Rocky revelation..

Ok, listen. If you haven’t got a pair of 3D glasses yet, this is the post that will make you finally go and find a pair, because although there are some standard 2D images in it – which are pretty good in their own right – the anaglyphs in this post are among the best and most striking I’ve ever made, and seriously, seriously, you have to get down that bookshop or magazine store and find yourself something with a free pair of 3D glasses with it, because when you see the panorama of the ejecta field around Odyssey Crater in 3D it will feel like you’re there, I promise you. So, no more excuses! Go and get some 3D glasses NOW! 🙂

If you’ve already got some, well, you’re going to enjoy this post. A lot.

Yesterday some new images came back from Cape York, and they show that while Oppy is pressing her instrument package against Tisdale 2, taking all sorts of measurements, she’s obviously taking advantage of the driving pause to have a really good look around her, taking in the view, just loving the scenery. Which I’m going to show you now.

First of all, here’s a stacked image of “Kidd Creek”…

…and the same rock in 3D…

Now, Tisdale 1…

…and the view in 3D…

Next, Pacaud…

…and in hi-res 3D…

And finally for the individual rocks, Tisdale 5, which is basically a mess…!

…and, yes, in 3D…

Not bad, I’m sure you’ll agree! But those are all just warm up acts for the star of the show… a panoramic view of the debris field around Odyssey Crater.. Are you sitting comfortably? Then feast your eyes on this…

If you clicked on that (as I hope you all do now, automatically) you’ll have been amazed at the variety of shapes and textures of the rocks here. This is truly a stunning location, almost embarrassingly rich in fascinating rocks. A rover could happily end its days just rolling around here, going from rock to rock, learning… stuff… 🙂

But as good as that view is, it is nothing, NOTHING compared to the 3D view. So, if you have your 3D glasses handy, put them on now, and get ready to Go To Mars, because honestly, when you click on this next image you’ll feel like you’re there. If you haven’t got a pair of 3D glasses yet, well, this image will hopefully inspire you to go into town asap and find a pair, because this is a view you won’t want to miss.

Ok, here we go…

Unbelievable… in the whole of the seven years since the rovers landed on Mars, I’ve never seen anything like that. I’ve already spent the best part of a couple of hours just wandering around that landscape, following the rise and fall of the terrain, walking along the ridges, dropping down into the dips, clambering around the outcrops… And look, up there, on the horizon, that’s some more of Cape York, possibly even the high ground where the orbital phylosillicate readings are the highest… that’s where we’re going next, up there, up that hill…

Here we are, friends, all of us.

On Mars. On Mars. On Mars.

🙂