Strange image of new lander photo

reply to post by 1freelectron


I'll try to answer some of your questions. This actually is not the first parachute and rockets combination lander. The Viking lander was actually the first to use such devices. The Phoenix lander is just the first one tried in about 32 years. It is also the first successful mission to one of the poles on Mars. If you watch the video simulation of the landing or read the mission details its stated that the parachute was detached after slowing down the lander. The parachute then detached from the lander and then the rockets kicked in approximately 2 seconds later.

There is no evidence right now that it is either crystal, CO2 ice or something more exotic. This white object in the picture was the third question asked by the media to the NASA panel as soon as they started taking questions. It has been asked about 2 or 3 more times from the media as to what the panel thinks it may be.

People still need to keep in mind that the image in discussion was a low res picture taking from a camera intended to look at the lander itself for damage really. Give it time for the quality pictures to come back before making any real determination.

You can bet however that the media will not forget about it without some sort of answers as said before it was almost their first question to be asked multiple times. If NASA gives an answer that people are wanting or wishing for is another topic.










[edit on 26-5-2008 by zarlaan]

I found two skulls, and a footprint actually. The one skull, another poster has already posted, looks almost primate.

reply to post by zarlaan


Actually the image i posted recently was taken 180 degrees opposite from the image that the media was asking about. this image was just released about an hour ago.

reply to post by zorgon


Zorgon,

Mars geysers!!! Really, your photoshopping skills are improving!!!

AND some call ME a dis-info agent!!!!

reply to post by cactusjacks



Definately looks like a parachute in one of the photos. However, I'm very disappointed in not being able to point out any seashells, skulls, rinds, skeletons, decepticons, etc. Very dissappointed in this 500 million dollar digital camera.

I cannot believe that NASA blows all this money for geological adventures, instead of using this money for advancing technology to live in space or create spaceships.

This is a big joke next to Nasa's BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!


Does anyone find this totally lame? So their going to go send astronauts (I mean geologists) to Mars huh? Yeah I bet that's going to be another moon landing skit in some hangar outside of Hollywood.


So they find their water sample. Woopdee Doo!



LET'S SEE THE REAL DEAL



[edit on 26-5-2008 by WISHADOW]

Heh he, another run away thread...

Alright, just a few quick things. No. 1, what are the chances of a man-made object landing on another planet 420 million miles away and landing smack bang near some interesting alien artifacts? The mind boggles at the infinitely small chance that that could happen.

Further, what are the chances that the very first thing it snaps, using its low quality camera, is an anomaly on the horizon?

The camera used to snap these shots would be like an old web cam. The full resolution stereo imager was not popped up yet. Phoenix had just landed, and who knows, it could've been static discharge in the image sensor or any number of things that caused a white blip in the image. Mars has virtually no magnetic field like Earth's, so I'd imagine there'd be a much a higher level of radiation on the surface.

Wait for the real science to come in - imagine if Phoenix finds evidence of real life in the past?

The Phoenix mission costs about US$450 million. If I'm not mistaken, I think that's about the same amount it takes to launch one shuttle mission just to park in low Earth orbit for a few days.

I wonder what will have the greater return...

[edit on 26-5-2008 by mattguy404]

his one looks weird.

looks like a little animal (pig like) laying across its mound?


fawkes4.lpl.arizona.edu..." target='_blank' class='tabOff'/>






[edit on 26-5-2008 by RUFFREADY]

Originally posted by mattguy404
Heh he, another run away thread...

Alright, just a few quick things. No. 1, what are the chances of a man-made object landing on another planet 420 million miles away and landing smack bang near some interesting alien artifacts? The mind boggles at the infinitely small chance that that could happen.

Further, what are the chances that the very first thing it snaps, using its low quality camera, is an anomaly on the horizon?



[edit on 26-5-2008 by mattguy404]

Maybe it detected it coming into the atmosphere, and was observing it?

reply to post by mattguy404


Hi.

Perhaps that is the real reason they landed in this area?
Maybe they knew that some sort of object was there,and decided to try and capture an image of it and study it,while searching the soil for the presence of ice.

This would perhaps explain why one of the very first images recieved does show this anomaly.

[edit on 26-5-2008 by scobro]

I really doubt they landed there because they thought they would find something interesting, like traces of life. Quite the opposite.

Ask yourself this one question and give an honest answer. If you were looking for signs of life on the planet Earth knowing what you know about earth. Would you drop a probe on the North Pole, or someplace with a more temperate climate? Maybe even on the equator?

