Color Images from Mars Rovers

by Bob Webster


Thanks to Bob Webster for making these images available. They are
recombinations of images with different colored filters. All images are
courtesy of NASA/JPL and in the public domain in the United States.

Mars Attacks!

I was browsing the NASA web site for photos from the Mars rovers, but
most of them are black and white. Then I noticed they have the raw
images posted that can be combined into color photos, so I combined a
bunch of them into "living color." Here they are:

 Mars in Color, from “Opportunity”
 Opportunity Photos
 Mars in Color, from “Spirit”
 Spirit Photos

The color is not perfect on these, but it should be in the
neighborhood. There are a lot of variables. The cameras are calibrated
differently from time to time, there are different bandwidths available
in different images, and the sun is at different angles.

In these photos, 3 to 6 images were taken, one after another, using
different bandwidth filters. There may be 5 minutes pass from the first
to the last image, so a shadow may move a little bit during that time.
An interesting effect of this is an occasional rainbow strip on the
edge of shadows.

The image file names include information such as camera type, time
taken, location, etc. Here is the full info:

http://origin.mars5.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/edr_filename_key.html

The image on this site have the filter and sometimes the Left or Right
designator removed. If L or R is missing, then they were taken with the
Left camera, which uses visible light filters.

These images were taken with the panoramic camera, because it's the one
that uses color filters. The filters used vary from image to image. The
available filters are:

        Left Camera
        Right Camera

        1 = EMPTY (clear)
        1 = 436nm (37nm Short-pass)

        2 = 753nm (20nm bandpass)
        2 = 754nm (20nm bandpass)

        3 = 673nm (16nm bandpass)
        3 = 803nm (20nm bandpass)

        4 = 601nm (17nm bandpass)
        4 = 864nm (17nm bandpass)

        5 = 535nm (20nm bandpass)
        5 = 904nm (26nm bandpass)

        6 = 482nm (25nm bandpass)
        6 = 934nm (25nm bandpass)

        7 = 432nm (32nm Short-pass)
        7 = 1009nm (38nm Long-pass)

        8 = 440nm (20) Solar ND 5.0
        8 = 880nm (20) Solar ND 5.0

Some bandwidths of visible light are:

        red
        650

        orange
        590

        yellow
        570

        green
        510

        blue
        475

        indigo
        445

        violet
        400

Everything gets kind of fuzzy from this point on. The visible light
bandwidths are not even sharply delimited. The bandwidths in the
Martian cameras don't necessarily match the color bandwidths on
Earthling computers. In a lot of the images some of the bandwidths are
missing. For example, this image:

only uses filters 4, 5, and 7, which more or less correspond to
reddish-orange, yellow-green, and violet. There is a hole or two in the
spectrum, notably red and blue, so it ends up looking a little weird.
But it's still much better than black and white.

Some of the images from Mars use filters 2, 5, and 7, or some wide
range like that. This provides more information for scientific
analysis, but it doesn't look normal when combined. That is, if there
is a "normal" for pictures from Mars. I skipped most of these.

The right pan camera filters are mainly longer wavelength in the
ultraviolet range. I only included one of those pictures, mostly
because I wondered what it would look like:

I used Photo Mud to merge the separate images. In fact, I wrote the
Merge Color Separation function in Photo Mud so I could do this. You
can download a test version here:

http://xpda.com/photomudsetup.exe

When Photo Mud version 3.0 is released in a few days, I'll replace this
file with a 30-day trial version. If you download the test version
before then, you can have a free update to the release version without
a 30-day limit. Let me know if you find any "design considerations" or
other things that don't work.

Here's where to get the latest raw images from Mars:

http://origin.mars5.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all

Some of the NASA pictures show mainly red on Mars, such as this
panorama:

But the colors in the corners of this sundial in the base of the photo
from looks quite a bit different on earth than on the landscape photo.
There is a lack of blue in the Mars photo, or maybe even a translation
of blue to red. There's probably a good reason for this, since NASA has
better software and spent more time on it.

It looks to me like NASA included filter 2, infrared light, in their
red color composition. In this image with filter 2, you can see how
bright the lower right color tab is:

This one is filter 3, is visible red. The blue tab in the lower right
is not nearly as bright:

Here is a composition I did using infrared as red, and shifting the
colors toward that end of the spectrum. This is kind of like the
sundial in the color landscape.

