 2007, 11:00 PM

This is one of the best pictures I have seen in the last months, I agree with Emily/nperv...
I made some elaboration in order to have darker sky and more red/detailed Mars (moderate and stronger correction, respectively):

PS: details on the solar panels remind me something I saw when I was a kid... there was a huge spaceship passing over my head and two droids escaping Imperial forces and landing on that desert planet (Opportunity and Spirit!?)

Posted by: mchan Feb 25 2007, 11:02 PM

Where's that swear box? Are folks posting in so stunned they have forgotten to contribute? Clink, clink, clink!

Posted by: ugordan Feb 25 2007, 11:14 PM

That true color final image looks a bit too red to me, here's my tweak to the green channel:
http://m1.freeshare.us/view/?128fs3109685.jpg
This looks to me to be more similar to a view through a telescope while the original image resembles those early MER panoramas using the IR instead of R channel.

Posted by: Zvezdichko Feb 25 2007, 11:20 PM

This one resembles the old MGS compositions.

Posted by: dilo Feb 25 2007, 11:26 PM

I agree, Gordan. The color is now very close to the one visible in the NUV-G-NIR http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMUDT70LYE_index_1.html#subhead1.
And this is a less psychedelic version of the orange (red), green and near-UV colour filter composite image:

Posted by: antipode Feb 25 2007, 11:45 PM

Having the human artefact in the foreground has a powerful psychological effect. Think of the effect Sojourner had - and this is more immediate, more 'real' - that solar wing is connected to something we made and control - our sensory 'proxy' out there. Our mind's eye has the assistance it needs to put 'us' at that porthole. Savannah-evolved brain in an exotic location indeed!

For that reason if for no other these may be some of the most important images taken by an unmanned spacecraft.

P

Posted by: Stu Feb 26 2007, 12:21 AM

How long until we see this..? In our lifetimes..?

Posted by: Zvezdichko Feb 26 2007, 12:27 AM

Firstly - make the landing safe. 3 (failures) :1 (successes) doesn't look very well. Secondly - make an unmanned sample return mission. Thirdly - make smart landing possible. I think we won't see this soon...

Posted by: mcaplinger Feb 26 2007, 12:28 AM

Sorry to be a curmudgeon, but the reaction to this image, which is rather bland and poorly exposed, surprises me a bit. No accounting for taste, I guess.

Posted by: mchan Feb 26 2007, 12:41 AM

Sure, if one were actually there with a handheld camera, use of a flash to fill in the solar array would have made for a much nicer photo. But the result as is nevertheless is still great given the equipment at hand and the limitations on pointing. It is the psychological effect of seeming to be there that is the key here.

I hope ESA will take advantage of future opportunities for similar shots at the asteroid flybys and the comet arrival.

Posted by: Stu Feb 26 2007, 12:48 AM

"Bland"? Is your monitor actually switched on ?

I can understand the reaction. It's not so much the composition of the pic, or its colours, or its technical merit, it's what it represents. We're seeing Mars "through the rigging" as it were; not just on its own, surrounded by black, empty space, but through gaps in a human-made structure, giving us the depth of field and sense of scale our monkey brains need to turn a mere picture into a representation of a real place.

Think of the precedents... in 1492 Columbus saw the New World through the taut rigging of his ship, flashes of emerald green through the gaps between the flapping sails... in 1969 Neil Armstrong saw the blue and white Earth shining above Eagle... Now, in 2007, a little landing probe called Philae has peered through a gap in the rigging of its ship, Rosetta, and seen the next New World...

Yes, it's pale, and a little colourless. But looking at it, I feel wonder.

Posted by: nprev Feb 26 2007, 01:03 AM

Stu, I was thinking of you when this pic came down...sorry you had to work!

The image just plain captures my imagination, gives me a real sense of being there. This is as close as all but the youngest of us (if they're very, very lucky, that is) will ever be to such a view in real life, and, vicarious though it may be, I feel a sense of satisfaction looking at it. To quote Emily, "Rosetta was here"...and so were we all.

Posted by: DDAVIS Feb 26 2007, 01:50 AM

This image brings out the hunger in me for the days when photos like this:

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/a13/AS13-61-8727.jpg

were possible. it is like a hand held image which might be obtained from some future orbiting lab. It calls out as a vision of the future.

