NASA Images Old Mars Landers

Iron Sun writes "Scientists have used the Mars Global Surveyor orbiter to capture images of what they think are the Viking 1 and Mars Pathfinder craft sitting on the surface of Mars. I'll have to take their word they are the indistinct blobs in question. The probes were supposedly just below the resolution of Surveyor, but they used a new trick developed last year to squeeze more detail out of the camera. The next target will, of course, be the Spirit rover."

Comments

Images of beagle

[nocomment]

And of course here's the images of Beagle for those who missed it.

Re:Images of beagle

[deglr6328]

I feel bad for the scientists working on Beagle 2, but this sure is fun.

They can show us this

[AtariAmarok]

They can show us this, but they still can't show us the fillagried balconies on all the ornate buildings of Cydonia, or even a more detailed image of the Face of Elvis!. Come on, where are you priorities, NASA?

Images of beagle 2

[Anonymous Coward]

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Weird...

[Henry V .009]

If those blobs at the end of the arrows are our probes, whose probes are all the rest of the blobs?

Re:Beagle?

[nocomment]

Well, since you can't read articles apparently, (hey it wouldn't be slashdot if not for you ;-) NASA say's this technology only works, if you know where it is already. You have to know the landscape and what it looked like _BEFORE_ you can try to figure out which dot is beagle. For example they say they know where the rover is because they parked it next to a rock they named "Yogi". Well they know about where Yogi was, and where all most of the dots were before it landed, therefore they look for the new dots near objoects where they expect it to be. Not even the ESA knows where beagle is, you have to try to pick a dot out of something that _might_ have tumbled down a crater? Fat chance.

Here's an image of the beagle

[AtariAmarok]

Please click here.

"We can find it if we know where it is!"

[elendel]

From the article:
"It would be extremely difficult to find a lander for which the location is uncertain"

So basically they are saying if they know exactly where the lander is, they can point to it on a picture of mars. The only real news is the picture has enough resolution you can see the dot that is the lander. Of course, if they are wrong, it might be that dot over there... or maybe that one... or...

That said, this is pretty damn cool. Hopefully the next mission will have even better resolution cameras, and we can get a better view.

Re:"We can find it if we know where it is!"

[Gogo Dodo]

That said, this is pretty damn cool. Hopefully the next mission will have even better resolution cameras, and we can get a better view.

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter launching in 2005, arriving in 2006 will have a higher resolution camera called HiRISE. 1-2 meters/pixel.

Re:"We can find it if we know where it is!"

[elendel]

Uh, this is the same resolution as the currenct MSG. From the article:

"Normally it can resolve features only down to about 3 feet (1 meter) per pixel, not good enough to discern a typical landing craft from its surroundings."

They got the additional resolution needed to see the landers by using a funkey trick, something about pitching the spacecraft at a faster speed... not very well explained in the article. But it gives a single-dimension resolution of ~20 inches/pixel.

The MSG actually only has a resolution of 1.5 meters/pixel, if the information here is correct. So The Mars Recon Orbiter camera will be a bit of an improvement, if they use the same resolution-enhancing trick. But it will only make the dot a little bigger... I doubt it will be able to confirm that the dot actually is a lander. Although, the HiRISE will have a 1-2 ft/pixel resolution at near-infrared. This could be be enough to almost make out something...

Re:"We can find it if we know where it is!"

[zero_offset]

Says here the MRO will have 20-30cm resolution...

WMDs

[mraymer]

You can clearly see that the blob of pixels in question is, in fact, a Martian mobile weapons lab.

I think we are a few artist renditions away from a Martian Liberation.

Re:WMDs

[iggymanz]

Marvin the Martian denied this saying "The rabbit lies. There is no Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator, there never was an Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator".

That's not random pixel noise ...

[fygment]

... that's my wife. Just kidding.

It's actually Saddam's weapons of mass destruction. Clever bastard! Just kidding.

I worked with imagery analysts in the pre-digital age. You wanted to see a field of camouflaged T-64 tanks in your picture? No problem. Change your mind and want instead to see the Soviet fleet exiting harbour at battle stations? Heck, it could be that too! They'd just change the captions. It was a standing joke. They worked hard and honestly I'm sure, but only they really knew the difference.

New trick?

[bobbozzo]

they used a new trick developed last year to squeeze more detail out of the camera

Why don't they just use the equipment all the police & spook shows/movies use to enhance crappy video so well that you can zoom into a 4-pixel person until you see the pores on their face??
:p

When will we send higher-resolution cameras?

[johnjay]

Does anyone know if there are any plans in the works at NASA, ESA, or elsewhere to send higher-resolution orbitting cameras to Mars? I know that the current pictures are by far the most detailed we've ever had, but someone must be thinking of doing better.

They must have have a pretty good idea where the Beagle should be, a good enough camera might at least be able to verify that it's there. (Not that it would matter, but it'd be nice to know...)

Re:When will we send higher-resolution cameras?

[Gakster2001]

"In 2005, NASA plans to launch a powerful scientific orbiter, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. This mission will focus on analyzing the surface at new scales .... For example, the Reconnaissance Orbiter will measure thousands of Martian landscapes at 20- to 30-centimeter (8- to 12-inch) resolution, good enough to observe rocks the size of beach balls." If I read that correctly, this will have tremendous optics. Read it here

In related space news...

[stendec]

According to the United Press International, President Bush will propose changes to the U.S. space program that includes a manned return to the moon in 2013 with an ultimate aim of a landing on Mars. Further plans involve retiring the space shuttle fleet once the ISS is completed.