Read orbital evidence without overclaiming#
An image is useful only when its identity, acquisition context, and processing limits remain visible. LunarTrace distinguishes the source object, the bytes currently displayed, the role it plays in an investigation, and the conclusions it can support.
Two evidence paths#
Path |
What is retained |
What can be checked |
|---|---|---|
Historical Chang’e 6 reference |
Two repository-custodied ODE browse assets and their expected byte identities |
The workbench can compare downloaded bytes and lengths with retained expectations |
New Lab discovery |
Captured metadata-response bytes, normalized exploratory rows, source browse locators |
The export can audit the metadata bytes; remote browse pixels are not included or verified by that receipt |
A live browse may load successfully without having a retained checksum in the investigation. The Lab states that distinction instead of showing a generic verified badge.
Identity before interpretation#
The durable PDS identifier identifies the source product. A publication-style name may be shown as a readable alias. ODE’s numeric locator is not substituted for durable PDS identity.
A temporal role such as PRE belongs to the current investigation and reference time. It is not an intrinsic property of the image. Moving the reference time can legitimately change that role, provided the result is still applicable to the query context.
Acquisition metadata#
Incidence, emission, and phase angles describe aspects of acquisition geometry. Their differences can be objectives in a screening method; they are not a proof that two browse images are photometrically comparable.
Missing values remain missing. The Lab displays raw resolution separately because the adapter has not established its units for numerical screening. A source center locates a metadata point; it does not prove the whole source footprint or a registered mapping between pixels and the globe.
Display controls#
Fit scales an image to the available view. Native pixels uses its pixel dimensions and may require scrolling. Contrast changes browser display only. These operations leave the underlying source unchanged.
None of them aligns two acquisitions. Displaying images side by side, or opening the before and after member of a pair, remains independent source inspection.
Important
REFERENCE_ONLY and UNALIGNED on the historical assets are scientific boundaries, not temporary cosmetic warnings. Do not infer registration, a common crop, a difference image, surface change, or causality from temporal ordering alone.
Byte integrity is a narrower statement#
For the retained historical assets, matching SHA-256 and byte length establish agreement with the recorded byte expectation. They do not independently authenticate the original source or validate a scientific interpretation.
The existing workbench withholds an image after a mismatch. A failed retry cannot erase that earlier rejection and restore the image optimistically. Only an appropriate subsequent successful check can change the relevant integrity state.
For new discovery, responseHash identifies a captured metadata response. It does not identify the remote image pixels. The export carries the raw metadata bytes so they can be audited separately.
A disciplined inspection sequence#
Confirm the exact product identity and its relationship to the current reference.
Read the acquisition time and known metadata issues.
Inspect the native browse and its source link.
Identify which geometrical or photometric relationships remain unestablished.
Use the image to formulate the next scientific operation, not to skip that operation.
If a browse fails to load, retain the metadata and use the source link. A broken image is not permission to substitute another product or a generated Moon image.
See Chang’e 6: a retained historical case for the retained case and Artifact identity and evidence bundles for the distinction between objects, bytes, and claims.