Here's the image with "normal color" composition:

The second one looks a lot closer to the original photo above. In these
two images, the background dirt looks about the same, but these
settings make a big difference sometimes.

Photos Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech




Mars in Color, from “Opportunity”


4/9/2004

4/8/2004

4/7/2004

4/6/2004

4/5/2004

4/5/2004

4/4/2004

4/4/2004

4/4/2004

4/3/2004

3/30/2004

3/28/2004

3/28/2004

3/27/2004

3/24/2004

3/23/2004

3/22/2004

3/22/2004

3/21/2004

Infrared used for red
3/20/2004

filter 2 (infrared) used for red
3/20/2004

filter 2 (infrared) used for red
3/20/2004

3/20/2004

3/20/2004

3/20/2004

3/19/2004

3/18/2004

3/18/2004

3/17/2004

3/17/2004

Dubbed "Carousel," the rock in this image was the target of the Mars
Exploration Rover Opportunity science team's outcrop "scuff test." On
sol 51 (March 15, 2004), Opportunity slowly rotated its left front
wheel on the rock, abrading it in the same way that geology students
use a scratch test to determine the hardness of minerals. The image on
the right, taken by the rover's navigation camera on sol 51, shows the
rock post-scuff. In this image, it is apparent that Opportunity
scratched the surface of "Carousel" and deposited dirt that it was
carrying in its wheel rims.
3/16/2004

3/16/2004

3/15/2004

3/15/2004

"Shoemaker's Patio" near the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's
landing site, shows finely layered sediments, which have been
accentuated by erosion. The sphere-like grains or "blueberries"
distributed throughout the outcrop can be seen lining up with
individual layers. This observation indicates that the spherules are
geologic features called concretions, which form in pre-existing wet
sediments. Other sphere-like grains, such as impact spherules or
volcanic lapilli (fragments of material between 2 and 64 millimeters or
.08 and 2.5 inches in maximum dimension that are ejected from a
volcano) are thought to be deposited with sediments and thus would form
layers distinct from those of the rocks. This image was captured by the
rover's panoramic camera on the 50th martian day, or sol, of the
mission.
3/15/2004

3/14/2004

3/14/2004

This image is of the exceptional rock called "Berry Bowl" in the "Eagle
Crater" outcrop. The study of this "blueberry-strewn" area and the
identification of hematite as the major iron-bearing element within
these sphere-like grains helped scientists confirm their hypothesis
that the hematite in these martian spherules was deposited in water. To
separately analyze the mineralogical content of three main features
within this area -- blueberries, dust and rock -- it was important that
the rock abrasion tool's brush was able to rest on a relatively
berry-free spot. The rock's small size and crowd of berries made the
10-minute brushing a challenge to plan and execute. The successful
brushing on the target whimsically referred to as "Near Empty" on the
rover's 48th sol on Mars left a dust-free impression for subsequent
examination by the rover's spectrometers. No grinding was necessary on
the rock because spectral data obtained on the dust-free surface were
sufficient to verify that the rock's chemical composition differs
significantly from the hematite-rich berries.
3/13/2004

3/13/2004

3/12/2004

3/12/2004

The sphere-like grains or "blueberries" distributed throughout the
outcrop can be seen lining up with individual layers. This observation
indicates that the spherules are geologic features called concretions,
which form in pre-existing wet sediments. Other sphere-like grains,
such as impact spherules or volcanic lapilli (fragments of material
between 2 and 64 millimeters or .08 and 2.5 inches in maximum dimension
that are ejected from a volcano) are thought to be deposited with
sediments and thus would form layers distinct from those of the rocks.
3/11/2004

3/11/2004

3/11/2004

the 3.1 millimeter-deep (just over one-tenth of an inch) hole ground by
the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's rock abrasion tool in the
target called "Mojo 2" on "Flatrock" was taken on the 44th martian day,
or sol, of the mission. It will help complete the chemical analysis of
the lowest layer of the outcrop in the crater where the rover now
resides. After a brief brushing on sol 45, the science team plans to
place Opportunity's spectrometers on the hole to collect data vital to
their understanding of this impressive outcrop.
Scientists believe that the spherule or "blueberry" in the upper right
area of the circular impression was sliced in half by the rock abrasion
tool. "Blueberries" are a known obstruction to the grinding tool that
cause it to terminate its sequence. Despite the stall, the rock
abrasion tool abraded "Flatrock" for one hour and five minutes,
producing a cavity ripe for investigation.
3/10/2004

