First Stereograms of Mars from Spirit 402
An anonymous reader writes "NASA has made the first stereo image pairs from Spirit available. I've made stereo anaglyphs and arranged the full-size images side-by-side for stereo viewing. These are from the low-res black and white hazard avoidance camera, but still very cool. Anxiously awaiting the first stereo pairs from the panoramic cameras!"
I just don't get it (Score:5, Funny)
Damn it (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I just don't get it (Score:1, Funny)
Wow, just wow (Score:5, Funny)
Geek Pr0n (Score:5, Funny)
A FAKE?!?!? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Mars: Reach out and touch it. (Score:5, Funny)
You're in management, right?
Re:Other 3-D sets (Score:5, Funny)
Anaglyphs? (Score:4, Funny)
Isn't that what they call tatoos on your...
Debian and the Spirit Mars lander (Score:0, Funny)
Traditionally, a major problem with deep space probes has been developing a reliable way of retrieving image data from the probe. Things like cosmic rays, planetary obstruction and remote DoS attacks have traditionally meant that space probe software needed to be about 80% overbloated with proprietary algorithms for dealing with this stuff, and not the core business of transferring images back to Earth. During a planning session with my supervisor one day, it came clear to me what the solution could be...apt-get! Really, these space probes are nothing more than abstracted file servers making new 'image packages' available for download from time to time. apt-get had all the infrastructure that was needed, without needing to spend months coding up expensive proprietary NASA protocols to do the same thing.
In about a week, I had hacked together an apt-get prototype, using a modified apt.sources file which stored astronomical coordinates instead of IP addresses. When the ground controllers issued an 'apt-get spirit image upgrade' command, apt-get would check the apt.sources file, which contained the continually updated coordinates of the probe. Using a custom Z80 assembly language plugin I had developed, apt-get would then directly contact the telemetry and radio gear, align the dish in the correct orientation, and then update the packages from the space probe!! Since the images were encapsulated as a .deb package, they were nicely compressed, and could be checked if they were the latest version. A lot of people don't know thing (including some of the NASA top brass!) but the Spirit probe actually has a mini-ITX form factor PC motherboard inside the probe which runs a Perl script I developed to package up the image data as .debs ready for apt-get synchronisation back with Earth!! Ever wonder why that company that makes shoe-box ITX PCs is called 'Shuttle'? ;-) Me and some of the guys in the engineering group secretly removed a few experimental pods to fit the PC in, but we can just blame the non-functioning state of those experiments on the fact that they were running Windows CE! LOL!!!
So, the next time you see a news article about the Spirit Mars probe, take pride in the fact that Debian and apt-get are behind the scenes, making it all happen!!! apt-get touchdown!!!
Re:I'll ask (Score:3, Funny)
So if you know someone with a National Geographic collection dating back that far you can borrow them, or if you're really keen you can head down to your local library, find the issue in question (hopefully with at least one pair of the glasses still inside), take it to an available library internet terminal, bring up the page in question, and view away.
I just used a Tostitos bag and a coat hanger.
Please don't mod me as funny...
A good way to view the side by side images (Score:5, Funny)
When your wife/GF comes in asks what the hell you are doing- tell her you are looking for martians on the Intra-Web. Watch her leave the room- quickly.
Red Blue and Pfizer (Score:5, Funny)
My stereo glasses came from inside a science magazine attached to a Pfizer ad about microbes to show the micrographs in 3D.
As an office joke I pasted the glasses which featured the Pfizer logo promenantly to my own ad...
NEW VIRTUAL VIAGRA!
Paint left side of penis blue, paint right side of penis red.
Penis Now Appears Erect!
Conspiracy Theory (Score:2, Funny)
NASA vs Slashdot (Score:5, Funny)
NASA has lost the edge to the ESA (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Mars: Reach out and touch it. (Score:3, Funny)
Nice idea, Bruce Dern. However, all attempts so far to create a self-contained and self-sustaining biosphere have failed.
You think the ISS is expensive, try building the vehicle large enough for a biosphere and having it survive the acceleration needed to get to Mars within a decade...
Other than that, I agree that a manned flight would have a higher success rate than a robotic one due to real-time correctional ability. However, the initial steps of maintaining the human cargo have yet to be addressed.
Now I miss the boulders (Score:2, Funny)
I love it... (Score:4, Funny)
I just hope we don't find any life on mars with this mission or we'll all be looking for tin foil to wrap around our heads.
Re:A good way to view the side by side images (Score:5, Funny)
But what do I do if they BOTH walk in? ;)
Re:Well... (Score:3, Funny)
Too bad they didn't wait to send probe this year (Score:2, Funny)
Re:I just don't get it (Score:5, Funny)
Re:A FAKE?!?!? (Score:3, Funny)
What?
Re:Red Blue and Pfizer (Score:3, Funny)
Re:A good way to view the side by side images (Score:1, Funny)