[X] My Assistant

[Shaka]

What's with the recent Pancams of HP surface rocks scraped by the stuck wheel?

Reflections in some areas are so bright that the image flares dramatically. I've never seen this before from Mars rocks except in tiny spots on Comanche rock. Only man-made metal surfaces on the rovers and heat shields have dazzled like this.
The flares occur in both the left and right cameras and also in some Navcam shots. What are these rocks made of that they would reflect so brightly? Can there be accidental overexposures under unusual light conditions?
Can some "Image Mage" explain this as an artifact?

[Shaka]

Thanks, Doug; it's bookmarked. Wow, I was amazed at the lack of contrast in those images - like everyday was in the worst of a duststorm, or a salmon fog.
Is everyone satisfied that they are the closest to what we would see if we were standing there? I mean in a spacesuit with a clear visor.
Anyhow, I hope some of our guys can scoop them with the approximate Exploratorium product. Damn, I'm panting for some MIs of that rock!

[djellison]

Is everyone satisfied that they are the closest to what we would see if we were standing there?

You can argue that one all you like (and you probably will, but not in this thread). No two people see the same scene exactly the same anyway. It's the MER's team best approximation. If you want a different persons take on it - try Dan's calibrated set that you can get via MMB - he has a different tack on it. The perception of colour is, at the end of the day, a rough, artistic science. There's a lot of science and many algorithms behind it - but it's essentially a judgement call at the end of the day. Different eyes, different monitors, different lighting conditions - none of which are calibrated. I have two screens at work - on one of them, Mars always looks crap - without fail. It just can't do justice to those colour ranges. My personal preference ( which is what this has to end up being ) is about half way between Dan's and the PC team.

Doug