3/10/2004

3/9/2004

3/8/2004

3/7/2004

3/7/2004

This hole was made by the rover's rock abrasion tool, located on its
instrument deployment device, or "arm." The hole is located on a target
called "McKittrick" at the "El Capitan" region of the Meridiani Planum,
Mars, rock outcrop. It was made on the 30th martian day, or sol, of
Opportunity's journey.
The grinding process at has generated a significant amount of reddish
dust. Color and spectral properties of the dust show that it may
contain some fine-grained crystalline red hematite.
Courtesy NASA/JPL
3/1/2004

2/29/2004

This hole was made by the rover's rock abrasion tool, located on its
instrument deployment device, or "arm." The hole is located on a target
called "Guadalupe" at the "El Capitan" region of the Meridiani Planum,
Mars, rock outcrop. It was made on the 30th martian day, or sol, of
Opportunity's journey.
The grinding process at has generated a significant amount of reddish
dust. Color and spectral properties of the dust show that it may
contain some fine-grained crystalline red hematite.
2/29/2004

The silver colored metal of the ring on the solar abrasion tool is a
reddish brown after the dust settled on it, probably from fine-grained
hematite.
2/29/2004

2/28/2004

2/28/2004

2/27/2004

2/27/2004

2/22/2004

The image is from the right pan camera, made up of ultraviolet
bandwidths.
2/20/2004

2/20/2004

The "El Capitan" region of the rock outcrop at Meridiani Planum, Mars.
This image shows fine, parallel lamination in the upper area of the
rock, which also contains scattered sphere-shaped objects ranging from
1 to 2 millimeters (.04 to .08 inches) in size. There are also more
abundant, scattered vugs, or small cavities, that are shaped like
discs. These are about 1 centimeter (0.4 inches) long.
2/20/2004

2/20/2004

The "El Capitan" region of the rock outcrop at Meridiani Planum, Mars.
2/20/2004

The "capture magnet," which attracts atmospheric dust particles from
the front deck of the rover. The lighter-colored areas in the image are
clean sections of the magnet virtually free of dust, and the dark areas
are places where dust has collected. Dust particles in the martian
atmosphere are estimated to be about 1 micrometer in size (1/1000th of
a millimeter or 1/1000th of .04 inches).
The material below the magnet's aluminum surface is laid out in
concentric rings, giving the image a bull's-eye appearance. The magnet
was designed in this configuration to collect as much atmospheric dust
as possible. Spirit and Opportunity each carry seven magnets.
2/19/2004

The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity dragged one of its wheels back
and forth across the sandy soil at Meridiani Planum to create a hole
(bottom left corner) approximately 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) long by
20 centimeters (7.9 inches) wide by 9 centimeters (3.5 inches) deep.
The rover's instrument deployment device, or arm, will begin studying
the fresh soil at the bottom of this trench later today for clues to
its mineral composition and history. Scientists chose this particular
site for digging because previous data taken by the rover's miniature
thermal emission spectrometer indicated that it contains crystalline
hematite, a mineral that sometimes forms in the presence of water. The
brightness of the newly-exposed soil is thought to be either intrinsic
to the soil itself, or a reflection of the Sun.
2/19/2004

The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity dragged one of its wheels back
and forth across the sandy soil at Meridiani Planum to create a hole
(bottom left corner) approximately 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) long by
20 centimeters (7.9 inches) wide by 9 centimeters (3.5 inches) deep.
The rover's instrument deployment device, or arm, will begin studying
the fresh soil at the bottom of this trench later today for clues to
its mineral composition and history. Scientists chose this particular
site for digging because previous data taken by the rover's miniature
thermal emission spectrometer indicated that it contains crystalline
hematite, a mineral that sometimes forms in the presence of water. The
brightness of the newly-exposed soil is thought to be either intrinsic
to the soil itself, or a reflection of the Sun.
2/19/2004

