You know, it was impressive when Chang'e and Kaguya both worked exactly as designed, no major malfunctions or problems. But for Chandrayan-1, with a much more challenging early mission profile (delivering an impact probe, relaying its information perfectly, and the impact probe itself working perfectly), and doing this all for the first time with no issues to speak of -- that is very, very impressive.

Hats off to all of our new partners in crime!

-the other Doug

Considering that the chandrayaan carries one the highest resolution cameras ever to image the lunar surface, it would be fun if any of the apollo hardware or other the lunakhod rovers are pictured.

5m/pixel isn't going to do anything amazing for surface hardware, except with long shadows. We've got 50cm/pixel coming next year anyway.

Doug

We may have chance to see blast zones.'

Most people ask this question with hope that images will convince the hoax believers. No, these images won't convince them - they will always say that the images are doctored.

Depressing, but true. I sometimes wonder if those people are truly sub-human.

What they are, is unworthy of discussion at UMSF. Move on.

You're right. I apologize.

When do these 15000 images start? Is it from right after release of the probe all the way to impact?

My understanding is that they cover a strip from near the equator down to the impact point.

Phil

I was trying to line up the equatorial image with an LO image for context, but am having trouble. The caption to the equatorial image said " On the lower left, part of the Torricelli crater is seen. " Here's an LO image including Torricelli (and here's the referring page). The difference in lighting angle is confusing me, I think. Can anybody match it?

--Emily

Emily - check out this map:

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/mapcatal...ac78/150dpi.jpg

and look for the crater Torricelli C, NW of Torricelli itself at 2.5 S, 26 E. That's the crater, not Torricelli itself. The proof comes from comparing it with this better version of your LO4 image:

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/lunarorb...int/4077_h3.jpg


Phil

Check out the new video on the ISRO website:

http://www.isro.org/pslv-c11/videos/tmc.htm

Phil

Where is the video??......the page is only displaying the text portion.......

It doesn't work with Firefox, try IE.

It doen't seem to work with Safari either. Anyone on a Mac manage to see the video?

The direct link to the video is mms://msrv2.wstream.net/isro_archive/TMC01.wmv
copy and paste on your browser. It works for me with SeaMonkey on Mandriva

Worked for me on Firefox and Windows media player.

Hard to make out the print on the screen shot to the right of the video, but does the rapid counter at the bottom indicate about 80 frames per second?

I think it's 80 lines a second - pushbroom style. 5m/pixel, 20km wide = 4000 pixels width.

4000 pixels, 10 bits per pixel, 80 lines per second - 3.2 mbits/sec

Doug

VLC is your friend
Though I am too bandwidth challenged at the moment to fully test.

EDIT - Paste the mms link above into the network settings - she's a work!

Thank you Phil, I don't know how I'd find my way around the Moon without your help!

--Emily

I aim to please.

Here's the video image set in one long strip, at very low resolution of course. This really is Moretus, as the caption says.

Phil

Click to view attachment

My IE7 Windows Media player refuses to recognize the "mms://" protocol in the direct link & suggests others. Is there a cure?

I tried the link and I get to the site page and I also see good quality moving video too. I use Microsoft IE 7 as my browser.

Hmm...thanks. I'll try another machine, probably have a funky setting on this one.

Try this link for video
http://specials.rediff.com/news/2008/nov/18video.htm
2:30mins

Emily mentioned the number of frames MIP took on the descent - I have to admit I thought 13000 was high, but I suspect that the high value came from a statement that it could take images at a rate of 13000 frames/hour or something like that. Images were only taken for about 15 minutes, putting the actual number in the ballpark, a bit over 3000 frames.

I tried to find the locations of the two released frames without success. It's very difficult if you don't know the size of each frame to help the comparison. The one with several elongated gouges resembles an area near Cabaeus, but I don't have a match for it.

Phil

Thank you, Bhas; that link worked perfectly! Congratulations on this achievement!

Thanks.
Next would be 1. (Indian) Earth Raise From Moon, i guess. :-)
But, I would be more happy if people move from these things and make some real progress...

Was that movie from the impactor? Or from the orbiter?

Orbiter.

Phil

I asked Spudis if he had any idea what the scale on the two MIP images was. He said that without knowing the frame numbers he couldn't be sure, but he hazarded a guess that the two released ones were taken between 80 and 85 degrees south latitude, which would put their widths at something between 4 and 12 kilometers, probably closer to the former.

--Emily

Are the only two shown pictures from MIP covers its impact zone? The MIP's impact site is outside of initially intended: Malapert Mountain at around 120 km north of Shackleton crater. The latest news says that MIP had impacted close to Shackleton crater with 19 km diameter.

At the bottom line, I am still looking forward in knowing where is Chandrayaan I.

Corrected.

I am considering a possible image ID: the frame showing a crater rim (VIS-2936) may be at 353 east, 83.8 south. Not certain yet. At 30 km/degree, that's about 180 km north of Shackleton.

Phil

(edit - image removed - it was a bit too far west - see post 261 below for the correct location)

What are you using as a basemap?

A comparison between Chandrayaan-1 and Clementine.

Ted, the base is Clementine UVVIS from Map-A-Planet.

Phil

This is a comparison I made for another forum, it may not be scientificaly correct, but it shows the difference between Clementine and Chandrayaan 1's photos.

Clementine versus Chandrayaan 1

According to some measurements I made, this photo (the Chandrayaan 1 photo) has a resolution of around 23 metres per pixel, but I may be wrong, can someone confirm or show the real value?

I think it's correct...

Anyone know when the MIP movie sequence will be released?

Memo to ISRO and the Chandrayaan mission: the great outpouring of interest and support you received over the last few weeks will disappear very rapidly if you don't stoke it with frequent news and image releases. Don't repeat China's mistake.

Phil

which mission?

Don't you really know? LRO - Lunar Reconnaisance Orbiter!

It'll be like Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter... but for the moon

And no dust storrms or clouds in the way!

...which means images will be really boring... Big science interest for future missions... but just big&boring gray pictures.

Good point. An interesting thought, spacecraft go to the moon, and what's one of the first things we want from them? Pictures of Earth.

I don't know of an object in space that is boring.

Plus, there is some kind of dust circulation over there. The mechanism of this process should be studied.

Who talked about Earth?!?
Just saying that on the Moon there's nothing interesting to see, if you're not a person directly involved in the project. Sand, sand, sand, hill, crater, sand, crater, hill.....

Playing devil's advocate here: How can you know there's nothing interesting to see unless you actually take a look?

The ISRO seem to be very slow in releasing images from Chandryaan 1 - can we see some more recent images please?!

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter should be able to image the Apollo landing sites with such detail to make out the Lander stage of the LMs and the rovers on the ground that the astronauts drove. Hopefully, that will help to silence the " we never really went to the Moon" brigade.

Why do people ask that question here, or indeed, ask when such images will be release here? We don't know. We don't have the pictures to hand to release them.