If you said I would drop a life probe on the North Pole, congratulations, you are qualified to work for NASA.

I do not know how they sell this "science" with a straight face.

We have seen what looks like trees a mile wide in some of the mars pictures, not that anyone would call them that. But I would be looking there.

They could have added the martian equivalent of an RC toy truck and been able to extend the range of their ability to sample, they did not even do that. They do not want to look to hard for signs of life.

reply to post by Cyberbian


Cyberbian....what a brilliant analysis!!!

Big star for you! If anyone wonders why the Phoenix Lander was aimed at the Polar regions of Mars, just do some due diligence research.

Spirit and Opportunity....they need solar energy to stay powered....to recharge batteries...the equatorial regions were best for that.

Phoenix....not sure the power source on that vehicle....don't care, just hope it does good science....and if water ice is found, in any great quantity, then it's well worth the effort!!!!

I didn't see that this was posted, but this is the quote from NASA on their website officially stating they don't know what it is:

What is the white, vertical object in one of the landscape photos from Landing Day?

This is certainly an object of interest, but we don’t know what it is yet. Our Principal Investigator Peter Smith addressed this question at a press conference earlier today. Remember the first images are compressed, and we are waiting for images of higher resolution. Our priority now is to begin the Characterization Phase of the mission, which includes taking panoramic images of our landing site. We know you want to see a Martian Artic panorama first! Thank you for your patience and we will keep you posted.

NASA Source


delius

Phoenix Makes a Grand Entrance

NASA's Mars Phoenix Lander can be seen parachuting down to Mars, in this image captured by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. This is the first time that a spacecraft has imaged the final descent of another spacecraft onto a planetary body.

From a distance of about 310 kilometers (193 miles) above the surface of the Red Planet, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter pointed its HiRISE obliquely toward Phoenix shortly after it opened its parachute while descending through the Martian atmosphere. The image reveals an apparent 10-meter-wide (30-foot-wide) parachute fully inflated. The bright pixels below the parachute show a dangling Phoenix. The image faintly detects the chords attaching the backshell and parachute. The surroundings look dark, but corresponds to the fully illuminated Martian surface, which is much darker than the parachute and backshell.

Phoenix released its parachute at an altitude of about 12.6 kilometers (7.8 miles) and a velocity of 1.7 times the speed of sound.

The HiRISE, acquired this image on May 25, 2008, at 4:36 p.m. Pacific Time (7:36 p.m. Eastern Time). It is a highly oblique view of the Martian surface, 26 degrees above the horizon, or 64 degrees from the normal straight-down imaging of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The image has a scale of 0.76 meters per pixel.

This image has been brightened to show the patterned surface of Mars in the background.

www.nasa.gov...


Here PSP_008301_2480 can be found one of the many images that have been taken over the Phoenix landing site.

Phoenix touched down on the Red Planet at 4:53 p.m. Pacific Time (7:53 Eastern Time), May 25, 2008, in an arctic region called Vastitas Borealis, at 68 degrees north latitude, 234 degrees east longitude.

Latitude (centered): 68.0 °
Longitude (East): 234.9 °
Range to target site: 338.0 km (211.2 miles)
Original image scale range: 33.8 cm/pixel
(with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~101 cm across are resolved

hirise.lpl.arizona.edu...

So whatever are we seeing in Phoenix's image, it has to be here, somewhere, but it also may appear like a dot, (unless it's a part of the lander like i.e. protective backshell).


[edit on 27/5/2008 by internos]

reply to post by internos


Well done, Internos!!!!

Thank you so much for bringing that to ATS!!!

Can't wait to see more!!!

WW

Another strange object appears in this photo.

Since both of these objects appear white and reflective, perhaps what we're seeing is ice?

When an "artifact" is only a few pixels in size it could be absolutely anything. The interesting artifacts and anomalies are the ones that are clear even after enlargement. Blurred images are just as bad as low res ones leaving interpretation as wide as a barn door.

So speculation about 10 pixels is nonsense although entertaining, nothing more.

Hmm, another anomaly in a raw image... look toward the top left, it's too big to imbed here:

www.nasa.gov...


*cue drum roll*

to stay on topic for a moment... heres the pic that I posted a couple days ago when I made the original thread on the anomaly.

it would be funny if it was some sort of alien probe that was probeing our probe :S

Nice Picture there. It looks and reminds me of a dried up muddy bottom of a lake bed with all the crackles. As far as the white things on the surface I'm sure its safe to say that its just the probes debris from entry.