Why does the Mars InSight Lander look wet like a cardboard box that came in contact with water? [on hold]











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NASA has just released a photo showing a part of the InSight Mars lander wet, like a cardboard box that came in contact with water (see the picture). What is that liquid?



enter image description here
The Instrument Deployment Camera (IDC), located on the robotic arm of NASA's InSight lander, took this picture of the Martian surface on Nov. 26, 2018, the same day the spacecraft touched down on the Red Planet. (Source)



Detail:



enter image description here



This is the object that looks like a wet cardboard box.



Regarding the theory of reflections advanced by somebody in a long answer,



I have to mention that the same image shows numerous reflections (see the picture below). None of them looks like a wet cardboard box and besides this I have never seen a similar case, when a reflection created the optical illusion of a wet cardboard box.



enter image description here



Evident reflections.



Using two more pictures posted by NASA, I made a gif that you can see below. It is evident that the theory of reflections, so insistently advanced by a user, is wrong. It can not explain why there is no change in the shape and size of what appears an area of cardboard that came in contact with a liquid. It is evident from the animation, which stretches across Sol 0 and Sol 1 (Day 0 and 1 on Mars, since landing), that there are numerous reflections and shadows that vary from photo to photo while nothing changes regarding the wet area.



enter image description here



Animation made of 3 pictures taken by one of the on board camera of the InSight Mars Lander on November 26 and 27, 2018. (Source)










share|improve this question















put on hold as off-topic by Organic Marble, Jack, Hobbes, James Jenkins, Magic Octopus Urn 16 hours ago



  • This question does not appear to be about space exploration within the scope defined in the help center.

If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.









  • 13




    To be honest, I'd say the 'box thing' looks dusty & dull rather than wet. Besides, I can't figure out how is it looks wet by any means.
    – Boosted Nub
    Nov 27 at 8:58








  • 4




    Dang, we spent all that time faking it and were caught out by not using a higher grade of cardboard.
    – Organic Marble
    2 days ago






  • 6




    I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because based on the user's comment on another question "Honestly, this last mission to Mars, InSight, seems a big failure. The lander looks like it crashed. There are no updates about the fate of InSight in the last 36 hours which is highly suspicious." they do not believe the probe landed at all, and this question is an attempt to confirm a conspiracy theory, or a troll.
    – Organic Marble
    2 days ago






  • 4




    Does anybody seriously doubt that the "wet patch" is simply the reflection of the black panel thing in the centre of the picture? It doesn't look like a wet box at all. It looks like a shiny thing with a black thing next to it.
    – Oscar Bravo
    yesterday






  • 4




    You continued denial of what is entirely evident in the photos that you have provided suggest (to me) that you have some ulterior motive beyond wanting an informative answer to your stated question. Ie. this a rant in disguise and you refuse to keep an open mind because the answer is not one you wanted. I'm voting to close on this basis
    – Jack
    yesterday

















up vote
-2
down vote

favorite












NASA has just released a photo showing a part of the InSight Mars lander wet, like a cardboard box that came in contact with water (see the picture). What is that liquid?



enter image description here
The Instrument Deployment Camera (IDC), located on the robotic arm of NASA's InSight lander, took this picture of the Martian surface on Nov. 26, 2018, the same day the spacecraft touched down on the Red Planet. (Source)



Detail:



enter image description here



This is the object that looks like a wet cardboard box.



Regarding the theory of reflections advanced by somebody in a long answer,



I have to mention that the same image shows numerous reflections (see the picture below). None of them looks like a wet cardboard box and besides this I have never seen a similar case, when a reflection created the optical illusion of a wet cardboard box.



enter image description here



Evident reflections.



Using two more pictures posted by NASA, I made a gif that you can see below. It is evident that the theory of reflections, so insistently advanced by a user, is wrong. It can not explain why there is no change in the shape and size of what appears an area of cardboard that came in contact with a liquid. It is evident from the animation, which stretches across Sol 0 and Sol 1 (Day 0 and 1 on Mars, since landing), that there are numerous reflections and shadows that vary from photo to photo while nothing changes regarding the wet area.



enter image description here



Animation made of 3 pictures taken by one of the on board camera of the InSight Mars Lander on November 26 and 27, 2018. (Source)










share|improve this question















put on hold as off-topic by Organic Marble, Jack, Hobbes, James Jenkins, Magic Octopus Urn 16 hours ago



  • This question does not appear to be about space exploration within the scope defined in the help center.

If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.









  • 13




    To be honest, I'd say the 'box thing' looks dusty & dull rather than wet. Besides, I can't figure out how is it looks wet by any means.
    – Boosted Nub
    Nov 27 at 8:58








  • 4




    Dang, we spent all that time faking it and were caught out by not using a higher grade of cardboard.
    – Organic Marble
    2 days ago






  • 6




    I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because based on the user's comment on another question "Honestly, this last mission to Mars, InSight, seems a big failure. The lander looks like it crashed. There are no updates about the fate of InSight in the last 36 hours which is highly suspicious." they do not believe the probe landed at all, and this question is an attempt to confirm a conspiracy theory, or a troll.
    – Organic Marble
    2 days ago






  • 4




    Does anybody seriously doubt that the "wet patch" is simply the reflection of the black panel thing in the centre of the picture? It doesn't look like a wet box at all. It looks like a shiny thing with a black thing next to it.
    – Oscar Bravo
    yesterday






  • 4




    You continued denial of what is entirely evident in the photos that you have provided suggest (to me) that you have some ulterior motive beyond wanting an informative answer to your stated question. Ie. this a rant in disguise and you refuse to keep an open mind because the answer is not one you wanted. I'm voting to close on this basis
    – Jack
    yesterday















up vote
-2
down vote

favorite









up vote
-2
down vote

favorite











NASA has just released a photo showing a part of the InSight Mars lander wet, like a cardboard box that came in contact with water (see the picture). What is that liquid?



enter image description here
The Instrument Deployment Camera (IDC), located on the robotic arm of NASA's InSight lander, took this picture of the Martian surface on Nov. 26, 2018, the same day the spacecraft touched down on the Red Planet. (Source)



Detail:



enter image description here



This is the object that looks like a wet cardboard box.



Regarding the theory of reflections advanced by somebody in a long answer,



I have to mention that the same image shows numerous reflections (see the picture below). None of them looks like a wet cardboard box and besides this I have never seen a similar case, when a reflection created the optical illusion of a wet cardboard box.



enter image description here



Evident reflections.



Using two more pictures posted by NASA, I made a gif that you can see below. It is evident that the theory of reflections, so insistently advanced by a user, is wrong. It can not explain why there is no change in the shape and size of what appears an area of cardboard that came in contact with a liquid. It is evident from the animation, which stretches across Sol 0 and Sol 1 (Day 0 and 1 on Mars, since landing), that there are numerous reflections and shadows that vary from photo to photo while nothing changes regarding the wet area.



enter image description here



Animation made of 3 pictures taken by one of the on board camera of the InSight Mars Lander on November 26 and 27, 2018. (Source)










share|improve this question















NASA has just released a photo showing a part of the InSight Mars lander wet, like a cardboard box that came in contact with water (see the picture). What is that liquid?



enter image description here
The Instrument Deployment Camera (IDC), located on the robotic arm of NASA's InSight lander, took this picture of the Martian surface on Nov. 26, 2018, the same day the spacecraft touched down on the Red Planet. (Source)



Detail:



enter image description here



This is the object that looks like a wet cardboard box.



