Backdrop
So it turns out that the descent of Phoenix is actually visible in the browse scale image. That’s the image which is reduced in scale by a factor of ten which eliminates a lot of noise. What’s more astounding is that directly line-of-sight in the background is giant Heimdall Crater! Yesterday’s image made everyone’s jaw drop but this one is mind-blowing. The tiny image below is linked to the browse scale image.
This oblique view has been rotated so the crater is facing up. Phoenix, caught in its Promethean act, is between 8 and 10 kilometers above the surface, descending in the foreground at a distance of approximately 20 kilometers from the crater. It’s landing site was ultimately beyond the crater’s ejecta blanket.
The inset is an enhanced version at full resolution, showing some details of the parachute.
May 27th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
And just when I thought that parachute image couldn’t possibly get any better! BTW, any chance of a higher resolution view than this? I understand the noise is high, but would it be much noisier at 2x the resolution?
May 27th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
The MRO team ought to win the Pulitzer prize hands down.
May 27th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Photo of the decade!
Oh and I second that 2x resolution request.
May 27th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Amazing image! Only nitpick is that the lines going from the corners of the small square don’t line up with the corners of the big square. Also, will we see a full resolution image at some point?
May 27th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
I have looked pretty diligently, and haven’t found the orbital speed of the HRO and descent speed of Phoenix when the ‘money shot’ was taken. Does anyone know?
Geoff Fox
geoff.fox@gmail.com
May 28th, 2008 at 2:49 am
Amazing picture. Perfect timing! Just to show us the calculations and preparations that go into these kind of scientific challenges! Great effort and great reward!!! Big kudos from Portugal to all at the HiRISE Team!
P.S. Can you give us the high-resolution image? Please, please?
May 28th, 2008 at 5:57 am
I think it’s the most amazing image ever taken on Mars…
Just incredible!
May 28th, 2008 at 9:00 am
spaceflight forever !!!!
May 28th, 2008 at 9:43 am
Sugoi!! What excellent contrast between an unfamiliar terrific sight and a little human-made object…
There’s something than moving here.
It’s little shorter as my wallpaper
May 28th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Awesome… A sweet picture of The lander and the parachute heading down taken fro orbit around Mars… Still pretty ODD that Japan’s Kagyu High Definition Camera supposedly cant capture a spec of any of the moon landing sights…yeah… right???????
May 28th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
This is the best image I have seen in a long time. Pulitzer prize material.
May 29th, 2008 at 6:33 am
[...] Backdrop: Phoenix descendiendo en Marte – NASA / JPL / U. Arizona [...]
May 29th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
[...] Backdrop: Phoenix descendiendo en Marte – NASA / JPL / U. Arizona [...]
June 2nd, 2008 at 4:41 pm
This needs to be printed at very high resolution, poster size, and posted on the wall of a museum soon.
There is enough quality in the image that this should work. Poster printing may be low rez, but there’s enough resolution in this image that, after a small amount of reasonable noise filtering and destriping, as well as good upscaling. Should make a relatively decent 6 foot tall image!
June 4th, 2008 at 9:00 am
[...] HiBlog: HiRISE Team Blog » Blog Archive » Backdrop – [...]
June 14th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Of all the images I’ve looked at during a lifetime as a space gypsy, this is the most remarkable image I have ever seen taken by a spacecraft.
In a museum ?, for sure. A Pulitzer ?, at least. Thanks HiRise guys.
July 25th, 2008 at 6:05 am
it is great to see whats going on on another world but lets this one right first ps a marvelous achievment hirise