2/17/2004

2/17/2004

2/14/2004

2/12/2004

2/9/2004

2/8/2004

Rock abrasion tool, also known as "rat" (circular device in center),
located on the rover's instrument deployment device, or "arm."
2/8/2004

2/7/2004

2/7/2004

2/7/2004

A region at the end of the rock outcrop lining the small crater, called
"Eagle Crater." The sphere-like grains or "blueberries" dotting the
rocks in the outcrop can also be seen above the rocks, suggesting that
these geologic features have origins beyond Eagle Crater.
2/7/2004

2/3/2004

1/28/2004

1/28/2004

1/28/2004

1/28/2004

1/28/2004

1/28/2004

1/28/2004

1/28/2004

1/28/2004

These layered rocks measure only 10 centimeters (4 inches) tall and are
thought to be either volcanic ash deposits or sediments carried by
water or wind.
1/27/2004

1/26/2004




Opportunity Photos




Mars in Color, from “Spirit”

4/11/2004

4/11/2004

4/11/2004

4/11/2004

4/11/2004

4/11/2004

4/11/2004

4/11/2004

4/7/2004

4/7/2004

4/7/2004

4/6/2004

4/5/2004

4/5/2004

4/5/2004

4/5/2004

4/5/2004

no violet/indigo
4/5/2004

4/5/2004

4/4/2004

4/4/2004

4/3/2004

4/3/2004

4/3/2004

4/1/2004

3/31/2004

3/30/2004

3/29/2004

3/29/2004

3/27/2004

This image was taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on sol 79
after completing a two-location brushing on the rock dubbed "Mazatzal."
A coating of fine, dust-like material was successfully removed from
targets named "Illinois" (right) and "New York" (left), revealing clean
rock underneath. The center of the two brushed spots are approximately
10 centimeters (3.9 inches) apart and were aggressively analyzed by the
instruments on the robotic arm on sol 80. On sol 81, the rover drilled
into the New York target to expose the original rock underneath.
3/26/2004

3/25/2004

3/25/2004

3/25/2004

This hazard-avoidance camera image was taken by NASA's Mars Exploration
Rover Spirit on sol 79 after completing a two-location brushing on the
rock dubbed "Mazatzal." A coating of fine, dust-like material was
successfully removed from targets named "Illinois" (right) and "New
York" (left), revealing clean rock underneath. In this image, Spirit's
panoramic camera mast assembly, or camera head, can be seen shadowing
Mazatzal's surface. The center of the two brushed spots are
approximately 10 centimeters (3.9 inches) apart and were aggressively
analyzed by the instruments on the robotic arm on sol 80. On sol 81,
the rover drilled into the New York target to expose the original rock
underneath.
Note: The raw images are under the pan camera with color filters. ???
3/24/2004

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit took this panoramic camera image
of the rock target named "Mazatzal" on sol 77 (March 22, 2004). It is a
close-up look at the rock face and the targets that will be brushed and
ground by the rock abrasion tool in upcoming sols.
Mazatzal, like most rocks on Earth and Mars, has layers of material
near its surface that provide clues about the history of the rock.
Scientists believe that the top layer of Mazatzal is actually a coating
of dust and possibly even salts. Under this light coating may be a more
solid portion of the rock that has been chemically altered by
weathering. Past this layer is the unaltered rock, which may give
scientists the best information about how Mazatzal was formed.
Because each layer reveals information about the formation and
subsequent history of Mazatzal, it is important that scientists get a
look at each of them. For this reason, they have developed a multi-part
strategy to use the rock abrasion tool to systematically peel back
Mazatzal's layers and analyze what's underneath with the rover's
microscopic imager, and its Moessbauer and alpha particle X-ray
spectrometers.
The strategy began on sol 77 when scientists used the microscopic
imager to get a closer look at targets on Mazatzal named "New York,"
"Illinois" and "Arizona." These rock areas were targeted because they
posed the best opportunity for successfully using the rock abrasion
tool; Arizona also allowed for a close-up look at a range of tones. On
sol 78, Spirit's rock abrasion tool will do a light brushing on the
Illinois target to preserve some of the surface layers. Then, a
brushing of the New York target should remove the top coating of any
dust and salts and perhaps reveal the chemically altered rock
underneath. Finally, on sol 79, the rock abrasion tool will be
commanded to grind into the New York target, which will give scientists
the best chance of observing Mazatzal's interior.
The Mazatzal targets were named after the home states of some of the
rock abrasion tool and science team members.
3/23/2004

