Cape York - Northern Havens, Sol 2780 - 2947 Options

[Phil Stooke]

Ant's panorama in circular format:



Phil

[PDP8E]

On sol 2786, Oppy took 12 left-eye images of the sun-dial. The two sets of 6 images were offset in time (the shadow moved)
So, I stacked them all anyways to improve S/N (and lost all' color' info in the process)
Someone please tell me that MSL will be able to focus its sun-dial better...
(you can almost read 'two worlds one sun' at the bottom)

[marsophile]

The sundial is actually slightly closer than the minimum focal distance of the pancam. You might be able to improve things by applying a deconvolution algorithm.

[djellison]

Someone please tell me that MSL will be able to focus its sun-dial better...

MSL's MastCam's can pull focus. The MER PanCam can not.

[Matt Lenda]

Amazing that there's still adequate charge with all the dust! A non-nuclear future mission could have little fans along the edge of the panels, for the occasional dust-off.

[attachment=26095:dust_factor.jpg]

For now, let's hope hope for one of these:

This makes me sad-face... but then happy-face again since, you know, Oppy's still chugging along like it ain't no thang.

-m

[fredk]

What a glorious mess:

[Bill Harris]

You might be able to improve things by applying a deconvolution algorithm

And the "IR bands" (L2 and R7) are worse about being a bit soft inside that DoF (Depth of Focus) hyperfocal range (ah, that is the word I was trying to remember) and those close-in shots (Sundial and foreground quarter) generally benefit by sharpening up the red channel.

This makes me sad-face... but then happy-face again

Yeppers. Like Harry Callahan used to say, "You gots to know your limitations"...

The Saddleback sequence (p2438) from Sol-2793 is astounding but the Foreground Quarter (p2587) hasn't made it to Exploratorium yet.

--Bill

Attached thumbnail(s)

 

[Deimos]

Yes, MSL's Mastcams can focus at a range of distances. But, as with Pancam, the foremost desire is to provide good focus for Mars. The Pancams have a wide field of view; the Mastcams do not have such a wide FOV. So, do not expect perfect focus on the cal target ("sundial")--but do expect very good pictures of that and everything else.

FWIW, having the cal targets be in focus for Pancam would have required either (a) a much larger depth of field, with a side effect of much noisier images (especially in blue, green, and 1-micron filter); or ( having the horizon--and anything past, a few m--be out of focus instead. Everything is a trade (like ineffectual solar panel fans vs. a science payload). The Pancams (like IMP and SSI) are set at their hyperfocal position, such that "infinity" is at one end of the depth of field, the other end is somewhere around 2-3 m, and best focus is in between (like 5m or so).

[Stu]

Cape York just keeps giving and giving, doesn't it?

[nprev]

Oh, man... ...so do you, Stu! That's a beautiful image.

[walfy]

In this nice view looking back to Turkey Haven the rock on the low ledge doesn't look so brittle where the three wheels rolled over (in the foreground). If my calculations were right, that's about 11.4 kilograms (25 lbs) per wheel! (Weight of rover: 180 kg. Gravity on Mars: 38% of Earth's. Number of wheels: 6.) But that's assuming each wheel carries equal load, which might not be the case.

[jvandriel]

The Pancam L2 view on Sol 2792.

Jan van Driel

[Stu]

Updated view of "Saddleback"... so many fascinating features, hues and shapes here all you can do is pan across the image and shake your head in wonder...



Full size version up on my RtE blog now...

http://roadtoendeavour.wordpress.com/2011/...-birthday-to-us

(to celebrate its 3rd birthday...feel free to drop by, bring a bottle, there'll be nibbles... )

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

Saddleback/Blencathra?

[Stu]

Wow... I hadn't made that connection, which is a bit embarrassing seeing as I don't live *that* far from Blencathra... well spotted, Sunspot... when you look at the rocks up there they look **very** familiar, don't they?



Could just be a coincidence, haven't checked into it very deeply yet, but if they have named this martian feature after the Cumbrian fell Blencathra, maybe one of the rover team has been walking in the Lakes at some point, that would be great to know!

(More Blencathra info and pics here: http://www.stridingedge.net/wainwright%20f.../Blencathra.htm )