Post by dboyseeker on Nov 20, 2009 8:27:53 GMT 10
How our vision of the solar system has changed in the past 30 years.
Earth
THEN
This influential photo, taken by Apollo 8 astronauts in December 1968, changed the view that humans had of Earth. It led us to view our planet as a small, even fragile ecosystem.
NOW
Earth Rise gave us a sentimental big picture, but since then we've been able to spot more than just hurricanes and cloud cover. Here is the latest imagery from the host of NASA's Earth–observing satellites, which measure everything from orbiting space debris to light pollution to drought. This image, taken by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer on board NASA's Terra satellite, shows the extent of fire damage around Los Angeles.
Mars
THEN
In July 1976, the Viking 1 lander touched down on the Mars—the first vehicle to do so successfully. Viking 1 carried instruments to take photos, measure seismic activity and get elementary weather reports. Advanced as it was for the time, Viking 1's observations left many unanswered questions about Martian history—including whether or not there was water or life.
NOW
Thirty years later, the Mars Phoenix Lander arrived on the Red Planet equipped with an onboard meteorological laboratory, a 1-megapixel Surface Stereo Imager and a gas analyzer. This image shows sublimation (when a solid vaporizes into a gas without becoming liquid) and is the first glimpse of Martian ice. In the left picture, titled Sol 20, there are tiny, dust-coated ice cubes in the bottom-left part of the frame. They almost look like rocks, except that in the next image—titled Sol 24—they're gone, like a Martian version of dry ice.
Pics of the other planets & Source : www.popularmechanics.com/science/health_medicine/4337315.html?page=1
Earth
THEN
This influential photo, taken by Apollo 8 astronauts in December 1968, changed the view that humans had of Earth. It led us to view our planet as a small, even fragile ecosystem.
NOW
Earth Rise gave us a sentimental big picture, but since then we've been able to spot more than just hurricanes and cloud cover. Here is the latest imagery from the host of NASA's Earth–observing satellites, which measure everything from orbiting space debris to light pollution to drought. This image, taken by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer on board NASA's Terra satellite, shows the extent of fire damage around Los Angeles.
Mars
THEN
In July 1976, the Viking 1 lander touched down on the Mars—the first vehicle to do so successfully. Viking 1 carried instruments to take photos, measure seismic activity and get elementary weather reports. Advanced as it was for the time, Viking 1's observations left many unanswered questions about Martian history—including whether or not there was water or life.
NOW
Thirty years later, the Mars Phoenix Lander arrived on the Red Planet equipped with an onboard meteorological laboratory, a 1-megapixel Surface Stereo Imager and a gas analyzer. This image shows sublimation (when a solid vaporizes into a gas without becoming liquid) and is the first glimpse of Martian ice. In the left picture, titled Sol 20, there are tiny, dust-coated ice cubes in the bottom-left part of the frame. They almost look like rocks, except that in the next image—titled Sol 24—they're gone, like a Martian version of dry ice.
Pics of the other planets & Source : www.popularmechanics.com/science/health_medicine/4337315.html?page=1
Happy New Years Everybody!!!
