Smiley Face Of Mars

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2006-05-16 02:17pm

I didn't see this posted before and I think it warrants seeing for the novelty value (after the spooky other face of Mars, this is cheerier).

BBC News wrote:Probe images 'smiley face' crater

Images taken by Europe's Mars Express spacecraft show a crater on the Red Planet that looks like a "happy face".

Crater Galle contains parallel gullies on its southern rim, a possible sign of liquid water running on Mars' surface.

Its interior has also been shaped by the action of wind and shows signs of "dust devil" tracks, which have removed the bright surface coating of dust.

A US space agency (Nasa) orbiter has also sent back its first colour image after arriving at Mars on 11 March.

The "face" in the European images was first pointed out in photos taken during Nasa's Viking Orbiter 1 mission.

The 230km- (143 mile-) wide impact crater contains a large stack of layered sediments which forms an outcrop in the southern part of the crater.

Lowered orbit

The US space agency's (Nasa) Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) had already returned black and white images from its high-resolution cameras.

Mission scientists have now released a colour image of the eastern Bosporos Planum region.

This is not natural colour as seen by our eyes, but infrared colour (the infrared has longer wavelengths than visible light). The image has also been processed to enhance subtle colour variations.

The southern half of the scene is brighter and bluer than the northern half, perhaps due to early-morning fog in the atmosphere.

MRO's cameras will take the most detailed images ever of the Red Planet. Once the orbiter has descended to its lower mapping orbit, the cameras will be able to pick out objects just under 1m (3ft) across.

Doctor Osterman?

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2006-05-16 02:22pm

Link?

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2006-05-16 02:25pm

One in the title.

Now anyway...

Drooling Iguana · Post by **Drooling Iguana** » 2006-05-16 03:02pm

Looks more like the Millenium Falcon than a smiley face to me.

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2006-05-16 03:05pm

Drooling Iguana wrote:Looks more like the Millenium Falcon than a smiley face to me.

I was thinking it looks more like Pac-Man than a smiley face. . .

Nieztchean Uber-Amoeba · Post by **Nieztchean Uber-Amoeba** » 2006-05-16 04:02pm

General Zod wrote:
Drooling Iguana wrote:Looks more like the Millenium Falcon than a smiley face to me.
I was thinking it looks more like Pac-Man than a smiley face. . .

Now we know what pissed off the Ghosts of Mars...

Dark Hellion · Post by **Dark Hellion** » 2006-05-16 04:35pm

Now we know what pissed off the Ghosts of Mars...

I thought it caused Ice Cube to make another movie.

Zero · Post by **Zero** » 2006-05-16 04:42pm

OMFG! Don't you see what this means!? THE MARTIANS ARE SENDING US A MESSAGE!! We are to be happy! But what if it's a trick by the government? NASA and the government LIE TO YOU!!!

[/lunatic]

I honestly don't see why that would matter a whole lot. It's a crater. I guess it's kinda funny, though.

Dark Hellion · Post by **Dark Hellion** » 2006-05-16 04:49pm

Damn Amoeba, I misread your post and my response makes no damn sense. I really need to get my perscription updated.
I though you said "Now we know what HAPPENS if you piss off the Ghosts of Mars" but upon rereading, you most obviously didn't. Blatantly obviously in fact.

Solauren · Post by **Solauren** » 2006-05-16 05:49pm

It looks like the buried face of a giant constripated alien

Molyneux · Post by **Molyneux** » 2006-05-16 06:05pm

Admiral Valdemar wrote:Doctor Osterman?

Hee hee...I saw this on the Bad Astronomer, and I didn't even think of that 'til now!

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2006-05-16 06:20pm

I don't own it myself, so I don't know if it's the same photo or not, but I've heard that in the Absolute edition of Watchmen they have a photograph of a smiley face on Mars.

kheegster · Post by **kheegster** » 2006-05-16 06:34pm

Mars Express must be an absolute nightmare for conspiracy theorists and anyone else who might see patterns in natural phenomena. That smiley face might have been more obvious in low-resolution images, but I really had to strain to see where the smiley was in the high-res image in the link.

Zac Naloen · Post by **Zac Naloen** » 2006-05-16 06:46pm

kheegan wrote:Mars Express must be an absolute nightmare for conspiracy theorists and anyone else who might see patterns in natural phenomena. That smiley face might have been more obvious in low-resolution images, but I really had to strain to see where the smiley was in the high-res image in the link.

i saw it immediately, in fact it became clearer in the larger image.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2006-05-16 07:03pm

DPDarkPrimus wrote:I don't own it myself, so I don't know if it's the same photo or not, but I've heard that in the Absolute edition of Watchmen they have a photograph of a smiley face on Mars.

Interesting. I assume it was this image but froman earlier, lower res sat image. It's eery, certainly. Look for a collection of pinkish-red glass in a heap too while you're at it, ESA.

felineki · Post by **felineki** » 2006-05-16 08:13pm

...It's Strong Sad. Shit, he's already got a lake on Earth shaped like him, now he's got a crater on Mars, too?

Einhander Sn0m4n · Post by **Einhander Sn0m4n** » 2006-05-16 08:27pm

Oh no! Wal-Mart has invaded Mars!

LeftWingExtremist · Post by **LeftWingExtremist** » 2006-05-16 08:52pm

I agree on it looking like pac man.

Anguirus · Post by **Anguirus** » 2006-05-17 04:10pm

Anyone else look at the title and instantly think of Watchmen?

Talk about your quantum miracles...

Max · Post by **Max** » 2006-05-17 04:13pm

Now that someone's mentioned the Millenium Falcon..that's all I see. lol

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2006-05-17 04:20pm

Anguirus wrote:Anyone else look at the title and instantly think of Watchmen?

Talk about your quantum miracles...

Ahem. Read the previous posts, especially the OP.

VT-16 · Post by **VT-16** » 2006-05-18 07:22am

Looks more like a :3 -smiley to me. :3

Anguirus · Post by **Anguirus** » 2006-05-18 02:00pm

Admiral Valdemar wrote:
Anguirus wrote:Anyone else look at the title and instantly think of Watchmen?

Talk about your quantum miracles...
Ahem. Read the previous posts, especially the OP.

Whoops.

I didn't see the "Osterman" it in the OP.

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Smiley Face Of Mars

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