Regarding the theory of reflections advanced by somebody in a long answer,



I have to mention that the same image shows numerous reflections (see the picture below). None of them looks like a wet cardboard box and besides this I have never seen a similar case, when a reflection created the optical illusion of a wet cardboard box.



enter image description here



Evident reflections.



Using two more pictures posted by NASA, I made a gif that you can see below. It is evident that the theory of reflections, so insistently advanced by a user, is wrong. It can not explain why there is no change in the shape and size of what appears an area of cardboard that came in contact with a liquid. It is evident from the animation, which stretches across Sol 0 and Sol 1 (Day 0 and 1 on Mars, since landing), that there are numerous reflections and shadows that vary from photo to photo while nothing changes regarding the wet area.



enter image description here



Animation made of 3 pictures taken by one of the on board camera of the InSight Mars Lander on November 26 and 27, 2018. (Source)







mars landing insight






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share|improve this question













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edited yesterday

























asked Nov 27 at 8:35









Robert Werner

22828




22828




put on hold as off-topic by Organic Marble, Jack, Hobbes, James Jenkins, Magic Octopus Urn 16 hours ago



  • This question does not appear to be about space exploration within the scope defined in the help center.

If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.




put on hold as off-topic by Organic Marble, Jack, Hobbes, James Jenkins, Magic Octopus Urn 16 hours ago



  • This question does not appear to be about space exploration within the scope defined in the help center.

If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.








  • 13




    To be honest, I'd say the 'box thing' looks dusty & dull rather than wet. Besides, I can't figure out how is it looks wet by any means.
    – Boosted Nub
    Nov 27 at 8:58








  • 4




    Dang, we spent all that time faking it and were caught out by not using a higher grade of cardboard.
    – Organic Marble
    2 days ago






  • 6




    I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because based on the user's comment on another question "Honestly, this last mission to Mars, InSight, seems a big failure. The lander looks like it crashed. There are no updates about the fate of InSight in the last 36 hours which is highly suspicious." they do not believe the probe landed at all, and this question is an attempt to confirm a conspiracy theory, or a troll.
    – Organic Marble
    2 days ago






  • 4




    Does anybody seriously doubt that the "wet patch" is simply the reflection of the black panel thing in the centre of the picture? It doesn't look like a wet box at all. It looks like a shiny thing with a black thing next to it.
    – Oscar Bravo
    yesterday






  • 4




    You continued denial of what is entirely evident in the photos that you have provided suggest (to me) that you have some ulterior motive beyond wanting an informative answer to your stated question. Ie. this a rant in disguise and you refuse to keep an open mind because the answer is not one you wanted. I'm voting to close on this basis
    – Jack
    yesterday
















  • 13




    To be honest, I'd say the 'box thing' looks dusty & dull rather than wet. Besides, I can't figure out how is it looks wet by any means.
    – Boosted Nub
    Nov 27 at 8:58








  • 4




    Dang, we spent all that time faking it and were caught out by not using a higher grade of cardboard.
    – Organic Marble
    2 days ago






  • 6




    I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because based on the user's comment on another question "Honestly, this last mission to Mars, InSight, seems a big failure. The lander looks like it crashed. There are no updates about the fate of InSight in the last 36 hours which is highly suspicious." they do not believe the probe landed at all, and this question is an attempt to confirm a conspiracy theory, or a troll.
    – Organic Marble
    2 days ago






  • 4




    Does anybody seriously doubt that the "wet patch" is simply the reflection of the black panel thing in the centre of the picture? It doesn't look like a wet box at all. It looks like a shiny thing with a black thing next to it.
    – Oscar Bravo
    yesterday






  • 4




    You continued denial of what is entirely evident in the photos that you have provided suggest (to me) that you have some ulterior motive beyond wanting an informative answer to your stated question. Ie. this a rant in disguise and you refuse to keep an open mind because the answer is not one you wanted. I'm voting to close on this basis
    – Jack
    yesterday










13




13




To be honest, I'd say the 'box thing' looks dusty & dull rather than wet. Besides, I can't figure out how is it looks wet by any means.
– Boosted Nub
Nov 27 at 8:58






To be honest, I'd say the 'box thing' looks dusty & dull rather than wet. Besides, I can't figure out how is it looks wet by any means.
– Boosted Nub
Nov 27 at 8:58






4




4




Dang, we spent all that time faking it and were caught out by not using a higher grade of cardboard.
– Organic Marble
2 days ago




Dang, we spent all that time faking it and were caught out by not using a higher grade of cardboard.
– Organic Marble
2 days ago




6




6




I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because based on the user's comment on another question "Honestly, this last mission to Mars, InSight, seems a big failure. The lander looks like it crashed. There are no updates about the fate of InSight in the last 36 hours which is highly suspicious." they do not believe the probe landed at all, and this question is an attempt to confirm a conspiracy theory, or a troll.
– Organic Marble
2 days ago




I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because based on the user's comment on another question "Honestly, this last mission to Mars, InSight, seems a big failure. The lander looks like it crashed. There are no updates about the fate of InSight in the last 36 hours which is highly suspicious." they do not believe the probe landed at all, and this question is an attempt to confirm a conspiracy theory, or a troll.
– Organic Marble
2 days ago




4




4




Does anybody seriously doubt that the "wet patch" is simply the reflection of the black panel thing in the centre of the picture? It doesn't look like a wet box at all. It looks like a shiny thing with a black thing next to it.
– Oscar Bravo
yesterday




Does anybody seriously doubt that the "wet patch" is simply the reflection of the black panel thing in the centre of the picture? It doesn't look like a wet box at all. It looks like a shiny thing with a black thing next to it.
– Oscar Bravo
yesterday




4




4




You continued denial of what is entirely evident in the photos that you have provided suggest (to me) that you have some ulterior motive beyond wanting an informative answer to your stated question. Ie. this a rant in disguise and you refuse to keep an open mind because the answer is not one you wanted. I'm voting to close on this basis
– Jack
yesterday






You continued denial of what is entirely evident in the photos that you have provided suggest (to me) that you have some ulterior motive beyond wanting an informative answer to your stated question. Ie. this a rant in disguise and you refuse to keep an open mind because the answer is not one you wanted. I'm voting to close on this basis
– Jack
yesterday












3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes

















up vote
25
down vote













tl;dr: The wet appearance of the soft-sided hexagonal box-like structure is an artifact of reflection and interpretation. The object itself is a cover over the vacuum vessel of the seismometer Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS).



It is called an RWEB or "Remote Warm Enclosure Box (RWEB) consisting of two Mylar sheets with a two-centimeter gap that will fill with Martian atmospheric gas (mainly CO2) which will be mostly motionless and provide an additional thermal insulation layer due to the low thermal conductivity of carbon dioxide." See below.



About the wet appearance:




  1. A dark but transparent Kapton layer has been applied on top of the shiny cover, giving it a wet varnish look.

  2. Wet surfaces have high reflectivity at glancing angles due to strong Fresnel reflection at those angles for low index of refraction materials. The photo in the question is viewing at a high incident angle.

  3. It's possible younger viewers haven't varnished anything and so are unfamiliar with what wet varnish looks like. Wet varnish has that "Kapton on Mars" look. ;-) The point being that while it may not look wet to some, to others, it does.


See comments below the question for context.



