Why do some of the images have lines or seams, where they appear to have been cut apart and put back together?

What is the difference between the Viking cameras and the IMP in terms of color integrity and resolution?

How long does it take to transmit a signal from Mars to Earth using the High Gain Antenna?

What are the center wavelengths and bandwidths for the IMP filters?

When will we see the first images on July 4th?

The IMP mast doesn't look very stable -- what will keep the IMP from being blown over during a windstorm?

Can the IMP be damaged by windblown dust?

How far will the three-dimensional imaging capabilities extend?

How long is the IMP expected to "live" on Mars?

Will the IMP image the moons of Mars?

Why do some of the images have lines or seams, where they appear to have been cut apart and put back together?

As you know, the IMP is a panoramic camera. It takes data one small image at a time, and these small frames are pasted together to make larger images and panoramas. When the frames are retreived from the lander, they are stitched together initially by a computer program. Often, the seams of individual frames are visible because of a phenomenon known as parallax. This is caused by viewing the same objects from different angles -- which makes the objects in the foreground appear to move in relation to objects in the background. You have probably noticed this parallaz effect before. If you look at a nearby object (such as your hand or finger) from your right and then your left eye, it will appear that the object has moved, but this is only an illusion caused by the change in viewing angle. Another impediment to seamless panoramas is the inherent difficulty in flattening a spherical image. Just as it is difficult to flatten a map of the globe without some distortion, it is difficult to flatten the IMP's tiles in a seamless manner.

What is the difference between the Viking cameras and the IMP in terms of color integrity and resolution?

The IMP and the Viking cameras have approximately equivalent resolution, but in other ways, the technology developed since the Viking days has allowed for improvements.
The color integrity of IMP images will be noticeably improved when compared to the Viking images. This is mainly for two reasons. The first is simply that the IMP has more filters than the Viking cameras did, and this allows it to see a wider range of spectra. This holds especially true in the imaging of the Martian atmosphere. The Viking cameras had only one solar filter, whereas the IMP has eight filters which are specifically for the atmosphere. These filters will not only detect dust in the atmosphere, but will also be capable of "seeing" water vapor. In addition to these scientific improvements, with the increased number of atmosphere and geology filters, the IMP should be able to give us a better sense of what the sky really looks like on Mars.
The second reason for the improved color integrity in the Pathfinder mission lies in the calibration. Both the Viking and IMP cameras were carefully calibrated after they were built, but the integrity of the Viking calibration was seriously compromised by the rigors of pre-launch and mission activities. It is important to remember that when the Viking missions were launched, many people expected that there would be microbial life on Mars. Fear of contaminating or killing this Martian life with microbes from our own planet led to stringent pre-launch procedures. The Viking landers were heated to 113C to insure that they were free of bacterial stowaways. This heating must have altered the filters, making it impossible to confirm that the colors the camera now "saw" were accurate and corresponded to the calibration data. Added to this problem was the radiation that the cameras received from the Viking power generators. This radiation probably also altered the filters and camera, making the actual spectra transmitted to Earth even more suspect. The IMP was very carefully calibrated before its journey began, and it has not had to undergo anything that might undermine the calibration efforts.
Another difference between the two types of cameras is that the IMP uses 12-bit encoding as opposed to the 6-bit encoding of the Viking missions. This affords a higher radiometric accuracy rate -- meaning that there will be more dynamic range between light and dark in the new IMP images.

The amount of time it takes to transmit a signal from Mars to Earth or from Earth to Mars using the High Gain Antenna varies according to the relative positions of Earth and Mars in their orbits around the sun. At the time of the July 4th landing, it took approximately 10 minutes to transmit a signal.

What are the center wavelengths and bandwidths for the IMP filters?

How much does the IMP weigh?

The IMP weighs 6.4 kilograms.

When will we see the first images from the IMP on July 4th?

The IMP team working at JPL will begin to receive the data that will make the first images somewhere around 4:30 Pacific time on the 4th. The first "Mission Success" image should be released to the press around 6PM if all goes well. Shortly after that, these images will appear on the Pathfinder and IMP web pages.

The IMP mast doesn't look very stable -- what will keep the IMP from being blown over during a windstorm?

First of all, while the IMP mast, built by A.E.C. Able, may appear flimsy, it is actually quite strong. In fact, the IMP P.I. asserts that a grown man could stand on the deployed mast and it could hold his weight. Secondly, while the winds on Mars can reach high speeds, because the atmosphere is much thinner than our own, the winds would have to be going very fast indeed to carry the same force of our winds here on Earth.

Can the IMP be damaged by windblown dust?

Of course this is a possibility, however, the IMP will not be landing on Mars during the dust storm season. In the case of a dust storm, the IMP will go into its protected position. When the eyes of the IMP face down, into the base of the mast, the "eyelashes" will protect the camera windows against the blowing dust.

How far will the three-dimensional imaging capabilities extend?

The IMP's range-finding abilities will cease to be useful after around 60 to 80 feet from the Lander.

How long is the IMP expected to "live" on Mars?

No one knows for certain how long the IMP will continue to function on Mars. The "primary mission," that is, the mission that the IMP has been designed to complete will last 30 days. It is fairly reasonable to expect that the IMP will meet this primary mission goal, in which case the IMP will have had time to complete an entire panorama of the landing site using all of the filters. It is also quite possible that the IMP will live beyond the first thirty days -- in fact, it could function several months. In the even that the IMP does live beyond the primary mission, it will be able to continue to take atmospheric data, observe wind and weather patterns, and observe the changes in the area occurring over time. The mission is funded through August of 1998, however, if the Pathfinder lander somehow continues to function beyond this time, it is likely that further funds will be allocated.

Will the IMP image the moons of Mars?

Yes, the IMP will image both Phobos and Deimos. It is hoped that some mineralogical data may be obtained about Phobos by the spectra it reflects, because it is so close to the surface of Mars -- less than 6000 km away. It is also ho