Mariner, Viking & MGS's Maps & Mars in the '70s
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ZD-E-Viking1-p4041a.jpgThe South-western horizon of Viking 1 (1)84 visiteCaption NASA originale:"These are three views looking toward the South-West horizon at different times of day: early morning (1), early afternoon (2) and late afternoon (3). Different lighting accentuates different detail in both nearfield and farfield. Of special significance is the symmetrical skyline ridge revealed in all 3 pictures".
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ZD-E-Viking1-p4041b.jpgThe South-western horizon of Viking 1 (2)97 visiteCaption NASA originale:"Almost certainly this is the upraised rim of an impact crater, about 500 mt in diameter and 2,5 Km distant. Part of the far side of the central cavity can be discerned toward the left, particularly in picture n. (3)".
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ZD-E-Viking1-p7273b~0.jpgThe South-western horizon of Viking 1 (3)87 visiteCaption NASA originale:"This same crater has also been identified in Orbiter photographs and then used to locate the Lander position. Also visible beyond the crater rim is a ridge 8 to 10 Km distant".
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ZD-I-Viking1-12a168corr.jpgFrom the "Viking Archive" - Viking Lander 1: Spacecraft's Features and Surroundings154 visitenessun commento
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ZD-VikingLander1-MF1.jpgChrise Planitia (Natural Colors - Sx - and Natural but enhanced Colors - Dx; credits: Dr M. Faccin - Lunexit Team)55 visitenessun commentoMareKromium
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ZD-VikingLander1-Metadata-MF4.jpgWorking on Mars (METADATA and Natural Colors; credits: Dr M. Faccin - Lunexit Team)55 visitenessun commentoMareKromium
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ZD-VikingLander1-landscape-1-12d08x.jpgFrom the "Viking Archive" - Viking 1: full panorama (1)223 visiteQuesto frame, al pari dei seguenti, fa parte degli Archivi NASA relativi alle Missioni Viking Lander 1 e 2.
Si tratta, come potrete constatare Voi stessi, di frames molto vecchi (il Viking Lander 1 arrivò il 20 Luglio 1976 ed il Viking Lander 2 il 7 Agosto dello stesso anno), elaborati in 'colori realistici' e senza troppi artifici ultra-tecnologici, come invece avviene oggi con i frames che ci giungono dai Rover Spirit ed Opportunity.
I risultati di queste elaborazioni - forse 'artigianali', ma sempre "Made by NASA" - sono, ove ragguagliati ai frames a colori che ci raccontano delle Aree di Gusev Crater e di Meridiani Planum, del tutto strabilianti. Quello che emerge dai color-frames Viking è un Marte diverso: non sapremmo dire se si tratta di un Marte più vero o più falso di quello che ci viene 'proposto' oggi.
E' un Marte diverso e basta.
Guardatelo e studiatelo: gli argomenti per avviare discussioni e dibattiti, sono abbondanti...
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ZD-VikingLander1-landscape-2-12d08x.jpgFrom the "Viking Archive" - Viking 1: full panorama (2)183 visiteprosecuzione del panorama iniziato con il frame precedente.
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ZD-VikingLander1-p131b.jpgFrom the "Viking Archive" - Viking 1: Solar Eclypse on Mars122 visitePossibly the most unusual of all Viking Lander pictures records the passage of Phobos' shadow during a solar eclipse. On Earth the apparent size of the Moon is exactly the same as that of the much larger but more distant Sun. Consequently, direct sunlight is completely blocked out during a total solar eclipse. On Mars, Phobos covers only 1/4 of the solar disc. However, passage of the penumbral shadow causes a general drop in light level that is instrumentally detectable. This frame is a repeated line scan image looking back across Viking Lander 1. The colors have been distorted purposely to enhance detail. The blue and white horizontal stripes correspond to test chart patches. The brownish stripes in the middle represent the martian surface visible above the spacecraft. Note a decrease in light levels in the sky midway through the imaging event. The darkening, caused by the passage of the penumbral shadow of Phobos, is present over approx. 100 vertical lines. Moving at about 2 Km/sec, the shadow took about 20 sec to pass over the Lander.
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ZD-Z-VikingLander1-Rocks.2jpg.jpgThe surroundings of Viking 1 Lander (1)151 visiteCommenti originali:"These pictures show a knobby exposure of bedrock broken by vertical fractures. Some of the protuberances are so deeply eroded that they almost form detached boulders. Indeed, we believe that many of the boulders at this site form by this mechanism of "in situ" weathering. The area of bedrock is more clearly delineated. Horizontal rock surfaces have been swept clear of sediment. The fact that this rock weathers in a different fashion than the rocks displayed in other frames suggest a compositional difference between the two exposures of bedrock. However, both rock types are believed to be representative of volcanic lavas that inundated the entire region early in Martian history.
Finding bedrock at this landing site was a surprise. Among other things, it indicates that Martian geologic history is more complex than Lunar history. If a thick layer of ejected deposits once covered this region, it has been subsequently removed by wind, water, or maybe even ice in the form of glaciers".
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ZD-Z-VikingLander1-Rocks.jpgThe surroundings of Viking 1 Lander (2)121 visiteCommenti originali:"Bedrock exposures are among the most provocative features at the Viking 1 landing site. Bedrock, of course, refers to a body of solid rock that underlies a layer of soil or unconsolidated sediment. On the Moon, bedrock is almost everywhere covered by a thick layer of impact debris. Only at the Apollo 15 site were astronauts Dave Scott and Jim Irwin able to chip off samples of bedrock from layers exposed in the wall of the Hadley Rille".
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ZE-I-Viking1-12f010.jpgFrom the "Viking Archive" - Viking 1: Sunset134 visiteComposizione a colori dei Viking Lander frames n. 12f010.red, 12f010.grn, and 12f010.blu.
Come potete vedere, negli istanti che seguono la scomparsa del Sole dietro l'orizzonte Marziano, il cielo di Marte appare di un colore "blu-scuro" piuttosto cupo, decisamente intenso e, apparentemente, "soffocato" da una incombente oscurità.
Si tratta di un ennesimo effetto collaterale del cosiddetto "dimming"? Forse, ma anche questa istantanea entra nella galleria dei "frames belli ma discutibili", specialmente se la mettiamo a confronto con altre immagini similari (cioè relative a tramonti Marziani), riprese sempre a colori veri o quasi/veri, ed ottenute dalle Sonde Soujourner/Pathfinder e Spirit (le troverete pubblicate nella Sezione "Mars in Colors").
Guardate, fate i confronti e poi provate a dare qualche risposta agli interrogativi che inevitabilmente emergeranno.
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