Updates New boy around the Red Planet - the 2013 Indian Mars Orbiter update thread!

[Cosmic Penguin]

After several months with no updates at all, here are some new photos released:

Also the methane sensor on board is collecting data.

 

[Soheil_Esy]

ISRO catches a huge mushroom cloud

Cometary debris crashing on Mars?

The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on November 5, 2014 has spotted a mushroom cloud on the surface of the red planet.

Images taken by Mars Colour Camera (MCC) onboard show the mysterious cloud with great clarity. The cloud is situated above the Valles Marineris Canyon. Its distinct mushroom shape and close-up views, depict what seems to be a large crater formed underneath the cloud.

The discovery has erupted plenty of questions and theories about the cause of the mushroom cloud.

One of the causes that have been ruled out is that the recent discovery of methane found by Curiosity Rover could not be the origin. The amounts found on Mars are too minor to cause an explosion and crates as seen in Siberia. What has also been ruled out is surface wind, which is rare on the planet as the cloud does not depict a windy swirl.

One of the more plausible explanations put forth, is when comet Siding Spring which passed extremely close to Mars on October 19, 2014, might have caused the explosion. According to the Inquisitr, NASA cut off live feed while the comet was passing by Mars as a way to cover-up the event. Conspiracy theorists claim, NASA knew that the explosion would occur caused by the comet, added the Inquisitr.

It is possible MOM captured the explosion as it occurred.
http://www.dnaindia.com/scitech/report-mushroom-cloud-on-mars-captured-by-mars-orbiter-mission-2066959

'The image shows a huge mushroom cloud and we may wonder whether it is an enormous rare dust wind cloud, or caused due to a nuclear or methane explosion.'
The image was taken around the same time as the Siding Spring comet passed Mars last year.

Pictured is a zoomed in version of what some believe is the mushroom cloud, showing the crater rim, stem explosion and cloud shadow. The image was taken around the same time as the Siding Spring comet passed Mars on October 19 last year.

 

[Pipcard]

I took a look at that "Mysteriousuniverse.org" site and it mostly seems to be about dubious claims of conspiracies, UFOs, etc.

Also, see [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia"]Pareidolia[/ame].

 

[Soheil_Esy]

The Tortoise and the Hare

ISRO catches a huge mushroom cloud

If the story is proven to be true (Siding Spring comet debris impact implied) then little ISRO just hit the jackpot at the new martian space race!!:woohoo:

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

If the story is proven to be true (Siding Spring comet debris impact implied) then little ISRO just hit the jackpot at the new martian space race!!:woohoo:

If this really happened do you think ISRO or NASA or ESA would not have already announced such a discovery along with the scientists by now? :facepalm: :dry:

 

[TachyonDriver]

Optical illusion I reckon. As a total layman I searched for images of Valles Marineris and found this one from an article dated 2003 http://www.holoscience.com/wp/spiral-galaxies-grand-canyons/ :

Look at the bowl/crater shape to the lower right of the Noctis Labyrinthus area on that image....

 

[Soheil_Esy]

Optical illusion I reckon. As a total layman I searched for images of Valles Marineris and found this one from an article dated 2003 http://www.holoscience.com/wp/spiral-galaxies-grand-canyons/ :

Look at the bowl/crater shape to the lower right of the Noctis Labyrinthus area on that image....

The old adage says, "a picture is worth a thousand words". So please provide us an animated GIF covering the three critical phases: before, during and after the said event of October 19, 2014.

 

[Urwumpe]

The old adage says, "a picture is worth a thousand words". So please provide us an animated GIF covering the three critical phases: before, during and after the said event of October 19, 2014.

Sorry, but wrong:

You should provide this animated gif, since the claim about the event is pretty much on your side.

Most people here simply point out that the region has always looked exactly the same as it does in the "Mushroom cloud picture". For example if you look for the ancient Viking 1 probe maps.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Mars_Viking_MDIM21_ClrMosaic_1km.jpg

Sadly, the 3D version by Mars Express of the region does not cover the Oudemans crater region.

 

[Soheil_Esy]

Stalemate

Sorry, but wrong:

You should provide this animated gif, since the claim about the event is pretty much on your side.

Most people here simply point out that the region has always looked exactly the same as it does in the "Mushroom cloud picture". For example if you look for the ancient Viking 1 probe maps.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Mars_Viking_MDIM21_ClrMosaic_1km.jpg

Sadly, the 3D version by Mars Express of the region does not cover the Oudemans crater region.

So in your logic, providing pictures preceding an event indicates you its current state, is that right?

TachyonDriver posted a 2003 picture. What is the present situation on Mars? You can not answer.

We all agree on the pre-2014 state of Mars, while none of us can confirm that Mars remains unchanged until the release of the next batch of high res pictures. Bare truth it's a stalemate situation.

