Beautiful images from the Indian Mars mission

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has a spacecraft - Mars Orbiter Mission (or MOM) - orbiting Mars and taking some cool photos along the way. Last week, they released the first year's worth of data to the public.

Emily Lakdawalla of the Planetary Society worked with the data to create some very nice looking images: www.planetary.org...

MOM's camera is different from most recent Mars cameras in that it has a very wide field of view, designed so that it is capable of imaging all of Mars' disk when the spacecraft is near the apoapsis of its highly elliptical orbit. It doesn't take crisp high-resolution views of Mars; instead, MCC's value lies in its ability to capture beautifully colored, regional views of the planet.

Here's a couple of my favourite images:





I especially like the wispy look of the polar clouds, they give Mars a real planetary look.

And look at this photo!

You can see through Mars' tenuous atmosphere, and that tiny "pebble" in the image is the moon Phobos.

This cool photo has clouds that are casting a shadow on the ground:


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A stop-motion video of ISRO's images: www.youtube.com...


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By the way, Mars has been predicted to have a global dust storm in the near future, so we might lose the clear views of it for a while.

a reply to: wildespace

I especially like the wispy look of the polar clouds, they give Mars a real planetary look.

Yeah, at first I felt a little disappointed by the images and wanted super-duper hi-res. This was quickly followed by respect and admiration for them. Mars is out there hanging against the black background and looks beautiful; so pale and muted.

Phobos also looks as fragile and vulnerable as it should do. Year after Martian year, it's a little lower and who knows? Perhaps we'll have the technology to be there to record the occasion when this ancient rubble-pile crunches down on the the quiet surface.

Nice OP

a reply to: wildespace

Great pictures , particularly like the one with Phobos and Mar's atmosphere.

Oh wow. That photo of Phobos is amazing

originally posted by: Kandinsky
Yeah, at first I felt a little disappointed by the images and wanted super-duper hi-res.

Releasing photos in low-resolution saves them the work of having to photoshop out any visible structures.

a reply to: BlueShaman

I heard a rumour there's an abandoned Wal-Mart out there. The weird thing is it's allegedly a complete building and there are no roads leading up to it.

It's almost as if *poof* it just magically appeared there.

Loving that Phobos one!

India's lunar images were also pretty damned good!

a reply to: Kandinsky

That's where they send the Martians for "processing" by the planetary government. No roads (tunnels instead) because they all live underground. The surface is, of course, uninhabitable.

Step outta line, they make you take a walk outside.

a reply to: wildespace

After looking at these images they remind me of Dune the desert planet.

I wonder if someone at Nasa has a computer program that could do a rendering for us.

If Mars had the same amount of surface water by percentage (of total mass) what would the "continents" or the landmass look like.

Im sure there is someone who can do it.

a reply to: Lucidparadox
Mars

originally posted by: Lucidparadox
I wonder if someone at Nasa has a computer program that could do a rendering for us.

If Mars had the same amount of surface water by percentage (of total mass) what would the "continents" or the landmass look like.

Im sure there is someone who can do it.

a reply to: wildespace
Fake.
No clouds.

Wonderful images! First time I've seen ISRO's work.Love that picture of Phobos.

PS:Great post OP! S&F for you!

a reply to: wildespace
Snf, nice share of the Martian atmosphere

It seems its going to take some geomagnetic engineering also to "re-stimulate"? Mars core to glow like this
Maybe with Sol energy directing technologies more em waves can be aimed precisely... To re-stimulate for Human inhabitants. As the em field will alter genetics that are foreign if not modified. Hopefully with no harm to the NATURAL MARTIAN planet.

Why do all the space agencies have the same V-shaped wave thingy in their logos? Do I smell a conspiracy ? ...

-MM

originally posted by: MerkabaMeditation
Why do all the space agencies have the same V-shaped wave thingy in their logos? Do I smell a conspiracy

? ...

-MM

No you just read it somewhere else and saw pictures, haven't done any research but are repeating this theory. Part of the problem on ATS is this.

As for the ISRO, whooptydo they put a camera in orbit around mars. It cost 75 milliOn..couldn't they have spent a little more money for a better camera?

Australia, Japan, South Korea, Germany..could do a better job with photos of Mars if they did a similar project.
Of course these countries look after their people FIRST. They aren't chasing their tails in a dick measuring contest like India, the majority of whose population is below the poverty line.

We already have photos of Mars ane better than these.

originally posted by: mortex

originally posted by: MerkabaMeditation
Why do all the space agencies have the same V-shaped wave thingy in their logos? Do I smell a conspiracy

? ...

-MM

No you just read it somewhere else and saw pictures, haven't done any research but are repeating this theory. Part of the problem on ATS is this.

As for the ISRO, whooptydo they put a camera in orbit around mars. It cost 75 milliOn..couldn't they have spent a little more money for a better camera?

Australia, Japan, South Korea, Germany..could do a better job with photos of Mars if they did a similar project.
Of course these countries look after their people FIRST. They aren't chasing their tails in a dick measuring contest like India, the majority of whose population is below the poverty line.

We already have photos of Mars ane better than these.

To give credit where it is due..ISRO got it done one first try..no on else has managed this feat before..not even us or Russia. As far for the money...it was well spent...their space program earns valuable foreign currency from other countries who use them to launch satellites.

Australia/south korea have space programs?

originally posted by: mortex
As for the ISRO, whooptydo they put a camera in orbit around mars. It cost 75 milliOn..couldn't they have spent a little more money for a better camera?

Cameras cost money, and taking pretty pictures was not the only reason for going there - there are other scientific instruments on board.

Australia, Japan, South Korea, Germany..could do a better job with photos of Mars if they did a similar project.

You mean like the ones taken by Mars Express?

www.esa.int...

They don't seem any better, some seem a lot worse.

sci.esa.int...

And how did Beagle 2 get on?

Of course these countries look after their people FIRST. They aren't chasing their tails in a dick measuring contest like India, the majority of whose population is below the poverty line.

So their space industry doesn't employ Indians? Doesn't require investment in an education programme for its citizens? Doesn't attract overseas income? Are countries not allowed to aspire to better things?

We already have photos of Mars ane better than these.

I've seen some great photos of New Zealand. Guess there's no need for me to go take my own right?

Anymore data OP? I'll be looking forward to more pics and analysis from the mission.