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- cfleap, on 05/26/2008, -0/+15Grats to the entire Phoenix project. I am so thirsty... I hope you find find lots of water ;)
- renumeratedfrog, on 05/26/2008, -1/+13I'm happy as anyone, but I'm saddened that it took over 30 years to essentially repeat the same feat that the Viking landers did in 1976.
- bobslt, on 05/26/2008, -0/+12hey it's now done. Phoenix is landing on mars and a lots of information, photos and data's are going to come back to us.
it's really interesting. whats going to happened in these 30 days? - catachip, on 05/26/2008, -0/+12This isn't a repeat of the Viking missions. Perhaps from the landing perspective, but, that is where the similarities end. The instruments and payload, scientific objectives, and location are all very much different.
Be sad that we have not been back to the moon in 40 years. - inactive, on 05/26/2008, -0/+10That said, should microbes be discovered on Mars, there is no reason why we shouldn't immediately launch a manned expedition to convert the godless heathens.
- Mushroonaut, on 07/11/2008, -0/+9Now to find some extremophiles!
- Krev, on 05/26/2008, -0/+5Yeah, there's actually a good reason.
By transmitting only black and white (grayscale actually), they manage to make the amount of data they transfer much less than if they use color.
I don't know exactly the speed of their connection, but I do know that they start with black and white images because they want to verify everything is okay with the spacecraft before they start collecting color images (which take longer to send).
Also, just for your information, alot of the "color" images that nasa give us, aren't real color. They're 2 black and white images shot with different filters, and they merge them together on a PC (using photoshop, more or less) to get "approximate" color. - schure1, on 05/26/2008, -1/+6We only sent a black and white camera for ~400mil?
Can't wait for color shots!
Gratz to the Phoenix team! WTG w00t! - Virgule, on 05/26/2008, -0/+4"What is going to happened in these 30 days?"
We will receive lots of informations, photos and data. - Intercon, on 05/26/2008, -1/+5So, Nasa sends a robot about 100 million km, remote captures an image and transmits it from the surface of another planet (which is constantly in motion, rotational and orbital) back to Earth (which is also in constant motion) and you're disappointed because the shots are a little blurry!?
Maybe you can grab that Nikon Coolpix and hop the next rocket. Show 'em how its really done. - Bolin100, on 05/26/2008, -0/+3I personally like this image-I have no problem with the b&w since I haven't taken any better myself and color is soon to follow. So when can we colonize? Kidding over here...
- inactive, on 05/26/2008, -0/+3The near foreground shows fine grained material, crossed by polygonal depressions. The fine material is covered by small resistant cobbles. Some of the cobbles show vesicles and wind abrasion patterns. These are typical basaltic ejecta scattered on the surface from nearby impacts. What is notable is how small and sparse they are. This is a comparatively young surface, compared to, say, Gusev crater, the Spirit landing site. The polygonal ground seems to have a spacing of about 1 m. This is quite small. Polygonal ground is formed by the repeated freezing and thawing of subsurface permafrost. The smaller the spacing, typically the closer to the surface the frost is. The polygons look to have a raised relief of about 10cm, which is quite a lot. I think this suggest great age. Material at the junction of polygons is pulverized by the freeze/thaw cycles then disproportionately eroded by the wind, leaving a high standing center. Lets hope the permafrost is accessible to Phoenix digging implements. The area is also remarkably flat. An unmodified ejecta surface would be more hummocky, again like Gusev, or Chryse Planitia. The flatness is best explained by water deposited material. It doesn't look volcanic.
- catachip, on 05/26/2008, -0/+3It's scheduled for a 90-day mission. Although, the Mars Exploration Rovers extended their prescribed lifetime considerable, I'm sure this will be a similar situation. The whole point is to analyze the soil and rock underneath the surface. Phoenix has lots of shovels and drills that will let it get below the surface a bit where it has not been possible before.
- JettaMan, on 05/26/2008, -1/+4Man, those pictures look like every other set of pictures I've ever seen from the moon or Mars. What's the friggin point? Colonize the damn things and stop wasting time with this ***** that we did way back in the 70's. The Viking landers did as much. We need to see moon and Mars bases... soon.