Posted by: ElkGroveDan Feb 26 2007, 02:13 AM

I guess it depends on how far genetics will go toward miniaturizing humans, and then if we can train them to hang onto a solar panel.

Posted by: mchan Feb 26 2007, 02:29 AM

My first reaction was similar. But that solar array is ~15m from the spacecraft to the end of the array, and that spacenaut is hanging about halfway out. I can't say a miniaturized person is required there.

OTOH, anyone actually trying to grab that panel out there like that would probably seriously tweak it.

Posted by: nprev Feb 26 2007, 02:38 AM

No doubt, but I can hear him or her yelling "YAAAA-HOOO!!!!" as Rosetta passes periapsis...

Posted by: mars loon Feb 26 2007, 02:42 AM

In less than a nanosecond I felt like "I've arrived at Mars" . Pack the gear and prepare to land at the foot of Olympus Mons. Then lets drive to the cliffs of Valles Marinaris!

ken

Posted by: mchan Feb 26 2007, 03:22 AM

Or "YEEEE-HAAWW!!!"

But then as Mars rushes on closer, looming ever larger, the thought occurs, "Wait a sec, did I use metric or English units for that last course correction?"

Posted by: dvandorn Feb 26 2007, 04:21 AM

Doesn't surprise me a bit, Mike. I know exactly why, too.



-the other Doug

Posted by: lyford Feb 26 2007, 05:36 AM

I dunno, but that picture sure evokes something from my subconscious past.....
perhaps this is what it is tapping into?

Posted by: Stu Feb 26 2007, 08:55 AM

I guess it depends on how far genetics will go toward miniaturizing humans, and then if we can train them to hang onto a solar panel.

Very funny! I like that! (and asked for it!)

Just think how much less food and water and life support teeny humans would need tho...

Anyway, where are these wonderful crescent images huh? huh??

Posted by: Toma B Feb 26 2007, 09:46 AM

I hope this isn't going to become one of those SMART-1,Mars-Venus Express press releases...if so we might wait for few months to see another 3 images...
No... they should have learned something by now.... or not?!?

Posted by: ugordan Feb 26 2007, 10:31 AM

It was Sunday yesterday, you know. And we did get a few images released fairly soon (including the new Mother Of All Global Mars Views). Seriously, what does it take to satisfy some people?

Posted by: Stu Feb 26 2007, 10:40 AM

Oh I'm satisfied, I'm just impatient!

But seriously, if I was in charge of ESA Outreach, in competition for column inches and airtime with my better-funded and better-connected NASA counterparts, at a time when space exploration budgets are being squeezed tighter every month, I'd pay someone weekend overtime to get tapping away on their keyboards and get as many images "out there" as quickly as possible, not just to justify the money spent on the mission to the cynics and bean counters, but to keep the momentum going.

Sometimes I just think that, although they are undoubtedly very dedicated and professional at the running of space missions, the good people at ESA just Don't Get the importance of Outreach and of putting images out into the public domain. I know, old argument, zzzzzzzzzzzz, but... seriously... this is another gift horse they have here, and although they aren't kicking it in its mouth they are kind of leaving it to graze in a corner of the field on its own...

I'm sure the images will be worth the wait tho.

Posted by: Toma B Feb 26 2007, 10:50 AM

Me 2 ...just impatient...
Don't you wanna see more images sooner rather than later? Do you like waiting?
I couldn't agree more with you Stu...

Posted by: OWW Feb 26 2007, 10:56 AM

It's not that the released images are not satisfying, it's the FEAR that ESA won't release any more of those wonderful images. A very Real fear in my opinion, based on the press-release record of SMART1/Venus-Express. Because of this past, people are going to expect the worst.

Personally, the moment ESA didn't release the batch of images yesterday at 13:00 CET as PROMISED, I knew it was time to better get excited about the New Horizons Jupiter encounter, because waiting for ESA images is setting yourself up for disappointment.

This all has nothing to do with the Quality of the images though, they're fantastic.

