The Mars Report June 2, 2013

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A rat on Mars, did you hear about this? ROFLMFAO (Rolling On the Floor Laughing My Fracking Ass Off) I looked at the images, at about 4:30AM today (Sunday). Went to NASA/JPL to download the original shots and looked at them on my 1920x1080 monitor. Rocks, just rocks. Guess it is a slow news week, right? Just as I was sewing that up I hear something about “a metallic arm’ on Mars? Again, ROFLMFAO. Does nobody in the media realize that the public/media images have been altered? It is called ‘White Balancing’ and it helps make ALL the public images released appear in EARTH light.

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Hence, something that appears ‘metallic’ in the media/public image is, in reality, not even metallic. But, this kind of thing keeps those pulp mags moving and the ET tele-mags full of pseudo-intrigue. However, I really must hand it to the blogger that broke this story. His blog is hopping and he is experiencing his “fifteen-minutes-of-Fame” all we Americans were promised. (My favorite… my ONLY.. favorite phrase from Andy Warhol)

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See, the thing is? I would just LOVE to have this traffic here @ The Other Shoe. Although, honestly, I would not want my time of fame to be over a rat shaped rock on Mars. I have been writing The Mars Report here for the past eight or so months, not just a fly-by-night venture for me. When you come here to read about Mars and see images that open your eyes and fill you with wonder, it is just that. I want people to feel engaged and involved in the American Mars Science Expedition, not harvest the whole project for fill in a slow news week. Nope, I am here for the hard science and pure enjoyment of discovering another world, and alien planet, for the long haul.

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I was thinking of posting the images here, then I thought not. The media has already debunked the ‘rat’ image. As for the “metallic arm’?

Simple factoid. Pretty much without exception all the images that make it to the public and media have been altered (by NASA/JPL) in a process called ‘white balancing’. This is a imaging process that alters the color saturation, hue, and white level of the original image so that the scene appears in Earth Light. Right, we rarely see Mars in Martian light. However, here @ The Other Shoe I have presented images that are in original Mars lighting. In one article I shared an image from JPL that broke down a single shot in the three different imaging processes they use. RAW, Natural and White Balanced.

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Here is a shot of Mount Sharp in Raw Colors:

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[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="258"] NASA/JPL Image of Mount Sharp with RAW colors.[/caption]

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And, here is the same image with ‘White Balancing’:

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[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="258"] NASA/JPL Image of Mount Sharp with White Balancing imaging used.[/caption]

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So, with the processes and imaging techniques used, what appears to be ‘metallic’ in a white balanced process image in reality is not metallic colored at all. I looked at the image, both at this bloggers site and at NASA/JPL project web site. There is a glare, on a rock face, that appears to have been translated, visually, as a silver metal color. There is not metal object on Mars, least not yet. I appreciate that a lot more people are looking at the Mars mission images. I hope all Americans follow of space program (less than 20% actually do), but this is for all the wrong reasons.

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Scientific achievement, advancing our understanding of our world via exploration of other planetary bodies in our solar system and fulfilling mankind’s need for expansion and exploration. THOSE are the good and genuine reasons to write about and talk about Mars and the NASA/JPL Mars Mission.

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Thank you for dropping by, today. I was hoping for more images today… I am just really in a ton of pain and simply cannot put together all the downloads and uploads, nesting URLS and labels that it takes to produce one single episode of The Mars Report. I appreciate your support and understanding.

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ENJOY!

Mid-May The Mars Report

Welcome back, My Dear Readers, to the Mid-May The Mars Report here @ The Other Shoe. It is a genuine pleasure to bring you this edition of The Mars Report. Reason? This is a special edition devoted to panoramic shots of the surface of Mars! This article has NO: rocks, drilled holes, tire tracks or self-portraits (well… maybe just one shot of the rover Curiosity… Have to give her props for what she does!). So without further adieu I bring you the plains and mountain of our sister planet, Mars.

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[caption id="attachment_684" align="aligncenter" width="630"] This is the first 360-degree panorama in color of the Gale Crater landing site taken by NASA’s Curiosity rover. The panorama was made from thumbnail versions of images taken by the Mast Camera.[/caption]

(Click on the images in this article to see the Full Sized Images)

(This is the first 360-degree panorama in color of the Gale Crater landing site taken by NASA's Curiosity rover. The panorama was made from thumbnail versions of images taken by the Mast Camera. )

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This is a shot of Mount Sharp looking up from Rocknest. I tried to make 'thimbnails' of the larger iamges (they are quite large and in HD). Unfortunately, the blog would not accommodate the original size. Therefore, I have made the best of a bad situation and croped a middle size just for my blog and you My Dear Readers! :)

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Now, before we get to the beautiful panoramic images here is an overhead shot of the area Curiosity and we have been. The surrounding crater is Gale Crater and the center is Mount Sharp. There is no ‘scale’ here, but the mountain is larger and higher than Pike’s Peak in Colorado. So, here is the great overhead of our stomping grounds.

