[meteorite-list] Curiosity Sends High-Resolution Color Images from Gale Crater

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2012 17:29:55 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <201208120029.q7C0Tt1O003656_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2012-239

Curiosity Sends High-Resolution Color Images from Gale Crater
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
August 11, 2012

[Images]
    * First Hi-Res Color Mosaic of Curiosity's Mastcam Images
    * Wall of Gale Crater
    * Mount Sharp on Mars as seen by NASA's Mars rover Curiosity
    * Exposed by Rocket Engine Blasts


NASA's Curiosity rover has shipped back to Earth high-resolution
color images of its surroundings on Mars, sharpening our views of an intriguing
channel, layered buttes and a layer of cobbles and pebbles embedded in
a finer matrix of material. The images show a landscape closely resembling
portions of the southwestern United States, adding to the impression gained
from the lower-resolution thumbnail images released earlier this week.

The 79 images that went into the large mosaics were taken on Aug. 8, 2012
PDT (Aug. 9, EDT) by Curiosity's 34-millimeter Mastcam. The black areas
indicate high-resolution images not yet returned by the rover.

The full-resolution images are available at: http://www.nasa.gov/msl and
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/images/ .

Curiosity sent lower-resolution versions of these images earlier in the week. The
latest versions, sent while Curiosity was undergoing a software "brain
transplant" and pausing in its acquisition of new science data, are 1,200
by 1,200 pixels.

In one version of the large mosaic, the colors portrayed
are unmodified from those returned by the camera. The view is what a cell
phone or camcorder would record, since the Mastcam takes color pictures
in the exact same manner that consumer cameras acquire color images. The
second version shows the colors modified as if the scene were transported
to Earth and illuminated by terrestrial sunlight. This processing, called
"white balancing," is useful for scientists to be able to recognize and
distinguish rocks by their color in more familiar lighting.

Smaller mosaics of some of the areas most interesting to science team members
are also available. One shows a section on the crater wall north of the landing
site, where a network of valleys believed to have formed by water erosion
enters Gale Crater from the outside. This is the first view scientists
have had of a fluvial system - one relating to a river or stream - from
the surface of Mars.

A second section of the mosaic looks south of the landing site, towards Mount
Sharp, a peak that is about 3.4 miles (5.5 kilometers) high and taller than
Mt. Whitney in California. This provides an overview of the eventual geologic
targets Curiosity will explore in the next two years. Close by is a rock-strewn,
gravelly surface. Farther away is a dark dune field, and beyond that lie the
layered buttes and mesas of the sedimentary rock of Mount Sharp.

Another section of the mosaic shows an area excavated by the blast of the Mars
Science Laboratory's descent stage rockets. With the loose debris blasted away
by the rockets, details of the underlying materials are clearly seen. Of
particular note is a well-defined, topmost layer that contains fragments of
rock embedded in a matrix of finer material.

Curiosity continues to be very healthy,
with all instruments and engineering subsystems operating as planned.
There are no science or instrument activities planned on Sol 5. Last night,
the new flight software, which is optimized for surface operations, was
tested for the first time and successfully executed all planned Sol 5
rover activities. The test demonstrated that the new software is ready
to support the upcoming surface operations mission phase. After an afternoon
nap, Curiosity then returned to operating on its previous flight software,
as planned. The rover's primary main computer will be permanently transitioned
to the new flight software on Aug. 13.

Veronica McGregor/Guy Webster
818-354-9452/818-354-6278
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
veronica.mcgregor at jpl.nasa.gov / guy.webster at jpl.nasa.gov

2012-239
Received on Sat 11 Aug 2012 08:29:55 PM PDT