Posted by: ugordan Feb 26 2007, 11:26 AM

Not to be defending them or anything (their PR efforts sure could use a boost), but maybe the other data didn't turn out to be spectacular in terms of quality and an "oomph" factor. That's been known to happen (and not just to ESA). Say for crescent images -- the phase is so large you could have miscalculated the exposures and got anything from severely underexposed images to very overexposed and bland images. Scattered sunlight might have been a problem as well.
That still leaves a bunch of approach data an Phobos images waiting to be released.

If they don't release anything else today (and maybe tomorrow), then I'll start being disappointed. Right now, I'm only impatient.

Posted by: Sunspot Feb 26 2007, 11:47 AM

More than 6 or 7 pictures? LOL Maybe that's all they ended up taking.

Posted by: ugordan Feb 26 2007, 11:55 AM

I count eight (8) images that were all released on Sunday. Nine if you count that fudged red/green filter image. Sunday is usually a day off so, seriously, what'd you all expect?
Rosetta's got seven more years to travel till its destination and one day after a flyby you're impatient they didn't yet release all the imagery? Wow...

From several of the image descriptions:

Posted by: Stu Feb 26 2007, 12:08 PM

Hey, good news! When I enquired in an email about when we might expect more pictures, Jean-Pierre Bibring, one of the team responsible for That Image, very kindly wrote me back:

As for your question, we are presently processing both the CIVA images asquired during the swing by, and spectral images acquiring from the orbiter (VIRTIS) and from Mars Express (OMEGA). This should lead to pictures in the coming day, possibly released via ESA.

Posted by: ustrax Feb 26 2007, 12:11 PM

Philae Lander co-Lead Scientist and Philae/CIVA Principal Investigator

EDITED: Jean-Pierre Bibring at http://spaceurope.blogspot.com/2007/02/our-enormously-challenging-adventure.html.

Posted by: mars loon Feb 26 2007, 06:38 PM

Great news Stu,

and I completely agree with your sentiments to speed the release of images ASAP and keep the momentum created by those STUNNING images going !

ken

Posted by: JRehling Feb 26 2007, 11:10 PM

My fear is that an enabling factor behind these images is that they have no [obvious] scientific news therein, so there's no motive for a PI to hold onto them. Setting us up for indefinite embargoes when the actual science mission results come in.

By analogy, imagine if Voyager had published their Earth-Moon picture immediately, but had not released their pictures from Jupiter, Saturn, et al, until many months after the encounters. That would have robbed humanity of something that, admittedly, most of humanity didn't PAY for, but that enriched the lives of countless people who saw them. It was a lot more exciting to think "Wow -- our Voyager is at Jupiter" than it would have been to think, "Here are some images Voyager took during its Jupiter flyby last year."

Posted by: JRehling Feb 26 2007, 11:14 PM

I thought one of the best aspects of the picture was that the dark rigging to the left shows a bit of marslight glinting off of it. A flash would obscure that.

The picture with the little man needs a word balloon saying "CRIKEY, it's cold out here!"

Posted by: Stu Feb 26 2007, 11:19 PM

Just got back from work, raced to the computer and logged on looking forward to seeing more Rosetta pics...

Nothing.

Sigh.

Bit poor that, ESA. The world is watching, and seeing blank screens.

Maybe tomorrow...

Posted by: dvandorn Feb 27 2007, 01:13 AM

Had the Voyagers used the same release policy as ESA, we would have seen two or three images each of Jupiter and Saturn, maybe one each of Uranus and Neptune, and if we were really lucky one image each of each of the targeted moons. And we would have waited for from six months to three years after the images were acquired before seeing them.

After all, the general public has absolutely no need or desire or interest in seeing more than one or two images of something, right? That kind of thing is obviously only of *any* interest to the PIs, right?



-the other Doug

Posted by: dvandorn Feb 27 2007, 01:30 AM

Possibly? POSSIBLY???

I'll be glad to be proven wrong, but I'll frankly be surprised if we see any of these pictures.

***sigh***

-the other Doug

Posted by: DDAVIS Feb 27 2007, 04:22 AM

I look forward to seeing the other Mars color images presumably made showing the planets rotation, they are good enough to make a decent texture map from.

