[NormsRevenge]

This view shows first image of Mars taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera (HiRISE) on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, released by NASA March 24, 2006. The spacecraft, launched August 12, 2005, began orbiting Mars on March 10, 2006. This first test image from orbit on March 24, 2006, from an altitude of 2,489 kms (1,547 miles). This image is a mosaic combining 10 side-by-side exposures taken through red filters, presented at a greatly reduced scale. The white box at lower right indicates the position of a detailed image also released by NASA. The quality of this test image is spectacular, with no hint to the eye of any smear or blurring. A high signal-to-noise ratio reveals fine details even in the shadows. The scene covers an area 49.8 km (30.9 miles) wide and 23.6 km (11.7 miles) high, of landscape typical of Mars' mid-latitude southern highlands. BLACK AND WHITE ONLY NO SALES NO ARCHIVES EDITORIAL USE ONLY REUTERS/NASA/JPL/University of Arizona/Handout

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This photo released Friday March 24, 2006 by NASA shows a full-resolution portion of the first image of Mars taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera (HiRISE) on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The spacecraft, launched Aug. 12, 2005, began orbiting Mars on March 10, 2006. The image is of an area in Mars' mid-latitude southern highlands. (AP Photo/NASA, JPL, University of Arizona)

[StormEye]

Somebody tell Richard Hoagland!! There must be an
alien artifact somewhere in those photos!

[NormsRevenge]

The Calibration page for the MRO..

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Testing HiRISE

Scientists and engineers at the University of Arizona are gearing up to see the first test images of Mars taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera. The camera team expects to begin receiving the images early Friday (March 24, 2006). The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will be farther from Mars when the camera takes these test images than it will be when the mission's main science phase begins next fall, so the resolution of features in the images will not match what is anticipated later. However, this week's testing is the only planned use of the camera until the science phase begins. Stay tuned for the first test images!

[NormsRevenge]

MRO camera test images Ping

[RightWhale]

Good job. A pixel would be about a foot across on the surface. This satellite will be returning ten times the data rate of all the spacecraft now or previously operating on and about Mars.

[SteveMcKing]

Do they plan to add the usual false red tones and to amplify the height dimension so it looks more dramatic?

Meh. I troll.

[tutstar]

read later

[KevinDavis]

[burzum]

This is an interesting time for the spacecraft. Being in a higher orbit it can take some very interesting photos before it gets stuck in the straight down birds eye view mode. In 1998 MGS took an amazing view of almost the entirety of Olympus Mons. Hopefully they have a couple of pictures like that planed with HiRISE.

[IronJack]

I'm confused on the scale. What "scene" is 30 miles, the bigger one or the detail? I'm trying to get a feel for how large some of these objects are.

[poindexter]

Looks like a Jeep trail with a washout.

[Bean Counter]

Just extraordinary resolution! It's gonna be neat to see some of the composite photographs of the large plains of Mars that will ultimately be assembled.

At some point they should be able to pick up the tracks of the Rovers; they could even spot the rovers themselves with that kind of resolution, and at a lower orbit...

Thanks Norm!

[free_at_jsl.com]

I wonder how long before the images show up here...