- firstmagnitude, on 05/26/2008, -0/+3The landscape looks like it's strewn with mineralized ice wedges (or ice wedge casts) due to permafrost at one time a long time ago.
- Anomaly100, on 05/26/2008, -0/+2Cheers to the Phoenix crew. Not too shabby!! Actually, perfect. I love this stuff...
- markthegoth, on 05/26/2008, -0/+2Does anyone know if there is a technical reason that nasa use black and white more than colour?
Does it help them get a sharper image or something? - stuffradio, on 05/26/2008, -0/+2"This is an approximate-color image taken shortly after landing by the spacecraft's Surface Stereo Imager, inferred from two color filters, a violet, 450-nanometer filter and an infrared, 750-nanometer filter. "
- Aeroslin, on 05/26/2008, -0/+2Congratz NASA on a job very well done.
- Topher06, on 05/26/2008, -0/+2I wouldn't turn my back on God, just on the Vatican.
- k7jeb, on 05/26/2008, -1/+3Phoenix? That picture looks like some of the areas around Phoenix.
- inactive, on 05/26/2008, -0/+2It is called patterned ground. I am surprised it is polygonal at the meter scale as well. The other thing that is striking is how absolutely flat and uncratered the plain is. That and the fact that there are almost no rocks suggests that the surface was once the bottom of a shallow sea. What else could it be? Because their are fewer craters than at the Opportunity site in Sinus Meridi suggests that the surface is even younger.
- cltdba, on 05/26/2008, -0/+1I'm pretty sure he's just making a joke.. why bring oversensitivity and intolerance in?
- wikitywack, on 05/26/2008, -0/+1color?
- Rabiki, on 05/26/2008, -0/+1I'm packing my bags...
- macosta5811, on 05/27/2008, -0/+1It was amazing to watch Web Nasa TV and be part of the moment when the first photos arrived.
- schure1, on 05/26/2008, -0/+1Nice! They converted the B&W to color! That was quick :D
- craiginct, on 05/27/2008, -0/+1Now we can prove whether or not there actually is ice there and umm if there is other stuff in the rocks that we can't ship back home. It is an incredible achievement - not crashing and all but to me this is all folly. We can't move to the moon - too much cheese there and we won't be able to move to mars either. Lets spend this money on feeding the hungry here on the little blue ball instead.
- Gogf, on 05/26/2008, -0/+1The image changed to a false-color version now...
- mxz800, on 05/27/2008, -0/+0What I see here.. It looks like the bottom of Lake Superior after the water levels dropped drastically... I spent a lot of time walking/riding on the lake bed, this came to mind right away after seeing this mars picture.. The mystery continues!!
- lagannt, on 05/26/2008, -1/+1And done with a small budget, compared to Viking...
- Aeroslin, on 05/26/2008, -1/+1Dugg for humor's sake.
- fredgarvin1138, on 05/26/2008, -0/+0I want to say the hi-speed interface is 32Kbit/sec - but I could be mistaken.
- dwright99, on 05/26/2008, -2/+1Looks like your belief in science or atheism is shaky bud. Why bring religion into this rock and water hunting expedition?
- lopla, on 05/26/2008, -5/+4I would just like to remind everyone on behalf of the vatican, that before the first samples are analyzed, that the vatican would like you to know that they believe life exists on other planets -and if such life were found that there is no reason to turn your back on god.
- bobslt, on 05/26/2008, -2/+1wow sorry yes it's gone be there for 90days. i'm sure too it's gone be live there for more than this time ;)
- TheCoreh, on 05/26/2008, -5/+3Seriously. We're in 2008 and this blurry, black and white and low-res shot is the best they can get? I'm quite disappointed.
- inactive, on 05/26/2008, -3/+1hello hello hello hello hello hello hellooooooooooooooooooowwwwww
scary - inactive, on 05/26/2008, -4/+2When you're happy, you don't think about saddening things.
- eegz, on 05/26/2008, -3/+1The martians just shot down the other space ships
- yoyoz, on 05/26/2008, -11/+2They have found the best evidence today of water on Mars already ----> check this !!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.anecdotoff.com/2008/03/08/proof-of-wate ...
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