Mars Camera's Worsening Eye Problems 93
Mr_Foo writes "According to a Nature article, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's HiRISE imager is suffering from a loss of peripheral vision. The problem surfaced less than a month after the orbiter reached Mars. One the camera's four color detectors has completely stopped working, and it is feared that the problems are spreading. Currently seven of the fourteen HiRISE's detectors are sending back corrupted data and although the issue is only creating a 2% loss of signal at this time it is expected to worsen. The lead investigator for the mission is quoted as saying the problem is systemic: 'In the broken detectors, extra peaks and troughs are somehow being introduced, causing... a "ringing" in the signal. "We don't know where the ringing is coming from," [the investigator] says.' Warming the electronics before taking images seems to help the problem. This effect might be one reason why the detectors on the cold periphery of the array were the first to pack up."
Ringing? Duh! (Score:2, Funny)
the probe's got a cell phone (Score:4, Funny)
I can only imagine what that roaming charge looks like.
uh oh (Score:2, Funny)
The first thing that came into my mind. (Score:1, Funny)
Its all lies (Score:5, Funny)
The camera is not sending back corrupted images, it is selectively censoring the portions of mars which contain sensitive terrorist targets.
All is not lost yet though, just look at one of the amazing images [arizona.edu] from todays bundle, it shows gullies within a crater.
I really hope they manage to solve this problem.
Fiingerprint (Score:5, Funny)
Re:The first thing that came into my mind. (Score:3, Funny)
It needs weed (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Surpising? No. (Score:3, Funny)
Who's heard of a
Obligatory... (Score:2, Funny)
CMYK? (Score:1, Funny)
I hope they kept the receipt (Score:2, Funny)