Returning to normal
ESP_013948_1410, the kind of data we can't wait to get more of!
We are now returning to our normal mode of operations after several long months of being in safe mode. The anomaly on August 26th was the last in a series of computer glitches on board the MRO spacecraft that caused a reboot. The engineering teams have been working incredibly hard to get the anomaly figured out and prevent a possible side-effect from causing really serious problems. While they may not understand the original problem, and there is a chance it may happen again, they’re confident that at least it will not threaten the mission, so they’ve given us the go-ahead to resume normal operations.
Safe mode is a way of running the spacecraft where all of the science instruments are turned off and quiet. We still receive engineering telemetry so we can monitor temperatures and voltages. There are also “survival” heaters that prevent HiRISE from getting too cold in this mode.
During this time, the uplink operations staff has gotten a little restless. Downlink has been working on reprocessing all of our old data using new calibration and other improvements. With no new images to plan, though, there’s not much for uplink to do! In the beginning we welcomed the chance to finish up a lot of little tasks that we don’t normally have time for. Once we ran out of those, we helped with various projects: some people validated reprocessed data, corrected some old image information, and improved documentation. I used the extra time to do some research. We have also been training a new Targeting Specialist, who started working here a few weeks ago.
So there’s been plenty to do, but we have missed our regular jobs – as busy and stressful as they are. 
I’m excited and happy to be getting back to normal operations. We were anxiously waiting for the first images to come down from cycle 81 all day yesterday. It was such a relief when they appeared to be fine. (Better than fine, gorgeous!) We can’t wait to get more new data! 
December 17th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
The images are fascinating, but unless you tell us lay people what we are seeing by labeling and sometimes, keying them, we don’t know how to interpret the colors we see in them. Are the colors natural? Are they black and white images? Are they full color images of a black and white landscape? Are the colors enhanced to show details the “naked eye” would not detect? Are they images of UV or IR light reflections? Unless we are told what the colors represent in these extraterrestrial images, we might as well be looking at fantasy artwork.
December 17th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Hi Kathleen,
All of our color images are false color. The HiRISE camera has three color filters, one in the red wavelengths (which we use to make the grayscale images of the full scene), and infrared (IR) and blue-green (BG) filters, which are only in the middle strip, and which we use to make the false color products. Most of the products you’re probably looking at are “stretched” to enhance contrast. None of the false color products are going to look like what you would see with your eyes, because the IR, RED, and BG channels are displayed in red, green, and blue colors.
You can find more information in the FAQ here: http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/faq/ (under “What does ‘false color’ Mean?”, for example). Also, there is a more detailed explanation in the document “About color products”, which is linked from every observation page.
Hope that helps!
December 17th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
There’s a series of posts here tagged ‘color’ that explain in detail. I don’t have much to add except that false color is meant to bring out all kinds of detail that your eyes would not pick up on, such as slight differences in mineralogical composition. Also–and this is just my conjecture here–I don’t think it is possible to label every distinct color unit in every HiRISE image, it would be primarily guesswork until we go to Mars and analyze them in situ!
http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/HiBlog/tag/color/
December 31st, 2009 at 5:15 pm
those are just gorgeous images– amazing. I wish I was that skilled but its just time I dont have to dedicate to the craft. Which camera is your favorite?
January 4th, 2010 at 10:08 am
Even though the color images are false color there are still some stunning images there. Congrats!
January 6th, 2010 at 9:57 pm
Glad things are back to normal!
January 12th, 2010 at 6:18 am
Any computer glitch can be frustrating it. When dealing with something in space, it must be very frustrating. It seems to me with the latest news that I saw around the web, that things are back to normal? The images that were shared are amazing!
Sincerely,
David Olmst from
http://worldlandforms.com/
January 14th, 2010 at 7:13 am
Glad your back up in normal mode. Can’t wait to see some more pictures of mars. The last picture looks like mars has Trees!
January 16th, 2010 at 5:09 am
The photographs of extraterrestrial images are awesome. All the information shared are very much informative and knowledgeable for instance, safe mode of running the spacecraft is the condition when all the scientific instruments are switched off. It was pleasurable to know that every thing comes out to be normal when long awaited image received after 81 days. The article is crisp and meticulously formatted. Thanks a lot for providing such a wonderful article.
March 14th, 2010 at 9:52 pm
These have to be some of the coolest pictures I have seen. I wish I had the skills to take these amazing pictures.
March 31st, 2010 at 9:51 am
I have been following this for a while now and I know this was back in December but I am glade you are not operating in safe mode anymore.
May 4th, 2010 at 9:43 am
Absolutely stunning detail. Any plans for StereoPair or anaglyph video clips?
Thank you for freely sharing them.