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First Selfie Sent from Mars


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this is truly amazing...

Sandy Selfie Sent from NASA Mars Rover, this is the first high res colored image from Mars!

This Jan. 19, 2016, self-portrait of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows the vehicle at "Namib Dune," where the rover's activities included scuffing into the dune with a wheel and scooping samples of sand for laboratory analysis.

Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

(Click the image for full res!!!)

pia20316-main_take6dune.jpg

http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/jpl/pia20316/curiosity-self-portrait-at-martian-sand-dune

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If the camera was on another module then technically that ain't no selfie in my book. More like the rover photo-bombed the other robot camera dude. :)

Still an awesome shot though!

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Ummm... and the camera was where?

 

John

 

According to the site "The view does not include the rover's arm. Wrist motions and turret rotations on the arm allowed MAHLI to acquire the mosaic's component images. The arm was positioned out of the shot in the images, or portions of images, that were used in this mosaic. This process was used previously in acquiring and assembling Curiosity self-portraits taken at sample-collection sites...."

 

The shot includes 57 shots and when put together they excluded the shots showing the rover handheld camera.

 

The wheels look like they have taken a beating, I gather they are a light weight material that is thin. It could use a good washing already too. ^_^ The detail in the full resolution shot is incredible. I didn't read the full article yet but I would be interested to know what the different rock type is.

 

Thanks for the look Chris. :)

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I'm not doubting the photo is authentic and that the rover is there.  It just seems kind of silly to go with all that PhotoShop-like folderol to create a contrived shot from a bunch of images, showing something that's implausible.  There is no other rover nearby, and there is no detachable camera that could be placed on a nearby rock for a remote-controlled shot.  Why not just a selfie like the kids take them, with their arm holding the camera extending out of the frame?  I'd be just as impressed by that.  

 

If you're NASA, is it really good PR to flaunt your ability to deceive with doctored images?  Will this photo be Exhibit A by some future conspiracy theorist who wants to deny some other NASA accomplishments - - - something in the vein of, if they can do this, how can you believe anything else they say they do?

 

I'm an admirer of NASA in most things, when they stick to their proper role and do aeronautical and space science and exploration.  That's great stuff and this Rover is a good example of that kind of thing.  Their forays into "climate science", not so much.

 

Anyway, nice photo - impressive, particularly when you remember the little rascal landed there in 2012.  Grim looking landscape and nasty sand - I've seen more inviting sand in foundries, and I've spent some time in foundries.  Not a place I'd like to visit, even with a confirmed round-trip ticket.

 

John

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This is just a guess John, my first thought would be that the camera has a limited field of view and to get a such a large shot many shots are needed. Why not interchange some to get a better picture of the rover. I found some other shots on the site that that required close to the same amount of shots to create the mosaic panorama. 

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