From Scientific American's NASA’s Next Mars Lander Zooms toward Laun




Close-up view of the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS), a seismometer provided by France’s Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES). Getting this delicate, precision instrument on track for flight caused InSight’s launch to be delayed from 2016 to next year. Credit: Barbara David




enter image description here



You can see in the pictures below that behind the seismometer there is a white dome. After the seismometer is placed on the surface of Mars, the robotic arm will pick this dome up and put it over the seismometer. An accordion-like ring will drop down from the dome so that it is tall enough to cover and protect the seismometer from direct exposure to wind and dust and some of the heating/cooling from day/night cycle.



below: The page https://www.seis-insight.eu/en/public-2/seis-instrument/rweb shows several more paper-like views:



enter image description here



below: From Spaceflight 101's InSight Instrument Overview "Wind & Thermal Shield – Image: CNES/InSight Project"



enter image description here




The LVL Sensor Package itself is further protected by a Remote Warm Enclosure Box (RWEB) consisting of two Mylar sheets with a two-centimeter gap that will fill with Martian atmospheric gas (mainly CO2) which will be mostly motionless and provide an additional thermal insulation layer due to the low thermal conductivity of carbon dioxide. Internally, the RWEB is also coated with VDA while the external face uses Kapton to prevent overheating during the deployment phase.



The vacuum sphere is a third layer of thermal protection for the VBB sensors and titanium washers provide isolation of the sensors from thermal variations on the sphere itself.




below x2: Click for full size! From Spaceflight 101's Photos: InSight Mars Lander Undergoes Assembly & Testing



InSight lander under testing



Before the application of the Kapton?:



enter image description here



InSight lander under testing






share|improve this answer



















  • 4




    @RobertWerner there is no reason to expect two photographs, taken with very different cameras on very different planets with very different lighting to look the same.
    – uhoh
    Nov 27 at 11:21






  • 3




    Younger viewers have worked with varnish! I'm only 41!
    – dotancohen
    Nov 27 at 12:59






  • 3




    @RobertWerner Your denials are confusing. You have no prior example of the kapton-covered RWEB covered in dust in Martian lighting. The item you point out is undeniably the RWEB, which is undeniably coated in Kapton as described. At this point, what are you looking for?
    – Saiboogu
    Nov 27 at 19:10






  • 2




    @uhoh regardless of the apparent problems in the question, thank you for compiling all these images and informations - they'll make for a great reference when the instrument deployment starts!
    – Jack
    yesterday






  • 3




    The dark patch hasn't moved, @RobertWerner, because it is a reflection of the environment. The specular highlights and shadows have moved because the Sun has moved. If it were a wet patch, the moisture would have spread through the card, and would not have been able to hold those sharp corners for 23 hours.
    – JCRM
    yesterday




















up vote
4
down vote













Your "wet cardboard" theory is nonsense. Wet cardboard is not glossy or reflective, unlike the object shown in the photos.



This is a cropped version of your first image. No liquid in the world can make that kind of pattern. That means it is a reflection after all, and the larger panel on the right also shows a reflection.



enter image description here



As uhoh already showed in his answer, the object we're looking at is covered in kapton. Kapton is a glossy plastic film which is eminently capable of reflecting light.



Kapton roll



And some more rolls of Kapton, with recognizable reflections:



More kapton






share|improve this answer





















  • These some more rolls of Kapton seems to be copper clad kapton, the copper is causing the reflections. The single roll above is kapton without copper. Copper clad kapton is used for making flexible printed circuits like the cable to the mole sensor of the insight lander.
    – Uwe
    yesterday










  • The theory of reflections is no longer credible, no matter how many answers you write and how insistent you are in trying to convince the people you are right. It is evident for me that you no longer believe in your own explanations. It is quite clear that none of your pictures with that Kepton looks like a wet surface.
    – Robert Werner
    yesterday








  • 2




    OP is a frequent moon hoaxer, (1, 2) and the comments are meant to provoke. Responding to them is not worth the cost in ascii.
    – uhoh
    yesterday






  • 1




    @RobertWerner None of the pictures of Kapton look much like a wet surface and neither does the image of InSight in the question. Your visual interpretation of the image is flawed - look at it again with an open mind to the help the answers are trying to give you and I believe it will jump out at you and become obvious, as with many optical illusions. Alternatively you can wait until the instrument deployment begins and the camera moves, but I've got a funny feeling you will still deny it.
    – Jack
    yesterday










  • the Kapton in the pictures doesn't have a layer of fine dust, which @RobertWerner seems to be interpreting as fibres in wet card. As such, showing how glossy and capable of environmental reflections it is, is tangential to the interpretation of the image he is proposing...
    – JCRM
    yesterday




















up vote
3
down vote













Further to @uhoh's "The wet appearance of the soft-sided hexagonal box-like structure is an artifact of reflection and interpretation." and @hobbes' "Wet cardboard is not glossy or reflective, unlike the object shown in the photos."



In this animation of the first and third image, taken roughly a day apart, the arm has been moved. I've circled (in blue) the reflection of the claw in the dusty Kapton covered box.



The Claw! It Moves!!



Here's a rough idea of the layout of the area in question cgi



layout of the stowed lander deck



identifying reflections



the sky blue line shows what I believe to be the horizon, the green line the shaped plate on the manipulator arm, and red the arm itself.



Just what is reflected in the left panel is harder to determine, without knowing the geometry - if it's showing to the right of the camera, the deep blue is TWINS, and the yellow more arm or part of RISE. If it shows to the left, then deep blue is HP$^3$, yellow may be the SEIS wind shield.






share|improve this answer























  • And what about the rest of the wet area you say it is a big reflection. I do not see changes, except that small reflection inside the blue circle.
    – Robert Werner
    yesterday










  • Of course there's very little variation, not much in the scene is changing - in your own animation, in the panel to le left of the one shown above I can see what I interpret as the light changing on a solar array. Again in your animation, the change of light on the right of the two visible arm segments is seen just up and left of where the blue circle is in my animation.
    – JCRM
    yesterday






  • 1




    @RobertWerner you concede that there is a small reflection in the lower left, so what are you now suggesting? That the reflective material... transitions smoothly into wet cardboard? I suggest you look up No True Scotsman and Moving The Goalposts
    – Jack
    yesterday










  • Reflections are visible inside the wet area even in the pictures and mainly the animation posted by me. However, as long as the borders of the wet area do not change in time it is evident the wet zone is neither a reflection nor a shadow.
    – Robert Werner
    21 hours ago










  • If they were wet area on card, they would change, as the water water spreads through the card. It not changing is proof it is not a wet patch @RobertWerner. The horizon will not change, so the reflection of the horizon will not change. the plate on the arm will not change until the arm moves (at which point the camera will no longer be in the right place to take a picture for comparison.) so them not moving is proof they are reflections.
    – JCRM
    21 hours ago




















3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes








3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes








up vote
25
down vote













tl;dr: The wet appearance of the soft-sided hexagonal box-like structure is an artifact of reflection and interpretation. The object itself is a cover over the vacuum vessel of the seismometer Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS).



It is called an RWEB or "Remote Warm Enclosure Box (RWEB) consisting of two Mylar sheets with a two-centimeter gap that will fill with Martian atmospheric gas (mainly CO2) which will be mostly motionless and provide an additional thermal insulation layer due to the low thermal conductivity of carbon dioxide." See below.



About the wet appearance:




  1. A dark but transparent Kapton layer has been applied on top of the shiny cover, giving it a wet varnish look.

  2. Wet surfaces have high reflectivity at glancing angles due to strong Fresnel reflection at those angles for low index of refraction materials. The photo in the question is viewing at a high incident angle.

  3. It's possible younger viewers haven't varnished anything and so are unfamiliar with what wet varnish looks like. Wet varnish has that "Kapton on Mars" look. ;-) The point being that while it may not look wet to some, to others, it does.


See comments below the question for context.



