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Luke: Why are Curiosity rover's Mars photos so bad?

August 7, 2012 @ 9:06 am (Updated: 9:59 am - 8/7/12 )

mars

This is the first color view of the area the new Mars rover Curiosity landed Sunday night.

The photo provided by NASA was taken from a camera on the rover's arm. They say the image appears fuzzy because of dust on the camera's cover.

With all the advanced technology that went into Curiosity, including what made possible her amazing landing, Luke Burbank says he expected we'd be getting pictures that were a little more impressive.

"Why are the photos bad?" says Luke. "I was expecting it to be sending back some phenomenal [images.]"

Dave says Luke is just a complaining troll and doesn't understand how difficult it is to send back hi-res images from Mars.

"They have to be sent up to the orbiting satellite, then they have to be transmitted back to earth."

That can take a long time Dave says.

"Either that or there's some problems with the sound stage in West Hollywood. That could be it. The lighting isn't quite right," Dave jokes.

View a full photo gallery of images captured by Curiosity so far.

By JAMIE GRISWOLD, MyNorthwest.com Editor

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Comments (21)


  • Add A Comment

  • ron prevost wrote...
    wow???????
    August 7, 2012 8:11 am
    ???????
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Pressman wrote...
    C'mon Luke-
    August 7, 2012 9:47 am
    Think before you complain- do you think that they just open everything up the minute they land? There are calibrations, and system checks numbering into the hundreds, if not thousands, to do- put down your I want everything now 4G phone for a second( if you can stand not checking facebook that long) and try to wrap your mind around the complexity of this rover mission- slated to last 2 years, not 2 minutes...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • AnotherLawn wrote...
    LUKE
    August 7, 2012 10:04 am
    the lens covers will come off. We just landed a nuclear robot with lazer beams on mars.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Rikki Doxx wrote...
    Who?
    August 7, 2012 11:35 am
    Luke? Who's Luke?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Citizen of Krazy Town wrote...
    @Rikki: lol
    August 7, 2012 1:31 pm
    I like your style
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • AnotherLawn wrote...
    Rikki
    August 7, 2012 12:04 pm
    he's a brillant quick witted host....you do know where you're at? right?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ron prevost wrote...
    'brillant' ? 'quick witted' ? LUKE ???????
    August 7, 2012 12:20 pm
    AnotherLawn, what planet are YOU on ?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Rikki Doxx wrote...
    Ummm, No.
    August 7, 2012 1:16 pm
    No, who is he and what is he?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ElenaT wrote...
    luke burbank
    August 7, 2012 2:03 pm
    is one half of ross and burbank...the radio show whose blog you're reading.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Oly80 wrote...
    brilliant, quick-witted... hmm...
    August 7, 2012 2:37 pm
    yeah, that's a stretch. maybe snarky and often smug...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • CH wrote...
    nuclear robot sweet maybe it will go off. This would be cool . . . .
    August 7, 2012 1:17 pm
    "Either that or there's some problems with the sound stage in West Hollywood. That could be it. The lighting isn't quite right," Dave jokes. It might not be a joke. The rover is in West Hollywood not Mars.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ron prevost wrote...
    So, then, we COULD have people there too, after all ?
    August 7, 2012 3:57 pm
    But I don't want to have to go to a sound stage for my flying car. 45 blinking years !
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Citizen of Krazy Town wrote...
    I'm reminded of that old joke about the complaining airline passenger
    August 7, 2012 1:30 pm
    "Oh, you didn't like the sandwich you got while flying through the sky at 450mph?"
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Oly80 wrote...
    not a lot of sound stages in west hollywood, dave...
    August 7, 2012 2:33 pm
    west hollywood is LA's capital hill, not where they do a ton of film/sound stuff. burbank or north hollywood... maybe, not so much in WeHo.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • AnotherLawn wrote...
    Ron
    August 7, 2012 2:49 pm
    He's on the radio, you're not. You know his name, he does not know yours. That's the planet I'm on.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ron prevost wrote...
    and your point is?
    August 7, 2012 4:05 pm
    And, Luke, 'AnotherLawn' is an awfully lame on line name for you to use. Sounds too much like a different "Lawn".

    by the way, 'brillant'? I doubt even Dave (or especially Dave) would label Luke Burbank as brilliant (with the 'I')

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • 333 wrote...
    Rikki
    August 7, 2012 2:54 pm
    You're a bright one. He's the one that wrote the article. His face is on this page up top. He is one of the most popular hosts that works for the website you are reading. it's just tongue and cheek people....
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Rikki Doxx wrote...
    Which One?
    August 7, 2012 4:47 pm
    Mmm, 'kay - there's two up there. So who is who? And what he wrote is kinda stupid. Was he writing for real? A minute after Curiosity landed he's complaining the pictures were bad? Then later it's pointed out that the covers will come off the cameras and HiDef pictures will soon be coming? It sure didn't read as tongue in cheek.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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