 

[DaveS]

So in your logic, providing pictures preceding an event indicates you its current state, is that right?

TachyonDriver posted a 2003 picture. What is the present situation on Mars? You can not answer.

We all agree on the pre-2014 state of Mars, while none of us can confirm that Mars remains unchanged until the release of the next batch of high res pictures. Bare truth it's a stalemate situation.

Can you at least answer this: Why are you going by a single photo, posted on a known UFO/Conspiracy theory website? Those kind of sites are known for making up stuff on a whim with no qualms about making the evidence fit the conclusion rather than making the conclusion fit the evidence.

It's the latter that is the scientific approach. I cannot see a mushroom cloud. And besides, none of the already orbiting spacecraft (MRO, ODY, MEX, MOM and MAVEN) nor any of surface crafts (MER-B and MSL) have detected any changes in the Martian atmosphere following the the pass of C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring) nor any surface changes. And while I am not 100% on this statement, I don't think a rock or debris from a comet would produce a mushroom cloud upon impact. That is something specific to actual nuclear weapons.

 

[Urwumpe]

We all agree on the pre-2014 state of Mars, while none of us can confirm that Mars remains unchanged until the release of the next batch of high res pictures. Bare truth it's a stalemate situation.

if the claimed "mushroom cloud" is a surface feature, that was already existing for decades independent of the viewing angle, it is no mushroom cloud - it is areology. (or do you want to claim that this mushroom cloud, that was caused by Siding Spring, is persisting since 1976, when the Viking 1 orbiter finished its primary mission?)

Thats no stalemate - thats a "Outrageous claims require outrageous evidence" moment.

 

[TachyonDriver]

TachyonDriver posted a 2003 picture. What is the present situation on Mars? You can not answer.

Yes. I posted that picture to show that the region, the crater in fact, looks exactly the same as it did 11-12 years ago. The latest photo just shows a different colour. What are the odds of a comet streaking into the solar system, hitting Mars exactly smack dead centre of that particular crater on the edge of Valles Marineris? We have IMFD and TransX to do that but a real, actual comet doesn't

 

[sorindafabico]

This reminds me the (in)famous Cydonia face...

 

[Soheil_Esy]

This reminds me the (in)famous Cydonia face...

Pipcard already made the same comment on page 7...

 

[PhantomCruiser]

I'm going to agree with the optical illusion idea, people see all sorts of images in clouds, tea leaves, burned toast, inkblots, etc.

 

[Soheil_Esy]

NASA to join ISRO to study Mangalyaan findings

12 August 2015

India's first and successful interplanetary expedition Mangalyaan has caught the attention of the American space agency NASA, which will soon join the ISRO team to study more about its findings on Mars.

http://english.manoramaonline.com/n...alayaan-will-join-isro-to-study-findings.html

 

[kamaz]

MOAR PIX: http://www.isro.gov.in/pslv-c25-mar...olour-camera-mcc-onboard-india’s-mars-orbiter

 

[dumbo2007]

http://www.outerplaces.com/science/...stunning-images-of-red-planet-s-rocky-surface

Article about the newly released pics.

 

[kamaz]

Cometary debris crashing on Mars?

Yes, that looks like a mushroom cloud seen from an oblique angle.

BUT, an image sensor is usually pointed at nadir. So it would be looking at the mushroom cloud top-down, not from the side. So even if a mushroom cloud was there, that's now how it would look.

So to me it looks like a crater filled with the blue stuff, and the blue stuff then being carried over into the canyon by water. Fascinating formation anyway.

One way to check would be to get image metadata, i.e. camera position and orientation (NASA puts these together with images in PDS), and set up the scene with a mushroom cloud in a 3D modeling program (or Orbiter).

 

[Nicholas Kang]

India’s Mars Probe adjusts Orbit ahead of lengthy Solar Eclipse

Global Mosaic assembled from Mars Color Camera Photos – Credit: Indian Space Research Organization

Mars from 55,000 Kilometers – Photo: ISRO

Spaceflight101.com: http://spaceflight101.com/indian-mars-orbiter-prepares-for-solar-eclipse/

India’s Mars Orbiter Mission completed a critical orbital adjustment this week to avoid lengthy solar eclipses in February that could have threatened the survival of the spacecraft.

On January 17, MOM fired up its thrusters to slightly alter its orbit to ensure the eclipses are cut to a manageable length to ensure the spacecraft’s 36 Amp-hour batteries are not completely drained in order to keep the vehicle alive.

The February 2017 eclipses are unusual because they occur at the high point of the orbit where the MOM spacecraft is traveling at its slowest velocity, relative to Mars, which means it spends most time in the high-altitude portion of the orbit. If the Martian shadow is placed so that this orbital path is in shade, MOM would have to endure an eclipse exceeding eight hours on a number of subsequent orbits.