From Scientific American's NASA’s Next Mars Lander Zooms toward Laun




Close-up view of the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS), a seismometer provided by France’s Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES). Getting this delicate, precision instrument on track for flight caused InSight’s launch to be delayed from 2016 to next year. Credit: Barbara David




enter image description here



You can see in the pictures below that behind the seismometer there is a white dome. After the seismometer is placed on the surface of Mars, the robotic arm will pick this dome up and put it over the seismometer. An accordion-like ring will drop down from the dome so that it is tall enough to cover and protect the seismometer from direct exposure to wind and dust and some of the heating/cooling from day/night cycle.



below: The page https://www.seis-insight.eu/en/public-2/seis-instrument/rweb shows several more paper-like views:



enter image description here



below: From Spaceflight 101's InSight Instrument Overview "Wind & Thermal Shield – Image: CNES/InSight Project"



enter image description here




The LVL Sensor Package itself is further protected by a Remote Warm Enclosure Box (RWEB) consisting of two Mylar sheets with a two-centimeter gap that will fill with Martian atmospheric gas (mainly CO2) which will be mostly motionless and provide an additional thermal insulation layer due to the low thermal conductivity of carbon dioxide. Internally, the RWEB is also coated with VDA while the external face uses Kapton to prevent overheating during the deployment phase.



The vacuum sphere is a third layer of thermal protection for the VBB sensors and titanium washers provide isolation of the sensors from thermal variations on the sphere itself.




below x2: Click for full size! From Spaceflight 101's Photos: InSight Mars Lander Undergoes Assembly & Testing



InSight lander under testing



Before the application of the Kapton?:



enter image description here



InSight lander under testing






share|improve this answer



















  • 4




    @RobertWerner there is no reason to expect two photographs, taken with very different cameras on very different planets with very different lighting to look the same.
    – uhoh
    Nov 27 at 11:21






  • 3




    Younger viewers have worked with varnish! I'm only 41!
    – dotancohen
    Nov 27 at 12:59






  • 3




    @RobertWerner Your denials are confusing. You have no prior example of the kapton-covered RWEB covered in dust in Martian lighting. The item you point out is undeniably the RWEB, which is undeniably coated in Kapton as described. At this point, what are you looking for?
    – Saiboogu
    Nov 27 at 19:10






  • 2




    @uhoh regardless of the apparent problems in the question, thank you for compiling all these images and informations - they'll make for a great reference when the instrument deployment starts!
    – Jack
    yesterday






  • 3




    The dark patch hasn't moved, @RobertWerner, because it is a reflection of the environment. The specular highlights and shadows have moved because the Sun has moved. If it were a wet patch, the moisture would have spread through the card, and would not have been able to hold those sharp corners for 23 hours.
    – JCRM
    yesterday

















up vote
25
down vote













tl;dr: The wet appearance of the soft-sided hexagonal box-like structure is an artifact of reflection and interpretation. The object itself is a cover over the vacuum vessel of the seismometer Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS).



It is called an RWEB or "Remote Warm Enclosure Box (RWEB) consisting of two Mylar sheets with a two-centimeter gap that will fill with Martian atmospheric gas (mainly CO2) which will be mostly motionless and provide an additional thermal insulation layer due to the low thermal conductivity of carbon dioxide." See below.



About the wet appearance:




  1. A dark but transparent Kapton layer has been applied on top of the shiny cover, giving it a wet varnish look.

  2. Wet surfaces have high reflectivity at glancing angles due to strong Fresnel reflection at those angles for low index of refraction materials. The photo in the question is viewing at a high incident angle.

  3. It's possible younger viewers haven't varnished anything and so are unfamiliar with what wet varnish looks like. Wet varnish has that "Kapton on Mars" look. ;-) The point being that while it may not look wet to some, to others, it does.


See comments below the question for context.



From Scientific American's NASA’s Next Mars Lander Zooms toward Laun




Close-up view of the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS), a seismometer provided by France’s Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES). Getting this delicate, precision instrument on track for flight caused InSight’s launch to be delayed from 2016 to next year. Credit: Barbara David




enter image description here



You can see in the pictures below that behind the seismometer there is a white dome. After the seismometer is placed on the surface of Mars, the robotic arm will pick this dome up and put it over the seismometer. An accordion-like ring will drop down from the dome so that it is tall enough to cover and protect the seismometer from direct exposure to wind and dust and some of the heating/cooling from day/night cycle.



below: The page https://www.seis-insight.eu/en/public-2/seis-instrument/rweb shows several more paper-like views:



enter image description here



below: From Spaceflight 101's InSight Instrument Overview "Wind & Thermal Shield – Image: CNES/InSight Project"



enter image description here




The LVL Sensor Package itself is further protected by a Remote Warm Enclosure Box (RWEB) consisting of two Mylar sheets with a two-centimeter gap that will fill with Martian atmospheric gas (mainly CO2) which will be mostly motionless and provide an additional thermal insulation layer due to the low thermal conductivity of carbon dioxide. Internally, the RWEB is also coated with VDA while the external face uses Kapton to prevent overheating during the deployment phase.



The vacuum sphere is a third layer of thermal protection for the VBB sensors and titanium washers provide isolation of the sensors from thermal variations on the sphere itself.




below x2: Click for full size! From Spaceflight 101's Photos: InSight Mars Lander Undergoes Assembly & Testing



InSight lander under testing



Before the application of the Kapton?:



enter image description here



InSight lander under testing






share|improve this answer



















  • 4




    @RobertWerner there is no reason to expect two photographs, taken with very different cameras on very different planets with very different lighting to look the same.
    – uhoh
    Nov 27 at 11:21






  • 3




    Younger viewers have worked with varnish! I'm only 41!
    – dotancohen
    Nov 27 at 12:59






  • 3




    @RobertWerner Your denials are confusing. You have no prior example of the kapton-covered RWEB covered in dust in Martian lighting. The item you point out is undeniably the RWEB, which is undeniably coated in Kapton as described. At this point, what are you looking for?
    – Saiboogu
    Nov 27 at 19:10






  • 2




    @uhoh regardless of the apparent problems in the question, thank you for compiling all these images and informations - they'll make for a great reference when the instrument deployment starts!
    – Jack
    yesterday






  • 3




    The dark patch hasn't moved, @RobertWerner, because it is a reflection of the environment. The specular highlights and shadows have moved because the Sun has moved. If it were a wet patch, the moisture would have spread through the card, and would not have been able to hold those sharp corners for 23 hours.
    – JCRM
    yesterday















up vote
25
down vote










up vote
25
down vote









tl;dr: The wet appearance of the soft-sided hexagonal box-like structure is an artifact of reflection and interpretation. The object itself is a cover over the vacuum vessel of the seismometer Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS).



It is called an RWEB or "Remote Warm Enclosure Box (RWEB) consisting of two Mylar sheets with a two-centimeter gap that will fill with Martian atmospheric gas (mainly CO2) which will be mostly motionless and provide an additional thermal insulation layer due to the low thermal conductivity of carbon dioxide." See below.



About the wet appearance:




  1. A dark but transparent Kapton layer has been applied on top of the shiny cover, giving it a wet varnish look.

  2. Wet surfaces have high reflectivity at glancing angles due to strong Fresnel reflection at those angles for low index of refraction materials. The photo in the question is viewing at a high incident angle.

  3. It's possible younger viewers haven't varnished anything and so are unfamiliar with what wet varnish looks like. Wet varnish has that "Kapton on Mars" look. ;-) The point being that while it may not look wet to some, to others, it does.


See comments below the question for context.



