[X] My Assistant

[SFJCody]

Luna, Feb 3 1966


Luna 9 image first published by the Daily Express.

Mars, December 2 1971


Mars 3 fragment.

Venus, October 22 1975


The single Venera 9 pan.

Titan, January 14 2005


As seen by the DISR Side-Looking Imager.

[Mars 3 and Venera 9 images enhanced by Ted Stryk]

We await the arrivals of Hayabusa at asteroid (25143) Itokawa and Rosetta's Philae lander at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Bepi Colombo's Mercury Surface Element has been cancelled.

[djellison]

I still dont consider NEAR to be views from a landing site. It's just not what it is. The view straight down from 20 metres altitude is little different to zooming in from 20,000 miles. There is a discreet and quantifiable difference between an orbit that just happened to intesect the surface and end - and landing. If you consider NEAR views from the surface of another planet - then so were the imacting lunar probes of the early 60's.

There's a very distinct line in my mind between taking photographs (however clear) and then landing - and landing, then taking a photograph. Landing must come before picture - if you are to take photographs of 'a place' - otherwise, you are taking pictures for a map. Yes - Near was the first landing on a small body - but it could not and did not take pictures from the surface of a small body.

Pictures from the surface of the Moon, Mars, Venus and Titan have been taken - but not an asteroid yet. Ditto - Deep Impact's impactor probe will not be taking pictures from the surface of a comet. Pictures from very close - but not FROm the surface - and to be honest, I see no difference between that, and NEAR - even though NEAR survived the landing.

You can reproject MGS imagery to make it feel like you've landed in 100,000 different places - that doesnt make it 100,000 landers Nor does reprojecting NEAR imagery - however cool and pretty it is - make it one lander.

Doug