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[caption id="attachment_683" align="aligncenter" width="630"] This graphic shows the pattern of winds predicted to be swirling around and inside Gale Crater, which is where NASA's Curiosity rover landed on Mars. Modeling the winds gives scientists a context for the data from Curiosity's Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS).[/caption]

(Image made for showing thermal patterns gives up a great overhead view)

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Our next image is a low-level shot of Mount Sharp from the Rocknest area. This was earlier in the mission, about Sol say 54) and Curiosity is much further from Mount Sharp.

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[caption id="attachment_685" align="aligncenter" width="630"] This panorama is a mosaic of images taken by the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on the NASA Mars rover Curiosity while the rover was working at a site called "Rocknest" in October and November 2012.[/caption]

(This panorama is a mosaic of images taken by the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on the NASA Mars rover Curiosity while the rover was working at a site called "Rocknest" in October and November 2012. )

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This next shot takes us a little further back in our adventure, like back in the beginning (August 8^th to be exact). This is a 360-degree shot of Gale Crater wall, near the landing zone

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[caption id="attachment_681" align="aligncenter" width="630"] This is the first 360-degree panorama in color of the Gale Crater landing site taken by NASA's Curiosity rover. The panorama was made from thumbnail versions of images taken by the Mast Camera.[/caption]

(This is the first 360-degree panorama in color of the Gale Crater landing site taken by NASA's Curiosity rover. The panorama was made from thumbnail versions of images taken by the Mast Camera. )

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Well, My Dear Readers, we are coming to the end of this adventure to Mars. I cannot tell you how nice it was to have you drop by and spend a little while. I appreciate your time and the effort you make to ‘Like’ my articles and my Facebook page for The Other Shoe. I am trying to make a go of this blog and every ‘Like’ helps. Below you will find the very first panoramic 360-degree self-portrait of Curiosity. Even in the first weeks she was covered in a layer of dust.

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[caption id="attachment_682" align="aligncenter" width="630"] On Sol 84 (Oct. 31, 2012), NASA's Curiosity rover used the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) to capture this set of 55 high-resolution images, which were stitched together to create this full-color self-portrait.[/caption]

(On Sol 84 (Oct. 31, 2012), NASA's Curiosity rover used the Mars Hand Lens Imager
(MAHLI) to capture this set of 55 high-resolution images, which were stitched
together to create this full-color self-portrait.)

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Nice shot, huh? Well I have to say that I have enjoyed this edition quite a lot. These are the images that I enjoy most, but realize that I need to share all the images I can and try and meet the visual needs of the most people. Be sure to share, if you enjoyed this edition, over Facebook and let your friends and family enjoy these great panoramic images from Curiosity on Mars.

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I look forward to your next visit, and hope that today finds you and your loved ones well. Take care, and remember… ‘Like’ and ‘Share’. ;)

The Mars Report - September 9, 2012

The Mars Report

September 7, 2012

Welcome back, my dear readers, to ‘The Mars Report’! Today I have several images for you to view. As well, I have found some schematic drawings of the Curiosity rover. These drawings will give you a much better idea of just what Curiosity can do while on Mars. What science can this rover actually accomplish millions of miles from home? To that end, we come to my first image of the day. This drawing shows the many tools needed, to support the robotic arms, for the scientific experimentation.

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[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320"] Tools On Curiosity Mars Rover[/caption]

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Quite logically, the robotic arm is the subject matter for our next image. The mast camera took this shot and it shows us the robotic arm on the Curiosity rover. As you look at the arm, you can clearly see the different tools connected, for collecting the many different types of samples.

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[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320"] Robotic Arm Image Taken By Mast Camera[/caption]

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Our next image shows you just where the robotic arm is located, on Curiosity. This is an engineer drawing shows the robotic arm, and the turrets that support the arm.

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[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320"] Schematic Drawing of Robotic Arms[/caption]

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Now, let’s move into low orbit. This shot was taken from High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) instrument on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. It shows Curiosity rover and the tire tracks in the Martian soil it has left behind. This is pretty much proof positive that we actually did land Curiosity on Mars. I know it is hard to believe, but I have already encountered some that think we didn’t land.

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[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="310"] HD Overhead Image Showing Curiosity Trail[/caption]

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For our last, as usual our best shot of the evening. I bring you one totally clear, and incredible, High Definition panorama of Mars. This shot was taken as Curiosity went through the robotic arm checks, which we saw images from above. Now, hopefully the ‘thumbnail’ will show up so everyone can see the little version of this shot. However, if you want the full impact of this shot, click on it. Click on the image below and it will take you to the full HD panoramic image from Mars!

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[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320"] A High Definition Panoramic Image from Curiosity[/caption]

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That brings us to the end of our pictorial adventure. As always, I had a great time sharing and showing images to you. I hope that you have enjoyed yourself, too. Be sure to tell friends, and family about this site and my work. The greatest compliment you can pay a writer or artist? Tell other people about them! I hope that you have a great weekend, and that joy and happiness finds you where ever you may be.

Thank you for your kindness and continued support! 

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[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="215"] Daniel's Moving Assistance Fund @ Indiegogo www.indiegogo.com/DannyHanning[/caption]