Midnight Mars Browser version 1.0.6

Version 1.0.6 fixes an issue where filenames with strange characters ("##") were being ignored. These filenames appeared on Opportunity Sol 413 (3/23/2005 on Exploratorium); this version is required to download those files.

Click "Download Page" on the right to get started.

Midnight Mars Browser version 1.0.5

Midnight Mars Browser Version 1.0.5 is now available. Here's what's new:

• Added "Image Indexing" feature, to eliminate delay when starting slideshow or changing image criteria (more noticeable if you have many images downloaded). If you add or remove raw or generated images outside of the Midnight Mars Browser program, you should use the "Rebuild Image Indexes" menu option in the Update menu.
• Added "Open Image Full Size" command in Slideshow Navigate menu.
• Added "Play Backwards" command to Slideshow Navigate menu.
• Added "Exclude images with filesize less than" option in Slideshow Image Criteria dialog. (Try checking this option and putting 20000 in the field, to avoid seeing smaller images like sundial images.)
• Restored anaglyph blue/green level to normal. (You may want to regenerate your anaglyph generated images to take advantage.)
• Added some error checking to slideshow image criteria dialog.
• Eliminated another memory leak.

Click "Download Page" on the right to get it.

Dust Devils - Spirit Sol 421

One thing I might do with this blog, between Midnight Mars Browser software updates, is note some of the landmarks that we pass along the way with the Mars Rover missions (really more because it's fun that anything else). There is a heck of a landmark today: as noted on the mer.rlproject.com forums, Spirit caught at least one dust devil on camera on Sol 421! And not only that, but it appears that another dust devil (or possibly one of the same?) was good enough to come by and clean off Spirit's dusty solar panels, so we are now back to almost full power! This is a fanstastic development for Spirit... let's hope the skies stay clear now and those power levels stay up. You can see the dust devils for yourself in Midnight Mars Browser on Spirit Sol 421, or follow the image links from the mer.rlproject.com discussion.

Deimos Solar Transit on Spirit Sol 420

There's a nice series of images of Deimos (thanks to Pando for the positive ID) eclipsing the sun on Spirit Sol 420. You can use MMB to view a little movie of it.

More features are coming as soon as I can find enough time... One of the next things up will be the ability to open images in full size. Another thing that occurred to me tonight (watching the eclipse) would be a "reverse play" command-space key. There's lots more that could be done, but I don't want to get too far ahead of myself.

Vostok

Opportunity has reached Vostok Crater (is it really a crater?), as seen in these Sol 399 Navcam images.

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Version 1.0.4 Online

Here's what's new in version 1.0.4:

• Added "Go to Sol" option in Slideshow.
• Fixed 1-pixel left and right border bug in anaglyph generation. Removed 1-pixel left and right "bright" border in false-color generation.
• Fixed problem where some invalid files at the JPL site were ending the download (for example, at Opportunity Sol 200).
• Changed the default settings for anaglyph generation: generatePancamAnaglyphTypes changes from L7R1 to L7R1,L2R2
• Added dialog if user tries to quit program in middle of update.
• Added "Stop Update" menu option.

Download Page

Version 1.0.4 Delayed

Version 1.0.4 has been delayed until this evening.

Invalid Files on JPL Site

I just noticed that there is what appears to be an invalid file on the JPL raw image site at Opportunit Sol 200. Unforunately MMB's image update chokes on this file (and possibly others) and ends the update prematurely. So this morning's work was to fix that - fix MMB choking on the file, that is, not fix the file at JPL, which I don't have any control over. And with that, I think we have enough critical bug fixes for a new release, so 1.0.4 will be online later this morning, with any luck.

That Annoying Edge

If you're looking at the anaglyph images and noticing that there's suddenly a 1-pixel garbage border on the left and right sides, well, so was I, and yesterday evening's and this evening's work was to fix the problem. Turns out I introduced a little bug there when I was trying to reduce memory usage for version 1.0.2. The fix will be in the next release, which might be this weekend or Monday.

(And in case you're wondering, it's not just the normal 1-pixel 'bright' border that appears on the left and right side of most navcam and pancam raw images. It's actually garbage of the programs own creation; specifically it's what's left over from whatever was in that spot when the previous image was generated. The program tries to remove the normal 1-pixel border in anaglyphs, and in the next version it will remove the border in false color images as well, just to make things look nice.)

Go To Sol

I added a "Go To Sol" option under the Navigate menu for Slideshow tonight: simple but very useful if you have a lot of sols downloaded. I'm waiting to release another version 'till I get a few more things added/fixed; don't want people to suffer from "version burnout". Anyway there don't appear to be any showstopper issues at the moment (that anyone has told me about). Think I'll go read a book for awhile.

P.S. Also you will note that the site has been cleaned up a bit, with a separate download page and documentation page linked over on the right there.

Version 1.0.3

Version 1.0.3 fixes a bug in Version 1.0.2's "Advanced Image Update from JPL" feature where not all images would be downloaded. If you downloaded v1.0.2 you should download this version, and re-do any updates you did using this feature (images you've already downloaded won't be re-downloaded, only images it missed).

Download Page