From Scientific American's NASA’s Next Mars Lander Zooms toward Laun




Close-up view of the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS), a seismometer provided by France’s Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES). Getting this delicate, precision instrument on track for flight caused InSight’s launch to be delayed from 2016 to next year. Credit: Barbara David




enter image description here



You can see in the pictures below that behind the seismometer there is a white dome. After the seismometer is placed on the surface of Mars, the robotic arm will pick this dome up and put it over the seismometer. An accordion-like ring will drop down from the dome so that it is tall enough to cover and protect the seismometer from direct exposure to wind and dust and some of the heating/cooling from day/night cycle.



below: The page https://www.seis-insight.eu/en/public-2/seis-instrument/rweb shows several more paper-like views:



enter image description here



below: From Spaceflight 101's InSight Instrument Overview "Wind & Thermal Shield – Image: CNES/InSight Project"



enter image description here




The LVL Sensor Package itself is further protected by a Remote Warm Enclosure Box (RWEB) consisting of two Mylar sheets with a two-centimeter gap that will fill with Martian atmospheric gas (mainly CO2) which will be mostly motionless and provide an additional thermal insulation layer due to the low thermal conductivity of carbon dioxide. Internally, the RWEB is also coated with VDA while the external face uses Kapton to prevent overheating during the deployment phase.



The vacuum sphere is a third layer of thermal protection for the VBB sensors and titanium washers provide isolation of the sensors from thermal variations on the sphere itself.




below x2: Click for full size! From Spaceflight 101's Photos: InSight Mars Lander Undergoes Assembly & Testing



InSight lander under testing



Before the application of the Kapton?:



enter image description here



InSight lander under testing






share|improve this answer














tl;dr: The wet appearance of the soft-sided hexagonal box-like structure is an artifact of reflection and interpretation. The object itself is a cover over the vacuum vessel of the seismometer Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS).



It is called an RWEB or "Remote Warm Enclosure Box (RWEB) consisting of two Mylar sheets with a two-centimeter gap that will fill with Martian atmospheric gas (mainly CO2) which will be mostly motionless and provide an additional thermal insulation layer due to the low thermal conductivity of carbon dioxide." See below.



About the wet appearance:




  1. A dark but transparent Kapton layer has been applied on top of the shiny cover, giving it a wet varnish look.

  2. Wet surfaces have high reflectivity at glancing angles due to strong Fresnel reflection at those angles for low index of refraction materials. The photo in the question is viewing at a high incident angle.

  3. It's possible younger viewers haven't varnished anything and so are unfamiliar with what wet varnish looks like. Wet varnish has that "Kapton on Mars" look. ;-) The point being that while it may not look wet to some, to others, it does.


See comments below the question for context.



From Scientific American's NASA’s Next Mars Lander Zooms toward Laun




Close-up view of the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS), a seismometer provided by France’s Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES). Getting this delicate, precision instrument on track for flight caused InSight’s launch to be delayed from 2016 to next year. Credit: Barbara David




enter image description here



You can see in the pictures below that behind the seismometer there is a white dome. After the seismometer is placed on the surface of Mars, the robotic arm will pick this dome up and put it over the seismometer. An accordion-like ring will drop down from the dome so that it is tall enough to cover and protect the seismometer from direct exposure to wind and dust and some of the heating/cooling from day/night cycle.



below: The page https://www.seis-insight.eu/en/public-2/seis-instrument/rweb shows several more paper-like views:



enter image description here



below: From Spaceflight 101's InSight Instrument Overview "Wind & Thermal Shield – Image: CNES/InSight Project"



enter image description here




The LVL Sensor Package itself is further protected by a Remote Warm Enclosure Box (RWEB) consisting of two Mylar sheets with a two-centimeter gap that will fill with Martian atmospheric gas (mainly CO2) which will be mostly motionless and provide an additional thermal insulation layer due to the low thermal conductivity of carbon dioxide. Internally, the RWEB is also coated with VDA while the external face uses Kapton to prevent overheating during the deployment phase.



The vacuum sphere is a third layer of thermal protection for the VBB sensors and titanium washers provide isolation of the sensors from thermal variations on the sphere itself.




below x2: Click for full size! From Spaceflight 101's Photos: InSight Mars Lander Undergoes Assembly & Testing



InSight lander under testing



Before the application of the Kapton?:



enter image description here



InSight lander under testing







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited Nov 27 at 12:24

























answered Nov 27 at 9:10









uhoh

33.3k16114407




33.3k16114407








  • 4




    @RobertWerner there is no reason to expect two photographs, taken with very different cameras on very different planets with very different lighting to look the same.
    – uhoh
    Nov 27 at 11:21






  • 3




    Younger viewers have worked with varnish! I'm only 41!
    – dotancohen
    Nov 27 at 12:59






  • 3




    @RobertWerner Your denials are confusing. You have no prior example of the kapton-covered RWEB covered in dust in Martian lighting. The item you point out is undeniably the RWEB, which is undeniably coated in Kapton as described. At this point, what are you looking for?
    – Saiboogu
    Nov 27 at 19:10






  • 2




    @uhoh regardless of the apparent problems in the question, thank you for compiling all these images and informations - they'll make for a great reference when the instrument deployment starts!
    – Jack
    yesterday






  • 3




    The dark patch hasn't moved, @RobertWerner, because it is a reflection of the environment. The specular highlights and shadows have moved because the Sun has moved. If it were a wet patch, the moisture would have spread through the card, and would not have been able to hold those sharp corners for 23 hours.
    – JCRM
    yesterday
















  • 4




    @RobertWerner there is no reason to expect two photographs, taken with very different cameras on very different planets with very different lighting to look the same.
    – uhoh
    Nov 27 at 11:21






  • 3




    Younger viewers have worked with varnish! I'm only 41!
    – dotancohen
    Nov 27 at 12:59






  • 3




    @RobertWerner Your denials are confusing. You have no prior example of the kapton-covered RWEB covered in dust in Martian lighting. The item you point out is undeniably the RWEB, which is undeniably coated in Kapton as described. At this point, what are you looking for?
    – Saiboogu
    Nov 27 at 19:10






  • 2




    @uhoh regardless of the apparent problems in the question, thank you for compiling all these images and informations - they'll make for a great reference when the instrument deployment starts!
    – Jack
    yesterday






  • 3




    The dark patch hasn't moved, @RobertWerner, because it is a reflection of the environment. The specular highlights and shadows have moved because the Sun has moved. If it were a wet patch, the moisture would have spread through the card, and would not have been able to hold those sharp corners for 23 hours.
    – JCRM
    yesterday










4




4




@RobertWerner there is no reason to expect two photographs, taken with very different cameras on very different planets with very different lighting to look the same.
– uhoh
Nov 27 at 11:21




@RobertWerner there is no reason to expect two photographs, taken with very different cameras on very different planets with very different lighting to look the same.
– uhoh
Nov 27 at 11:21




3




3




Younger viewers have worked with varnish! I'm only 41!
– dotancohen
Nov 27 at 12:59




Younger viewers have worked with varnish! I'm only 41!
– dotancohen
Nov 27 at 12:59




3




3




@RobertWerner Your denials are confusing. You have no prior example of the kapton-covered RWEB covered in dust in Martian lighting. The item you point out is undeniably the RWEB, which is undeniably coated in Kapton as described. At this point, what are you looking for?
– Saiboogu
Nov 27 at 19:10




@RobertWerner Your denials are confusing. You have no prior example of the kapton-covered RWEB covered in dust in Martian lighting. The item you point out is undeniably the RWEB, which is undeniably coated in Kapton as described. At this point, what are you looking for?
– Saiboogu
Nov 27 at 19:10