used violet for blue
3/22/2004

3/22/2004

3/22/2004

3/22/2004

3/22/2004

This image of the rock called "Mazatzal" was taken by the Mars
Exploration Rover Spirit. It reveals some interesting features on this
future rock abrasion tool target, including variants in tone, a sugary
surface texture and scalloped areas where parts of the rock seem to
have been worn away. Mazatzal's uniqueness is made even more obvious
when it is compared to the more typical, basaltic rock in the lower
right of the image.
3/21/2004

3/17/2004

3/17/2004

The Mars Exploration Rover Spirit acquired this navigation camera image
on the 72nd martian day, or sol, of its mission (March 15, 2004), after
digging its wheel into the drift dubbed "Serpent." Creating the
commands that would generate this "scar" was not an easy task for rover
controllers. Essentially, they had to choreograph an intricate dance
for Spirit, maneuvering it up the side of the dune, shimmying its left
front wheel a number of times to create the scuff, and then reversing
to attain proper positioning for miniature thermal emission
spectrometer observations. Before the task was finished, Spirit moved
forward to put the scuff within proper reach of the rover's arm.
This scar allows the rover's instruments to see below the drift
surface, to determine the composition of the materials. Initial results
indicate that the drift material is similar to the basaltic sands that
have been seen throughout Spirit's journey to the large crater dubbed
"Bonneville." The material does not seem to be the same as that inside
the crater.
Scientists are now looking to answer two questions: Why is the dark
sand in the crater not the same as the dark sand in the drift? And why
are there two different dark soil-type deposits in such a small place?
3/17/2004

3/17/2004

3/15/2004

3/15/2004

3/14/2004

3/14/2004

3/12/2004

3/11/2004

3/9/2004

3/9/2004

2/28/2004

2/27/2004

"Humphrey" at Gusev Crater, Mars, the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's
landing site. Spirit examined the lumpy rock with its suite of
scientific instruments both before and after it drilled a hole into the
rock surface on the 60th martian day, or sol, of its mission.
"Humphrey" was one of several stops on the rover's way to the large
crater dubbed "Bonneville."
2/27/2004

2/27/2004

The large, shadowed rock in the foreground is nicknamed "Sandia" for a
mountain range in New Mexico. An imposing rock, "Sandia" is about 33
centimeters high and about 1.7 meters long. When lightened, this image
reveals much about the pictured rocks, which the science team believes
are ejected material, or ejecta, from the nearby crater called
"Bonneville." Scientists believe "Sandia" is a basaltic rock that
landed on its side after being ejected from the crater. The vertical
lines on the side of the rock facing the camera are known by geologists
as "flow banding" and typically run horizontally, indicating that
"Sandia" is on its side. What look like small holes on the two visible
sides of the rock are called vesicles; they were probably once gas
bubbles within the lava. Many smaller rocks can be seen in the
background of the image. Some rocks are completely exposed, while
others are only peeking out of the surface. Scientists believe that two
processes might be at work here: accretion, which occurs when winds
deposit material that slowly buries many of the rocks; and deflation,
which occurs when surface material is removed by wind, exposing more
and more of the rocks.

2/26/2004

2/18/2004

2/18/2004

2/17/2004

2/14/2004

2/14/2004

2/14/2004

2/14/2004

2/13/2004

2/13/2004

2/13/2004

2/13/2004

2/13/2004

2/13/2004

2/13/2004

2/13/2004

Magnetic dust collector
2/12/2004

2/10/2004

White Boat is the first rock target that Spirit drove to after
finishing a series of investigations on the rock Adirondack. White Boat
stood out to scientists due to its light color and more tabular shape
compared to the dark, rounded rocks that surround it.
2/9/2004

This is the Spirit's arm that does brushing, grinding, and drilling.
2/6/2004

This is the Spirit's arm that does brushing, grinding, and drilling.
2/2/2004




Spirit Photos