Don

Posted by: ugordan Feb 27 2007, 08:20 AM

I think that's actually horizontally scattered light from the overexposed Mars disc to the right, not "mars-shine". It matches with the vertical extent of Mars' disc very well and does not illuminate the whole rigging at the left. The charge bleeding is also in the horizontal direction and this faint glow to the left might actually be readout smear. I doubt CIVA has anything as complex as a physical shutter to eliminate this so it's left with the same behavior as NH LORRI camera.

Posted by: Stu Feb 27 2007, 08:56 AM

I emailed Dr. Gerhard H. Schwehm, Head of ESA's Solar System Science Operations Division, congratulating him on the success of the fly-by and asking when we might see some more images, and he very kindly wrote back...

"We should have more images soon - after the teams have recovered from Sunday.
I believe in the next couple of days you will find more on the ESA Web.
Though from the Lander Camera there isn't so much more to come as they only
took a couple of shots. But from OSIRIS we are looking for more."

So, we'll look forward to those!

Posted by: Tesheiner Feb 27 2007, 01:04 PM

Slightly OT...

I was shown the door into the main control room itself and the atmosphere was extraordinary.


Well, this point recovered me some old (and funny) memories.

I was a few times at ESOC on 1990/1991 when our company was working on an ESA project. The first time I was there they gave me a tour around some of the facilities, and shown me a control room (for the Meteosat IIRC). I had never seen an spacecraft control room and was expecting to see a Shuttle-like LCC (Launch Control Center) with consoles, a lot of people, and some big screens showing a world map and the spacecraft orbits. They opened the door and I had a glimpse inside the room. The consoles were there, two or three guys too, and the big screens.

But instead of the expected world map with the spacecraft orbits, one of those screens was showing, well, an American wrestling match!!!

Posted by: Stu Feb 27 2007, 01:16 PM

Are you sure it wasn't an ESA official and a spaceflight enthusiast fighting over a new pic?

"Give me that! I want to see it!"

"No! It's ours!!"

Posted by: djellison Feb 27 2007, 01:51 PM

To be fair - they were watching TV in the XMM-Newton / Integral control room

Doug

Posted by: ugordan Feb 27 2007, 02:22 PM

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Rosetta/SEM9R6N0LYE_0.html

LOL at the DivX logo...

Posted by: SigurRosFan Feb 27 2007, 03:16 PM

Is it the shadow or Phobos itself?

"... show the shadow of Phobos transiting Mars' disk ..." vs. "Phobos appears dark because it reflects less sunlight than Mars."

Posted by: ugordan Feb 27 2007, 04:52 PM

4th rock from the sun dug up two jewels that are probably pending release at the ESA web. You can find them http://www.dlr.de/dlr-rosetta/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-206/347_read-7819/. One image shows a beautiful Phobos hanging above Mars' hazy limb, while the other shows an oblique view at some hilly Mars terrain.

Posted by: ustrax Feb 27 2007, 05:53 PM

http://spaceurope.blogspot.com/2007/02/rosettas-mars-swingby-romap-update.html

Posted by: elakdawalla Feb 27 2007, 06:25 PM

Can anybody pull out the separate frames from that Phobos animation?

I'm wondering if it's possible to make a color version, given that there are different filters (and knowing you'd have to account for the motion of Phobos with a little cutting and pasting), but I can't seem to make Imageready open the AVI

--Emily

Posted by: AlexBlackwell Feb 27 2007, 07:02 PM

That is a nice, evocative image of Phobos. Thanks, 4th rock from the sun and Gordan.

Posted by: helvick Feb 27 2007, 07:13 PM

Both pictures are very evocative but they are http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dlr.de%2Fdlr-rosetta%2FDesktopDefault.aspx%2Ftabid-206%2F347_read-7819%2Fgallery-1%2Fgallery_read-Image.1.2995%2F shots not from Rosetta.
( Translation by Google )

Posted by: AlexBlackwell Feb 27 2007, 07:15 PM

Thanks. I guess that's why one of the captions has "HRSC" in it, right?

Posted by: dilo Feb 27 2007, 10:39 PM

woooowwww!!!!!
Cannot resist to do this :



(anyway, the name they use for the original images is misleading because contains Rosetta)

Posted by: tedstryk Feb 27 2007, 11:00 PM

Is that real color or generated? If generated, very good! It looks a lot like real color images based on two color data, such as this one from Phobos-2.

