Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

First Picture from Mars Odyssey

Posted by michael on from the martian-aiming-anti-satellite-missile dept.

Insitus writes: "NASA releases the first images from the Mars Odyssey." Not very exciting, but I guess with the dust storm this is as good as they get.

3 of 8 comments (clear)

  1. Mars Odyssey by NeoTomba · · Score: 1, Informative

    Here's some other useful links, for the inquisitive amongst us:

    2001 Mars Odyssey home page: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey/

    Direct link to the first image and explanation:
    http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey/gallery/latest/ la test2001/01oct31.html

    Explanation of the Mars Odyssey on HowStuffWorks:
    http://www.howstuffworks.com/mars-odyssey.htm

    Mission Overview:
    http://www.marsnews.com/missions/2001/

    Enjoy!

    -NeoTomba

  2. Uh, no. by Bamfarooni · · Score: 2, Informative

    First, there are no significant dust storms on Mars right now. It hasn't been very dusty for a month now.

    Second, that image was taken during aerobraking from an altitude of 22,000 kilometers, as opposed to MGS's 400km orbit.

    Third, it's a thermal infra-red image, showing surface temperature. Half of the image is being taken on the night-time side of the planet, in the dark. It doesn't show bright and dark regions like most images because it is measuring surface temperature, not brightness.

    The interesting parts are how much thermal variation there is in the polar cap, considering it's a solid sheet of CO2 ice, and the temperature variations between the bottoms and tops of some of the craters.

    The original image is here. The space.com copy has been shrunk and doesn't show any detail.

  3. Whoops. by Bamfarooni · · Score: 2, Informative

    Hmm.. instrinsic domain name on that first url. Works on my machine, but probably not on yours.
    Lets try again.

    No significant dust storms.