2




2




@uhoh regardless of the apparent problems in the question, thank you for compiling all these images and informations - they'll make for a great reference when the instrument deployment starts!
– Jack
yesterday




@uhoh regardless of the apparent problems in the question, thank you for compiling all these images and informations - they'll make for a great reference when the instrument deployment starts!
– Jack
yesterday




3




3




The dark patch hasn't moved, @RobertWerner, because it is a reflection of the environment. The specular highlights and shadows have moved because the Sun has moved. If it were a wet patch, the moisture would have spread through the card, and would not have been able to hold those sharp corners for 23 hours.
– JCRM
yesterday






The dark patch hasn't moved, @RobertWerner, because it is a reflection of the environment. The specular highlights and shadows have moved because the Sun has moved. If it were a wet patch, the moisture would have spread through the card, and would not have been able to hold those sharp corners for 23 hours.
– JCRM
yesterday












up vote
4
down vote













Your "wet cardboard" theory is nonsense. Wet cardboard is not glossy or reflective, unlike the object shown in the photos.



This is a cropped version of your first image. No liquid in the world can make that kind of pattern. That means it is a reflection after all, and the larger panel on the right also shows a reflection.



enter image description here



As uhoh already showed in his answer, the object we're looking at is covered in kapton. Kapton is a glossy plastic film which is eminently capable of reflecting light.



Kapton roll



And some more rolls of Kapton, with recognizable reflections:



More kapton






share|improve this answer





















  • These some more rolls of Kapton seems to be copper clad kapton, the copper is causing the reflections. The single roll above is kapton without copper. Copper clad kapton is used for making flexible printed circuits like the cable to the mole sensor of the insight lander.
    – Uwe
    yesterday










  • The theory of reflections is no longer credible, no matter how many answers you write and how insistent you are in trying to convince the people you are right. It is evident for me that you no longer believe in your own explanations. It is quite clear that none of your pictures with that Kepton looks like a wet surface.
    – Robert Werner
    yesterday








  • 2




    OP is a frequent moon hoaxer, (1, 2) and the comments are meant to provoke. Responding to them is not worth the cost in ascii.
    – uhoh
    yesterday






  • 1




    @RobertWerner None of the pictures of Kapton look much like a wet surface and neither does the image of InSight in the question. Your visual interpretation of the image is flawed - look at it again with an open mind to the help the answers are trying to give you and I believe it will jump out at you and become obvious, as with many optical illusions. Alternatively you can wait until the instrument deployment begins and the camera moves, but I've got a funny feeling you will still deny it.
    – Jack
    yesterday










  • the Kapton in the pictures doesn't have a layer of fine dust, which @RobertWerner seems to be interpreting as fibres in wet card. As such, showing how glossy and capable of environmental reflections it is, is tangential to the interpretation of the image he is proposing...
    – JCRM
    yesterday

















up vote
4
down vote













Your "wet cardboard" theory is nonsense. Wet cardboard is not glossy or reflective, unlike the object shown in the photos.



This is a cropped version of your first image. No liquid in the world can make that kind of pattern. That means it is a reflection after all, and the larger panel on the right also shows a reflection.



enter image description here



As uhoh already showed in his answer, the object we're looking at is covered in kapton. Kapton is a glossy plastic film which is eminently capable of reflecting light.



Kapton roll



And some more rolls of Kapton, with recognizable reflections:



More kapton






share|improve this answer





















  • These some more rolls of Kapton seems to be copper clad kapton, the copper is causing the reflections. The single roll above is kapton without copper. Copper clad kapton is used for making flexible printed circuits like the cable to the mole sensor of the insight lander.
    – Uwe
    yesterday










  • The theory of reflections is no longer credible, no matter how many answers you write and how insistent you are in trying to convince the people you are right. It is evident for me that you no longer believe in your own explanations. It is quite clear that none of your pictures with that Kepton looks like a wet surface.
    – Robert Werner
    yesterday








  • 2




    OP is a frequent moon hoaxer, (1, 2) and the comments are meant to provoke. Responding to them is not worth the cost in ascii.
    – uhoh
    yesterday






  • 1




    @RobertWerner None of the pictures of Kapton look much like a wet surface and neither does the image of InSight in the question. Your visual interpretation of the image is flawed - look at it again with an open mind to the help the answers are trying to give you and I believe it will jump out at you and become obvious, as with many optical illusions. Alternatively you can wait until the instrument deployment begins and the camera moves, but I've got a funny feeling you will still deny it.
    – Jack
    yesterday










  • the Kapton in the pictures doesn't have a layer of fine dust, which @RobertWerner seems to be interpreting as fibres in wet card. As such, showing how glossy and capable of environmental reflections it is, is tangential to the interpretation of the image he is proposing...
    – JCRM
    yesterday















up vote
4
down vote










up vote
4
down vote









Your "wet cardboard" theory is nonsense. Wet cardboard is not glossy or reflective, unlike the object shown in the photos.



This is a cropped version of your first image. No liquid in the world can make that kind of pattern. That means it is a reflection after all, and the larger panel on the right also shows a reflection.



enter image description here



As uhoh already showed in his answer, the object we're looking at is covered in kapton. Kapton is a glossy plastic film which is eminently capable of reflecting light.



Kapton roll



And some more rolls of Kapton, with recognizable reflections:



More kapton






share|improve this answer












Your "wet cardboard" theory is nonsense. Wet cardboard is not glossy or reflective, unlike the object shown in the photos.



This is a cropped version of your first image. No liquid in the world can make that kind of pattern. That means it is a reflection after all, and the larger panel on the right also shows a reflection.



enter image description here



As uhoh already showed in his answer, the object we're looking at is covered in kapton. Kapton is a glossy plastic film which is eminently capable of reflecting light.



Kapton roll



And some more rolls of Kapton, with recognizable reflections:



More kapton







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered yesterday









Hobbes

83.3k2231373




83.3k2231373












  • These some more rolls of Kapton seems to be copper clad kapton, the copper is causing the reflections. The single roll above is kapton without copper. Copper clad kapton is used for making flexible printed circuits like the cable to the mole sensor of the insight lander.
    – Uwe
    yesterday










  • The theory of reflections is no longer credible, no matter how many answers you write and how insistent you are in trying to convince the people you are right. It is evident for me that you no longer believe in your own explanations. It is quite clear that none of your pictures with that Kepton looks like a wet surface.
    – Robert Werner
    yesterday








  • 2




    OP is a frequent moon hoaxer, (1, 2) and the comments are meant to provoke. Responding to them is not worth the cost in ascii.
    – uhoh
    yesterday






  • 1




    @RobertWerner None of the pictures of Kapton look much like a wet surface and neither does the image of InSight in the question. Your visual interpretation of the image is flawed - look at it again with an open mind to the help the answers are trying to give you and I believe it will jump out at you and become obvious, as with many optical illusions. Alternatively you can wait until the instrument deployment begins and the camera moves, but I've got a funny feeling you will still deny it.
    – Jack
    yesterday










  • the Kapton in the pictures doesn't have a layer of fine dust, which @RobertWerner seems to be interpreting as fibres in wet card. As such, showing how glossy and capable of environmental reflections it is, is tangential to the interpretation of the image he is proposing...
    – JCRM
    yesterday




















  • These some more rolls of Kapton seems to be copper clad kapton, the copper is causing the reflections. The single roll above is kapton without copper. Copper clad kapton is used for making flexible printed circuits like the cable to the mole sensor of the insight lander.
    – Uwe
    yesterday










