PSP Image 1440-1255 shows a network of gully-like channels on the sides of dunes inside Russell Crater. On the sunward side, the channels are long and continuous, terminating at the base of the dunes. On the more shadowed side, strange stipples interrupt the otherwise silky smooth dune faces, as if the channel forming process never quite gets going.

Aside from the scientific significance of this image—which hopefully can tell us how these features formed and how recently—it is one sexybeautiful image, and my personal favorite so far!

This image and twelve others were released today; the first set of Primary Science Phase images from HiRISE.

The raw HiRISE image data needs to be cleaned up, and the HiCal pipeline is where this work is done. Now that the raw image data has been converted to a *.cub file format, ISIS tools can be used. These include hiclean, hipical, and hidestripe.

Hiclean does just what is says. Noise introduced into the image data by spacecraft electronics is corrected. Noise can show up as vertical and horizontal lines in the raw image and other periodic manifestations.

Hipical is a newer tool that performs calibration on the image data. For example, flatfield and gain corrections are performed by hipical. Hipical will be upgraded as we learn more about our instrument in its environment around Mars.

Hidestripe corrects a known striping pattern in HiRISE images.

We use other tools to collect even more statistical data about the newly calibrated image data. The HiCal pipeline will continue to be upgraded as our software matures. New statistics will be collected while corrections are added or improved.

After cleanup has been completed and a new *.hical.cub channel product created, HiCal creates a variety of jpeg browse and thumbnail images. The cleaned up channels are large, and for quick previews, these smaller jpegs come in handy.

Finally, HiCal lets the next pipeline – HiStitch – know that cleaned up channels are ready to be stitched together into CCD products.

Below is an example of raw data, prior to going through the HiCal pipeline. This image sample was taken from TRA_000873_1780; “Victoria Crater” at Meridiani Planum.

Below is the same image sample after going through the HiCal pipeline (notice that the bright vertical line in the center and the faint vertical lines throughout the image have been correctly removed by HiCal):

We mention our automated pipelines a lot, so I might as well jump in and provide some more information about them, on top of what might already have been mentioned before. I will start with the first one – HiDog – in a moment, but first, let me introduce Watchdog.

You should know by now the route our data takes: from the HiRISE camera on MRO to storage to spacecraft radiation to the Deep Space Network radio telescopes here on Earth to the ground data system network to JPL in Pasadena, CA to the University of Arizona campus network to our servers in the HiRISE Operations Center. Our Watchdog software, well, watches the JPL servers for new HiRISE raw image data. When it sees a new raw channel file (2 channels per CCD, up to 14 CCDs per observation), Watchdog flags that file as ready to be downloaded by HiDog.

HiDog is the first automated pipeline. It wakes up every few minutes to see if the Watchdog has flagged any new files (basically, it is checking a sources table in our database). If there is nothing new in the sources table, then it goes back to sleep. If there is something new, HiDog wags its tail, rapidly downloads the file, checks to see if there are any gaps in the data, and then tells the next pipeline that a new image channel has arrived in Tucson, ready for further processing. Then, it checks to see if there are any more files ready for downloading, and goes back to sleep if there are not. Sweet dreams, little doggy.

Over and over again, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the Dogs are ready and waiting for the latest HiRISE data from Mars.

Next time…the EDRgen pipeline.

We’ve been looking at the first images for the last several minutes, they are incredible. We have identified many boulders, craters, channels, and other incredible features. Everything is looking as well as we have dreamed. Stay tuned for more!