I see the solar arrays have deployed!

Those are just beautiful - so, so good. I want more!

Did I see hexagonal patterns on the landscape?

Kudos to the team for releasing images this rapidly - they are up on the web site as fast as I'm seeing them come in over NASA TV.

Note the object on the horizon. Large rock? or backshell?

I was really impressed -- I had the UofAZ site up and, within just a few seconds of when the images started to show up on NASA TV, they started populating on the Images from the Lander page.

I'm really happy right now...

-the other Doug

It's great to see Phoenix safely on Mars!

(BTW, having it down and with all systems apparently healthy means that for the first time ever there will be three functioning landers on Mars.)

======
Stephen

Even faster in posting pictures from Mars in less than two hours!!! a Record!

I remember some of the team wanting a few rocks for some science purposes. Better luck in the panoramic view... It certainly does look like a barren area.

Congrats to the Ops guys for getting the images out the door this quickly! lg_318.jpg wasn't on the ground for more than a minute before it was live on the net.

One of the footpad images has a relatively bright spot above that is still in shadow. Could this be exposed ice?

Large rock, I suppose. This one should be around several feet tall.
Btw, anybody knows when the first panorama picture will be beamed back?

lg_320.jpg? Looks to me like its a "hole" in the lander shadow, like there is a triangluar hole in the spacecraft over the leg or something like that.

Oh wow, look at that... lots of little pebbles to cast shadows in the slanting sunlight.... an intriguing "something" on the horizon... features on the ground... Flat? Maybe. Dull? Absolutely not!

Triumph for everyone concerned. What a fantastic night!

I think that's just a little spot that's not in shadow. Take a look at the large version:

http://fawkes1.lpl.arizona.edu/images/gallery/lg_320.jpg

It looks just like the sunlit part on the left.

If they could get these 6 images back so fast, well, it might be soon indeed. Hmmm... Still, I'm guessing about 10 hours...

Yes, thanks. The higher resolution of the on-line image supports your interpretation nicely.

They are already getting part of a panorama back, look at lg_331.jpg. The bottom of it looks to be at -30deg, about 4m away, still out of reach of the arm.

Holy simoleon!

http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/images/gallery/lg_331.jpg

Wow, that was fast . I now have all of these images on my computer and now that the excitement is finally over I'm starting to feel the effects of the fact that it's 02:15am where I live .

Looks like they're working on it already!:

http://fawkes1.lpl.arizona.edu/images/gallery/lg_331.jpg

in stereo
Click to view attachment

We have three working probes on the surface of Mars at the same time. That's something even the designers of those probes didn't expect!

Oops, even more images. Looks like I won't be able to go to sleep any time soon .

Look at how rounded those embedded cobble-sized rocks are (in the footpad images); presumably glacial drop stones?

Simon

Need advice on how to download and save the images. Everything seems to be in Flash Player mode. Is anybody getting jpg's or some other non-proprietary format?

The scene looks pretty muck like Doug Ellison's imagination. I wonder if he's ever been there

Well it looks like we are sitting on top of some nice polygons. Should be interesting.

More panorama work:

http://fawkes1.lpl.arizona.edu/images/gallery/lg_334.jpg

Look at that...

http://fawkes1.lpl.arizona.edu/images/gallery/lg_346.jpg

Suh-WEEET!!!! I KNEW there'd be lotsa little cracks...there's a <clink>load of ice not far below!!!!

Wow that really shows their shape. Did I hear someone say each is about as big as Phoenix ~5ft across

Press briefing coming up on NASA TV

What is that?

There's a list of download options on the lower right side of the flash viewer thing. Make sure it isn't being blocked by a popup blocker.

This terrain looks rather familiar. There's a lot of fairly (or possibly very) similar terrain here in Iceland, except that it's not that flat all the way to the horizon. I need to dig up a comparison picture.

Otherwise you can save them from http://www.spaceflightnow.com/mars/phoenix/images/lg_338.jpg

Immediately, or in a short while? It's already 3.25am here lol

Good grief...237 users active on the forum...is this a record?

Interesting bright feature in front of a small mound on the horizon in the right hand part of 346.jpg. A sunlit rock I suppose.

P

Kungpost' : maybe the backshell? or the heatshield? Or maybe an artefact?

The surface is combed by the pulse thrusters toward away. I seem!! What do you see?

I'd go for ice.


Agree

If I caught it right it would be in an hour and 35 minutes from now... or 0400UTC.

We had 279 active users at the end of EDL which is as high as I saw it but it might have nudged up a few more. Whatever the absolute number is this is the busiest UMSF has ever been while I've been watching and Doug's new server and host have both held up to the task.

Looks like absolutely textbook polygonal frost heave - hopefully that means the ice will be at the depth expected. My wild-eyed speculation about landing at a tilt wasn't completely hatstand, after all, I think - it looks like there's (?) 30 - 50cm vertical relief in places.

And how's about that for fast image release? ESA eat your heart out... that is how tax-funded space science outreach should be done.

edit: yes, definite thruster exhaust effects; it looks like you could get down to ice by scrubbing with a stiff broom.

About gallery, are they expected to make a better, more easyer? Because it's not very simple to distinguish camera, filters, etc.

Yeah, most likely part of the ship cast off during EDL. or a compression artifact. It would be cool if was a piece of ice

Click to view attachment