Joe, I think it is simply an artists interpretation of what Mars might look like to someone who doesn't know any better. After all, if it were meant to depict a realistic image of man back on "his" planet, there would be beer cans scattered everywhere. ;) Which I might add, with the added reflection of the sunlight off the aluminum cans, might very well dilute the brilliant red of the planet to something more like what we see through our Earth based telescopes. :) Just a thought. Quoting cmh856@aol.com:

Joe, a low sun angle means increased reddening from atmospheric extinction- look at the shadows in the painting. An astronaut on Mars wouldn't see the same shades and intensities at all times- just as you don't here on earth. A terrestrial example would be a very red sunset seen from an arctic location. Blue & white everywhere, but it all turns deeply red at sundown (or sunup!). Dust & other suspended particulates are the culprits.

So, the answers to your questions are: No, and probably not, although I'm sure there is a lot of color processing and contrast stretching of rover images.

In a message dated 3/28/2007 2:05:51 PM Mountain Standard Time, bau@desnews.com writes:

Hi all, check out this NASA rendering of humans on Mars. Then remember the views Spirit and Opportunity have been sending back. My question: is this NASA artist stuck in some 1950s fantasy about Mars or are we getting paled-out views from the rovers? Thanks, Joe

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/28mar_firststeps.htm?list173374 _______________________________________________

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