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From: john@l5comp.wa.com (John Turner)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: Voyager images
Summary: not unobtainable if you can handle 6250 bpi 9-track tape
Message-ID: <1989Aug24.203726.20510@l5comp.wa.com>
Date: 24 Aug 89 20:37:26 GMT
References: <4786@portia.Stanford.EDU>
Reply-To: john@l5comp.UUCP (John Turner)
Organization: L5 Computing, Edmonds, WA
Lines: 43

A previous poster lamented that JPL-NASA has not made a "repesentative sample"
of Voyager images available  -- presumably referring to machine-readable
images.

My advice is, don't wait for the pictures to come to you.  Seek them out.  Two
months ago I personally acquired a reel of Voyager Neptune images simply by
placing a series of reasonably polite phone calls with the Lab staff.  It took
awhile, and would probably take even longer now that the close encounter is
upon us, but I sincerely believe that any pure-hearted person could obtain
Voyager images by the same route.

The images I received were on nine-track 6250 bpi tape in "EDR" format.
Included with the reel was a detailed spec sheet for the file format (which
also helped to explain all those cryptic codes and numbers you see around the
pics on TV) and a lengthy printout with all sorts of nifty information about
each picture.  I haven't actually viewed the pictures yet because (sigh) I've
had trouble arranging to transcribe them to DC600 streaming-tape cartridges,
which are all I'm equipped to handle.

If you're interested in spcific images, you need to know their serial numbers.
Voyager image serial numbers are in the form xxxxN-xxx, where the first four-
digit number is the series number of the shot; the letter N stands for Neptune
(J would be Jupiter, S Saturn, U Uranus); and the final three-digit number
is a code identifying the camera and filter used to take the image.  The JPL
Tape Library will cheerfully compile a reel of images for you, from their
vast and complete collection, but only if given the serial numbers.

An example serial number would be 0950N-003, which CNN was showing Wednesday
night.

Just remember that these are raw 800 x 800 x 8 bitplanes, not the prettily
processed color photos we all take for granted.  The color filters are not RGB
but rather orange, blue, ultraviolet and stranger hues.  Viewpoint moves
significantly between images taken during close approaches, so the color planes
seldom line up exactly and may require some fiddling.


I'd rather not post internal JPL phone numbers on the net.  If you want to
contact JPL, try calling their print library at 818-354-4200.  Or send me email
and I will send you my contact numbers.  Happy hunting!


		John Turner, john@l5comp.wa.com, way up in Edmonds WA