Posted by: 4th rock from the sun Feb 27 2007, 11:02 PM

Nice processing!

Yes, they are Mars Express images, that much I could make out of the German text ;-) As far as I could read the titles and captions, these images are illustrative of the results expected from Rosetta or of observations by Mars Express in coordination with the Rosetta flyby. Let's wait and see!

Posted by: AlexBlackwell Feb 27 2007, 11:05 PM

I might have to get Gordan to update my avatar again.

Posted by: dilo Feb 27 2007, 11:06 PM

Not real colors, but I was inspired precisely from these pictures!
This is a different version I like too (with more colors and gradual variations):

Posted by: ugordan Feb 27 2007, 11:08 PM

Posted by: AlexBlackwell Feb 27 2007, 11:19 PM

What's interesting is the Phobos (and Deimos) imagery we never saw. Namely, from Nozomi and, as I mentioned http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=2364&view=findpost&p=45375, DS1.

The synoptic views from Rosetta and Mars Express are evocative, especially since almost all of the Mars imagery we're familiar with recently are from low-altitude, polar-orbiting mappers.

Posted by: dilo Feb 28 2007, 06:50 AM

Sadly, NASA is ignoring this stunning imagery (nor APOD nor Homepage): I understand this is a ESA product, not payed by americans, but I was expecting at least a small mention!
Same story for Sky&Telescope and SpaceWeather sites...

Posted by: djellison Feb 28 2007, 07:58 AM

I tried to be a bit diplomatic in my closing blog entry yesterday evening - but I also fudged a colour frame from the movie

Posted by: ugordan Feb 28 2007, 11:30 AM

Dilo, I'm almost positive APOD will feature at least the Philae image soon, give them a bit of time. As for NASA, why would they feature the images, ESA doesn't feature MRO images either?

Posted by: tedstryk Feb 28 2007, 11:57 AM

Because NASA has thttp://rosetta.jpl.nasa.gov/.

Posted by: ugordan Feb 28 2007, 12:04 PM

Well then, when those instruments get some results out it's up to NASA's superior PR to pick up and feature the results. I still don't see why they'd have to feature OSIRIS or CIVA imagery.

Posted by: djellison Feb 28 2007, 12:06 PM

FYI - I've found some info on the CIVA Mars sequences...

4CIVA-P Mars imaging is proposed to be done in the following conditions (refer to CIVA-ROLIS_LIOR_0260_01): - CIVA-P Heaters switching on 7 hours before t0 (01:54:49, Closest distance to Mars)

- CIVA-P Heaters switching off 3 hours before t0

- Back CIVA-P Heaters switching on 1 hour before t0

- 6 Mars (plus one solar panel) pictures taken with CIVA-P#1 (fix exposure time), one every 80 s, 4 pictures before t0, one at t0 and one after on the basis of the CNES simulations (see Regis presentation)

- 1 Phobos picture taken with CIVA-P#2 at t0+10 mn (fix exposure time)


And from elsewhere - the images we should expect in full, attached - we've seen image 1 so far.

Posted by: ugordan Feb 28 2007, 12:12 PM

Those 6 solar panel images have GOT to be made into a movie!

Posted by: Marz Feb 28 2007, 07:13 PM

nice blog entry!

"and the makers of a well known caffeine based stimulant drink for getting me through the whole thing intact"

I didn't know LIPTOVAN-D was for sale in Germany!

Posted by: djellison Feb 28 2007, 08:02 PM

It was more a case of being given wings for the evening.

Posted by: nprev Mar 1 2007, 06:12 AM

So, it was all thanks to a bunch of "bull"?...

Posted by: dilo Mar 1 2007, 07:36 AM

On APOD today!

You were right, Gordan! (Are you working for them? )
Forget my critics...

Posted by: ugordan Mar 1 2007, 08:18 AM

Nope, don't work for APOD. It was easy enough to predict they'd feature an image like that. After all, it is an incredibly evocative image.

Posted by: remcook Mar 1 2007, 06:48 PM

there is a separate thread for ESA PR complaining ...

