Status, 24 February 2000, 7:50 PM PST
The first set of data since opening MISR's cover has arrived and the images are spectacular.
A distinctive feature that shows very clearly in the "first light" pictures is James Bay in
Ontario, Canada and the surrounding land. There are also some beautiful clouds to the south.
Even at the most oblique view angles, the sharpness of the pictures is striking, and there
appears to be very little geometric distortion, indicating that the camera optics and
optomechanical systems are working well, and that the spacecraft is extremely stable. Needless
to say, we are thrilled.
Because NASA has restricted public release of these pictures until a press conference involving
all the teams is held, I regret that I am not yet able to share them with you. Until we can
find a way of resolving this that would simultaneously protect the sensitive nature of the data,
I sincerely appreciate your understanding and patience.
We have discovered one unexpected anomaly. The red, green, and near-infrared data from one of
the cameras (the one that points immediately aftward of straight down) have signal levels
significantly lower than the other eight cameras and the blue band of the same camera. The
imagery otherwise appears normal, so we suspect that this camera is not properly reacting to
the commands which establish its exposure times. A special test is planned for tomorrow morning
to explore this hypothesis. If confirmed, there are several approaches at our disposal for
overcoming this problem.
This has been a wonderful and exhilarating day. I am extremely indebted to many, many talented
and dedicated people who have contributed in innumerable ways to bring this about. Exactly
sixty years ago, 24 February 1940, Frances Langford recorded a familiar song from the movie
"Pinocchio". The lyrics seem a fitting commemoration:
"When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you...
Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true."
MISR, carefully crafted in our workshop, has come to life.
You can see earlier status reports by checking the "News" link of the MISR
web site at http://www-misr.jpl.nasa.gov.
David Diner
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