  • The theory of reflections is no longer credible, no matter how many answers you write and how insistent you are in trying to convince the people you are right. It is evident for me that you no longer believe in your own explanations. It is quite clear that none of your pictures with that Kepton looks like a wet surface.
    – Robert Werner
    yesterday








  • 2




    OP is a frequent moon hoaxer, (1, 2) and the comments are meant to provoke. Responding to them is not worth the cost in ascii.
    – uhoh
    yesterday






  • 1




    @RobertWerner None of the pictures of Kapton look much like a wet surface and neither does the image of InSight in the question. Your visual interpretation of the image is flawed - look at it again with an open mind to the help the answers are trying to give you and I believe it will jump out at you and become obvious, as with many optical illusions. Alternatively you can wait until the instrument deployment begins and the camera moves, but I've got a funny feeling you will still deny it.
    – Jack
    yesterday










  • the Kapton in the pictures doesn't have a layer of fine dust, which @RobertWerner seems to be interpreting as fibres in wet card. As such, showing how glossy and capable of environmental reflections it is, is tangential to the interpretation of the image he is proposing...
    – JCRM
    yesterday


















These some more rolls of Kapton seems to be copper clad kapton, the copper is causing the reflections. The single roll above is kapton without copper. Copper clad kapton is used for making flexible printed circuits like the cable to the mole sensor of the insight lander.
– Uwe
yesterday




These some more rolls of Kapton seems to be copper clad kapton, the copper is causing the reflections. The single roll above is kapton without copper. Copper clad kapton is used for making flexible printed circuits like the cable to the mole sensor of the insight lander.
– Uwe
yesterday












The theory of reflections is no longer credible, no matter how many answers you write and how insistent you are in trying to convince the people you are right. It is evident for me that you no longer believe in your own explanations. It is quite clear that none of your pictures with that Kepton looks like a wet surface.
– Robert Werner
yesterday






The theory of reflections is no longer credible, no matter how many answers you write and how insistent you are in trying to convince the people you are right. It is evident for me that you no longer believe in your own explanations. It is quite clear that none of your pictures with that Kepton looks like a wet surface.
– Robert Werner
yesterday






2




2




OP is a frequent moon hoaxer, (1, 2) and the comments are meant to provoke. Responding to them is not worth the cost in ascii.
– uhoh
yesterday




OP is a frequent moon hoaxer, (1, 2) and the comments are meant to provoke. Responding to them is not worth the cost in ascii.
– uhoh
yesterday




1




1




@RobertWerner None of the pictures of Kapton look much like a wet surface and neither does the image of InSight in the question. Your visual interpretation of the image is flawed - look at it again with an open mind to the help the answers are trying to give you and I believe it will jump out at you and become obvious, as with many optical illusions. Alternatively you can wait until the instrument deployment begins and the camera moves, but I've got a funny feeling you will still deny it.
– Jack
yesterday




@RobertWerner None of the pictures of Kapton look much like a wet surface and neither does the image of InSight in the question. Your visual interpretation of the image is flawed - look at it again with an open mind to the help the answers are trying to give you and I believe it will jump out at you and become obvious, as with many optical illusions. Alternatively you can wait until the instrument deployment begins and the camera moves, but I've got a funny feeling you will still deny it.
– Jack
yesterday












the Kapton in the pictures doesn't have a layer of fine dust, which @RobertWerner seems to be interpreting as fibres in wet card. As such, showing how glossy and capable of environmental reflections it is, is tangential to the interpretation of the image he is proposing...
– JCRM
yesterday






the Kapton in the pictures doesn't have a layer of fine dust, which @RobertWerner seems to be interpreting as fibres in wet card. As such, showing how glossy and capable of environmental reflections it is, is tangential to the interpretation of the image he is proposing...
– JCRM
yesterday












up vote
3
down vote













Further to @uhoh's "The wet appearance of the soft-sided hexagonal box-like structure is an artifact of reflection and interpretation." and @hobbes' "Wet cardboard is not glossy or reflective, unlike the object shown in the photos."



In this animation of the first and third image, taken roughly a day apart, the arm has been moved. I've circled (in blue) the reflection of the claw in the dusty Kapton covered box.



The Claw! It Moves!!



Here's a rough idea of the layout of the area in question cgi



layout of the stowed lander deck



identifying reflections



the sky blue line shows what I believe to be the horizon, the green line the shaped plate on the manipulator arm, and red the arm itself.



Just what is reflected in the left panel is harder to determine, without knowing the geometry - if it's showing to the right of the camera, the deep blue is TWINS, and the yellow more arm or part of RISE. If it shows to the left, then deep blue is HP$^3$, yellow may be the SEIS wind shield.






share|improve this answer























  • And what about the rest of the wet area you say it is a big reflection. I do not see changes, except that small reflection inside the blue circle.
    – Robert Werner
    yesterday










  • Of course there's very little variation, not much in the scene is changing - in your own animation, in the panel to le left of the one shown above I can see what I interpret as the light changing on a solar array. Again in your animation, the change of light on the right of the two visible arm segments is seen just up and left of where the blue circle is in my animation.
    – JCRM
    yesterday






  • 1




    @RobertWerner you concede that there is a small reflection in the lower left, so what are you now suggesting? That the reflective material... transitions smoothly into wet cardboard? I suggest you look up No True Scotsman and Moving The Goalposts
    – Jack
    yesterday










  • Reflections are visible inside the wet area even in the pictures and mainly the animation posted by me. However, as long as the borders of the wet area do not change in time it is evident the wet zone is neither a reflection nor a shadow.
    – Robert Werner
    21 hours ago










  • If they were wet area on card, they would change, as the water water spreads through the card. It not changing is proof it is not a wet patch @RobertWerner. The horizon will not change, so the reflection of the horizon will not change. the plate on the arm will not change until the arm moves (at which point the camera will no longer be in the right place to take a picture for comparison.) so them not moving is proof they are reflections.
    – JCRM
    21 hours ago

















up vote
3
down vote













Further to @uhoh's "The wet appearance of the soft-sided hexagonal box-like structure is an artifact of reflection and interpretation." and @hobbes' "Wet cardboard is not glossy or reflective, unlike the object shown in the photos."



In this animation of the first and third image, taken roughly a day apart, the arm has been moved. I've circled (in blue) the reflection of the claw in the dusty Kapton covered box.



The Claw! It Moves!!



Here's a rough idea of the layout of the area in question cgi



layout of the stowed lander deck



identifying reflections



the sky blue line shows what I believe to be the horizon, the green line the shaped plate on the manipulator arm, and red the arm itself.



