Astronomy Picture of the Day 5-31-02

NASA ^ | 5-31-02 | Robert Nemiroff and Jerry Bonnell

[petuniasevan]

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2002 May 31

In Chandor Chasma on Mars
Credit: THEMIS, Mars Odyssey Team, JPL, NASA

Explanation: Scroll right and dive into a spectacular canyon on Mars. This daytime infrared view, recently recorded by the THEMIS camera on board the orbiting Mars Odyssey spacecraft, covers a 30 by 175 kilometer swath running along the canyon floor. The north (left) end of the scene is poised at the edge of Candor Chasma, part of the great Valles Marineris canyon system. In all about 4,000 kilometers long and up to 6 kilometers deep, Valles Marineris is roughly five times the size of the Grand Canyon on planet Earth. The THEMIS camera data was recorded in three separate infrared bands and combined to make this striking false-color image. Resulting color differences along this intricate section of martian terrain are attributed to differences in mineralogy, the chemical makeup and structure of the rocks, sediments and surface dust.

[petuniasevan]

Ouch! Way too much contrast, NASA! I thought I needed my 3D glasses! Good detail, though.
Just tone down the false-color palette next time!

Here is the context of the photo:

See that the canyon (Candor Chasma) is within a much larger canyon (Valles Marineris).

Get on the APOD PING list!

[petuniasevan]

APOD PING!

[sleavelessinseattle]

Everybody gets this!!! I declare this region New FREEPIA...The first permanent Constitutional Republic in Space...$89 ticket for not wearing your seat belt...Expulsion from the Martian dome without your helmet for not wearing your GLOCK 34!!! Crime Rate...ZERO...Oh criminals get the exile thing too...

That big trench looks like a perfect track for POD RACING, KissoftheSith! SnowBunny you get to pick where the Freeper Canteen is located...One wall has to look out to an artillery range target area so we can watch Rockets Red Glare whenever we Darn well feel like it!! Gee, What should we charge for Visa's to our Republic for esteemed members of the lib press? Bone Marrow? a Kidney? How about their Brain? those are practically unused!

[Snow Bunny]

WOW, what a wild picture.

Part of it looks like a lettuce leaf. hahhaha

I think I would pick an area for the USO FReeper Canteen to be on a high ridge. That way all those that came to the Canteen would have a great view, no flooding (heh heh) , and we could be a look out for helping the military for bad guys.

Thanks petuniasevan for the picture, interesting.

Thank you sleavelessinseattle for thinking of me.

Tonkin look at this neat picture.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

"SnowBunny you get to pick where the Freeper Canteen is located...One wall has to look out to an artillery range target area so we can watch Rockets Red Glare whenever we Darn well feel like it!!"

Priceless quote!

[sleavelessinseattle]

I was just in the Canteen Appointing you Entertainment Director for the Artillery range, But SB pinged you over too fast...I think this is a Coup!!! I was only In absentia President pro tem for like 25 seconds and I've been Deposed!!! Light em Up Tonkin!!!

[sleavelessinseattle]

I'm feeling very insecure about my regime, and yet I'm glad all you citizens are free to carry arms to defend our Constitution from enemies foreign, domestic and Journalistic. I humbly submit the primary motivation for my selection of Tonkin as Entertainment Director...

I really don't feel any further examinations of Tonkins qualifications will be required as all the liberal Democrat senators are tapping on the glass of the dome to be let back in to confirm his unanimous appointment...Their AIR is running out...hehe...

wow my astrochronometer has stopped!!!

[Snow Bunny]

giggle....

((((( hug ))))

[2Trievers]

All this seems like a good idea ... only if you let me decorate the place ... I have some 18th C. furniture that I could donate, if you don't mind that it has been chewed by a teething Lab and feng shui is disallowed. &;-)

Insider's only: ... Sleavester ... hold that litho ... we may need it! LOL

[2Trievers]

By-the-by Sleavster ... who will be the Canteen chef ... neither of us are qualified ... since we cannot pass the FDA/OSHA standards for safe food handling practices? &;-)

[Jen]

Hahahaha, you are so funny. Thanks for the ping. Jen

[2Trievers]

Tonk ... has Sleavester consulted you on his choice of a uniform for the guys? Be careful, he's armed and dangerous! LOL

Bunn ... what do ya' think? I know my holster will NOT go with this skimpy outfit. I'll have to get a leather one now! &;-)

[sleavelessinseattle]

2T you're forgetting that I am the defacto in absentia President of Freepia, I'm all in favor of freedom of speech, but criticizing the Commander in Chief in the Kitchen, or Dissing his Intergalactic Shock Troups cheap BBC Prop department UNIFORMS can result in my lowering the power transmission beams' output to your dome in the Toolies of Freepia...Unless you like skinny skiing on Carbon Dioxide SNOW...Better watch it>:*\ OTOH, Hip length skin tight Leather boots could be modified to bear a clip draw equipped Ladysmith revolver with DU bullets...I'd still want you to have a knife to carve my presidential space mutton!

[RightWhale]

But what about NASA's official press conference declaring Mars ready for occupancy by settlers? Shouldn't we wait for the gummint to process our homestead applications [160 martian acres apiece] before we go onto their public lands?

[colorado tanker]

Thanks, Sleeveless. Looks perfect for pod racing. Sign me up!

[sleavelessinseattle]

All right! We have a minister of Mars High Frontier!

Your job is to round up a sufficient quantity of Ion Drive powered Asteroids to DETER anyone anywhere from pissing off the free citizens of New Freepia! OOH AH, BFD! The wahabbis know how to crash a plane!!! Hey, MECCA boy, Look up! Isn't that Ceres? Isn't it getting awfull Close? WOW it sure looks HOT! Why are all our beaten and mistreated animals running away like that? Their instincts seem to indicate something BAAAD is coming...Better see to the safety of My Goat Fatima!!! (Get it while you can Jihadi Joe, time for paradise approaches at 9.8mps^2 and be SURE to empty your AK at it as it comes in, it cracks the rest of the world up when you do that!LOL)

Islam is Piece(of SKY ROCK ON YOUR Moon worshiping HEAD, if you don't leave us infidels the heck alone!)

[palo verde]

hi sleaveless
thanks for pinging me
lol it does look like lettuce leaf
pretty pic tho
where are the pyramids and face on Mars
(I listen to Art Bell and believe these things exist)
sure I'd love to join a freeper basecamp up there
Love, Palo

[RightWhale]

where are the pyramids and face on Mars

Hoagland has identified several archaeological sites on Mars of architectural interest. One or more of them, assuming they are indeed abandoned, should be a good start for a new settlement. A little plaster work, some fresh paint, maybe some of the pipes have freeze damage.

[RightWhale]

Don't worry about these minor groups. They won't be able to follow us to Mars or into space at all since the firmament is impenetrable. They couldn't even get to the moon since they would first bounce off that transparent layer in the sky.

[sleavelessinseattle]

And then there's the whole Did I just hear and smell your fart Abdullard? I have committed Haral...I must pray...I hope that 2 minute retro burn can wait until I'm done purifying myself!