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Spirit's First Mars Images

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the isn't-that-special dept.

An anonymous reader writes "First panoramic and overhead polar views of Mars, a quarter billion miles away are available. Some spectacular examples and accompanying commentaries are at NASA's Astrobiology Magazine, and JPL."

9 of 406 comments (clear)

  1. Awe Inspiring by linux_user_31337 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    No matter how many space missions are made, this stuff still puts me in awe. I know that quite a few NASA guys lurk on /., and all I can say is: good work!

    1. Re:Awe Inspiring by pe1rxq · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Maybe in some ways, like distance and target area size...
      But in other ways its very different, like you can't alter the golfballs course half way over the atlantic but you can adjust the course of a marse probe a bit.

      Jeroen

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  2. Re:Which desktop are they using in this image? by Ianoo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    None of them. It's probably an X server with some lightweight window manager they've been using since the 80s.

  3. Congratulations to the team by haggar · · Score: 5, Insightful

    In case anyone of the NASA guys is reading /. (I know some are), I'd like to express my congratulations on an excellent job. I really enjoy following each step of the mission.

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    Sigged!
  4. Re:how come by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This question comes up frequently with the whole moon landing skeptic/debunk arguments. In addition to Ada_Rules' comment, keep in mind that Mars' atmosphere is quite different from that of the Earth. The differences in atmospheric density, levels of sunlight, and the effects of those things on the refraction of light make for "distorted" images as viewed by eyes trained to see in Earth-perspective.

    Or, in layman's terms, "Objects on Mars may be further away than they appear."

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  5. Re:Problem with images by SlightOverdose · · Score: 3, Insightful

    the average broadband connection is (probably) 1.5mbit/s. I think 24mbps is a lot fast than that.

  6. Re:Take that EU by oaf357 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Shuttle program vs. No shuttle program. Pretty easy to not have any casualities when you don't put anyone in space.

  7. Re:Color Pictures by Atmchicago · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't really see the point of sending people to mars. What can they discover that the robots can't? Sure, they can say "Hey! It looks different and there is less gravity!," but we knew that anyway. It is far simpler to send robots. Sending people requires food, life support, oxygen etc., whereas a robot needs solar panels.

    The price and inconvenience of sending people far outways any reason to send people over there.

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    You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it dissolve.

  8. Re:boy am I glad! by logophage · · Score: 3, Insightful
    with regard to poor slobs and the evilness of social programs: do you dislike social programs like the national highway system? or social programs like public education? or social programs like the national park system? or how about social programs like water distribution and sewage drainage? do you dislike social programs addressing the health and safety of the food we eat? or the efficacy and safety of the medicines we take? what about public funding of the postal service? or of libraries? do you think that publicly funded disaster relief programs are inherently bad? what about government-backed loan guarantees for small businesses? are soocial programs that fund the police or firemen wrong?

    do you not use any of these social programs? and is this what you teach your daughter?