Just what is reflected in the left panel is harder to determine, without knowing the geometry - if it's showing to the right of the camera, the deep blue is TWINS, and the yellow more arm or part of RISE. If it shows to the left, then deep blue is HP$^3$, yellow may be the SEIS wind shield.






share|improve this answer























  • And what about the rest of the wet area you say it is a big reflection. I do not see changes, except that small reflection inside the blue circle.
    – Robert Werner
    yesterday










  • Of course there's very little variation, not much in the scene is changing - in your own animation, in the panel to le left of the one shown above I can see what I interpret as the light changing on a solar array. Again in your animation, the change of light on the right of the two visible arm segments is seen just up and left of where the blue circle is in my animation.
    – JCRM
    yesterday






  • 1




    @RobertWerner you concede that there is a small reflection in the lower left, so what are you now suggesting? That the reflective material... transitions smoothly into wet cardboard? I suggest you look up No True Scotsman and Moving The Goalposts
    – Jack
    yesterday










  • Reflections are visible inside the wet area even in the pictures and mainly the animation posted by me. However, as long as the borders of the wet area do not change in time it is evident the wet zone is neither a reflection nor a shadow.
    – Robert Werner
    21 hours ago










  • If they were wet area on card, they would change, as the water water spreads through the card. It not changing is proof it is not a wet patch @RobertWerner. The horizon will not change, so the reflection of the horizon will not change. the plate on the arm will not change until the arm moves (at which point the camera will no longer be in the right place to take a picture for comparison.) so them not moving is proof they are reflections.
    – JCRM
    21 hours ago















up vote
3
down vote










up vote
3
down vote









Further to @uhoh's "The wet appearance of the soft-sided hexagonal box-like structure is an artifact of reflection and interpretation." and @hobbes' "Wet cardboard is not glossy or reflective, unlike the object shown in the photos."



In this animation of the first and third image, taken roughly a day apart, the arm has been moved. I've circled (in blue) the reflection of the claw in the dusty Kapton covered box.



The Claw! It Moves!!



Here's a rough idea of the layout of the area in question cgi



layout of the stowed lander deck



identifying reflections



the sky blue line shows what I believe to be the horizon, the green line the shaped plate on the manipulator arm, and red the arm itself.



Just what is reflected in the left panel is harder to determine, without knowing the geometry - if it's showing to the right of the camera, the deep blue is TWINS, and the yellow more arm or part of RISE. If it shows to the left, then deep blue is HP$^3$, yellow may be the SEIS wind shield.






share|improve this answer














Further to @uhoh's "The wet appearance of the soft-sided hexagonal box-like structure is an artifact of reflection and interpretation." and @hobbes' "Wet cardboard is not glossy or reflective, unlike the object shown in the photos."



In this animation of the first and third image, taken roughly a day apart, the arm has been moved. I've circled (in blue) the reflection of the claw in the dusty Kapton covered box.



The Claw! It Moves!!



Here's a rough idea of the layout of the area in question cgi



layout of the stowed lander deck



identifying reflections



the sky blue line shows what I believe to be the horizon, the green line the shaped plate on the manipulator arm, and red the arm itself.



Just what is reflected in the left panel is harder to determine, without knowing the geometry - if it's showing to the right of the camera, the deep blue is TWINS, and the yellow more arm or part of RISE. If it shows to the left, then deep blue is HP$^3$, yellow may be the SEIS wind shield.







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited 23 hours ago

























answered yesterday









JCRM

2,8282931




2,8282931












  • And what about the rest of the wet area you say it is a big reflection. I do not see changes, except that small reflection inside the blue circle.
    – Robert Werner
    yesterday










  • Of course there's very little variation, not much in the scene is changing - in your own animation, in the panel to le left of the one shown above I can see what I interpret as the light changing on a solar array. Again in your animation, the change of light on the right of the two visible arm segments is seen just up and left of where the blue circle is in my animation.
    – JCRM
    yesterday






  • 1




    @RobertWerner you concede that there is a small reflection in the lower left, so what are you now suggesting? That the reflective material... transitions smoothly into wet cardboard? I suggest you look up No True Scotsman and Moving The Goalposts
    – Jack
    yesterday










  • Reflections are visible inside the wet area even in the pictures and mainly the animation posted by me. However, as long as the borders of the wet area do not change in time it is evident the wet zone is neither a reflection nor a shadow.
    – Robert Werner
    21 hours ago










  • If they were wet area on card, they would change, as the water water spreads through the card. It not changing is proof it is not a wet patch @RobertWerner. The horizon will not change, so the reflection of the horizon will not change. the plate on the arm will not change until the arm moves (at which point the camera will no longer be in the right place to take a picture for comparison.) so them not moving is proof they are reflections.
    – JCRM
    21 hours ago




















  • And what about the rest of the wet area you say it is a big reflection. I do not see changes, except that small reflection inside the blue circle.
    – Robert Werner
    yesterday










  • Of course there's very little variation, not much in the scene is changing - in your own animation, in the panel to le left of the one shown above I can see what I interpret as the light changing on a solar array. Again in your animation, the change of light on the right of the two visible arm segments is seen just up and left of where the blue circle is in my animation.
    – JCRM
    yesterday






  • 1




    @RobertWerner you concede that there is a small reflection in the lower left, so what are you now suggesting? That the reflective material... transitions smoothly into wet cardboard? I suggest you look up No True Scotsman and Moving The Goalposts
    – Jack
    yesterday










  • Reflections are visible inside the wet area even in the pictures and mainly the animation posted by me. However, as long as the borders of the wet area do not change in time it is evident the wet zone is neither a reflection nor a shadow.
    – Robert Werner
    21 hours ago










  • If they were wet area on card, they would change, as the water water spreads through the card. It not changing is proof it is not a wet patch @RobertWerner. The horizon will not change, so the reflection of the horizon will not change. the plate on the arm will not change until the arm moves (at which point the camera will no longer be in the right place to take a picture for comparison.) so them not moving is proof they are reflections.
    – JCRM
    21 hours ago


















And what about the rest of the wet area you say it is a big reflection. I do not see changes, except that small reflection inside the blue circle.
– Robert Werner
yesterday




And what about the rest of the wet area you say it is a big reflection. I do not see changes, except that small reflection inside the blue circle.
– Robert Werner
yesterday












Of course there's very little variation, not much in the scene is changing - in your own animation, in the panel to le left of the one shown above I can see what I interpret as the light changing on a solar array. Again in your animation, the change of light on the right of the two visible arm segments is seen just up and left of where the blue circle is in my animation.
– JCRM
yesterday




Of course there's very little variation, not much in the scene is changing - in your own animation, in the panel to le left of the one shown above I can see what I interpret as the light changing on a solar array. Again in your animation, the change of light on the right of the two visible arm segments is seen just up and left of where the blue circle is in my animation.
– JCRM
yesterday




1




1




@RobertWerner you concede that there is a small reflection in the lower left, so what are you now suggesting? That the reflective material... transitions smoothly into wet cardboard? I suggest you look up No True Scotsman and Moving The Goalposts
– Jack
yesterday




@RobertWerner you concede that there is a small reflection in the lower left, so what are you now suggesting? That the reflective material... transitions smoothly into wet cardboard? I suggest you look up No True Scotsman and Moving The Goalposts
– Jack
yesterday












Reflections are visible inside the wet area even in the pictures and mainly the animation posted by me. However, as long as the borders of the wet area do not change in time it is evident the wet zone is neither a reflection nor a shadow.
– Robert Werner
21 hours ago




Reflections are visible inside the wet area even in the pictures and mainly the animation posted by me. However, as long as the borders of the wet area do not change in time it is evident the wet zone is neither a reflection nor a shadow.
– Robert Werner
21 hours ago












If they were wet area on card, they would change, as the water water spreads through the card. It not changing is proof it is not a wet patch @RobertWerner. The horizon will not change, so the reflection of the horizon will not change. the plate on the arm will not change until the arm moves (at which point the camera will no longer be in the right place to take a picture for comparison.) so them not moving is proof they are reflections.
– JCRM
21 hours ago






If they were wet area on card, they would change, as the water water spreads through the card. It not changing is proof it is not a wet patch @RobertWerner. The horizon will not change, so the reflection of the horizon will not change. the plate on the arm will not change until the arm moves (at which point the camera will no longer be in the right place to take a picture for comparison.) so them not moving is proof they are reflections.
– JCRM
21 hours ago





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