Posted by: ugordan Mar 1 2007, 06:59 PM

Maybe we should merge the two threads? 'cause that's where this thread is generally going...

Posted by: djellison Mar 2 2007, 12:27 PM

>12 posts moved to the ESA Press Efforts thread.

Posted by: geckzilla Sep 11 2014, 06:39 AM

Does anyone have a source for these two images? I've looked through the thread and the links they originally came from seem to be dynamic and have updated to an unrelated item in a language I do not speak. I gather that they have something to do with Mars Express. A friend posted the link directly to the attachment at this forum, which surprised me... and he got it from his friend so it looks like it may or may not now be viral and I have zero info on it!

http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=9551 http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=9552

Posted by: Gerald Sep 11 2014, 01:50 PM

You'll find the original images http://www.dlr.de/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-4530/3681_read-7819/3681_page-7/gallery-1/51_read-2/ and http://www.dlr.de/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-4530/3681_read-7819/3681_page-7/gallery-1/51_read-4/, used in http://www.dlr.de/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-4530/3681_read-7819/3681_page-7/.
Both images have been taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) of Mars Express.

When searching for the raw images I came across the histo-normalized jpg-versions of the raw OSIRIS Mars flyby images; they can be found in http://pdssbn.astro.umd.edu/holdings/ro-m-osinac-2-mars-marsswingby-v1.4/browse/2007_02/.

Here an anaglyph made of two of the Mars swingby images:

(contains some schmutz)

Posted by: Ron Hobbs Sep 11 2014, 02:27 PM

It is so amazing, the views you see on this forum. I had not seen the perspective looking out over Charitum Montes before.

From the google translation, "The picture shows such HRSC profile of the Martian atmosphere from December 18, 2004, recorded during the Mars Express orbit 1176." They were apparently planning to do joint observations of the atmosphere with Rosetta during the flyby. Has anyone done anything with those HRSC observations.

Gerald, did you do the colorization?

Posted by: Gerald Sep 11 2014, 03:08 PM

Yes, here a jpg-version using filters 88, 83, 84 for red green, blue, respectively, no cleaning or other post-processing (edit: ok, rotated 90°, like the previous stereo), colors as provided by the single channel jpg images:

Posted by: geckzilla Sep 11 2014, 04:38 PM

Thanks, Gerald. Hmm, I see it's still only in German! Either way, amazing images. I had no idea they existed until last night.

Posted by: Gerald Sep 11 2014, 08:43 PM

That's a try to translate the caption of http://www.dlr.de/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-4530/3681_read-7819/3681_page-7/gallery-1/51_read-2/; a translation of the whole article is maybe a little too much to post:

With the stereo camera HRSC onboard the ESA mission Mars Express not just highly-resolved 3D image data of the red planet can be taken, but also the profile of the Martian atmosphere, when looking against the curved Martian horizon. Several such HRSC takes are planned for the hours of the Rosetta Mars fly-by during the second half of February 24, and during the first half of February 25; almost at the same time the camera system OSIRIS will record image data. The profiles of the Martian atmosphere acquired under several angles allow conclusions for the scattering behaviour of the aerosols in the atmosphere. The image shows such an HRSC profile of the Martian atmosphere of December 18, 2004, taken during Mars Express Orbit #1176. The vertical structure of the atmosphere lets discern a lower, denser layer of about 16.4 km thickness, which is covered by wafer-thin layers of haze, which reach up to about 25 km height. The horizon is located at about 66 degrees southern lattitude, close to the south-polar terminator and is 2,535 kilometers away, north is up in the image, the image resolution over there is about 100 meters per pixel. In the upper half of the image the shallow interior of the Argyre impact basin can be seen, which is bordered by the Charitum Montes below (southward), which rise up about six thousand meters above the Argyre plane. Right top at the eastearn border of Argyre half of the 230 kilometers-wide impact crater Galle can be discerned.

Image: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum).

Posted by: geckzilla Sep 12 2014, 05:10 AM

Oh, thank you once again for that.

Posted by: machi Sep 21 2014, 11:38 AM

Last year I worked with those images as I had plan to make very high definition animation from this sequence.
Because my work on this animation is now postponed I upload at least http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5BRB9YiFQU.
But still even reduced version is in full HD (1080p).