- Original Caption Released with Image:
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Released 3 March 2004
Humanity is a very visual species. We rely on our eyes to tell us what
is going on in the world around us. Put any image in front of a person
and that person will examine the picture looking for anything familiar.
Even if the examiner has no idea what he/she is looking at in a picture,
he/she will still be able to make a statement about the picture, usually
preceded by the words "it looks like..." The image above is part of the
surface of Mars, but is presented for its artistic value rather than its
scientific value. When first viewed, this image solicited a statement
that "it looks like..." something seen in everyday life.
Perhaps a toucan's beak?
Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor
geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical
correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear
shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to
approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and
geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary
Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission
for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission
Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe,
in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS
investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State
University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor
for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission
operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a
division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
- Image Credit:
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NASA/JPL/Arizona State University
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