Loader for NASA/ESA PDS/EDR images

This plugin loads NASA/ESA PDS/EDR images.

PDS/EDR format is the image format used by NASA Planetary Data System
and by ESA Planetary Science Archives. PDS images from various space
missions are available at http://pds-imaging.jpl.nasa.gov/ and
http://www.rssd.esa.int/index.php?project=PSA

MAHLI / MastCam from Mars Science Laboratory "Curiosity" (MSL) partly supported: 8 bit RDR can be loaded (file names with DRCX and DRCL). Two files needed for each image: LBL and IMB. EDR and 16 bit will follow.

With the PDS plug-in you can load images from these missions and others:

• Mars Science Laboratory "Curiosity" (MSL)
• Mars Exploration Rovers "Spirit" and "Opportunity" (MER)
• Mars Express HRSC
• 2001 Mars Odyssey THEMIS EDR/RDR-QUB (RGB-loader)
• Mars Global Surveyor MOC
• Mars Pathfinder
• Viking Lander

PDS-files usually have the filename-suffix ".img" or ".imq" if compressed.
Note, that this suffix is also used for other non-PDS file-formats.

As GIMP will support 16 bit per channel only from GIMP 3.0 on 16 bit data is currently converted to 8 bit with this plugin.

The plug-in will install itself as input filter for files with the following suffixes:
img,imq,qub,pds,edr,bb1,bb2,bb3,bb4,ir1,ir2,ir3,n07,n15,sur,sun,red,grn,blu,sgr,vio

Source and compiled versions for Mac OS X, GNU/Linux and Windows:
http://areo.info/gimp/

First release in 1999, continuously adapted to current GIMP versions and new PDS formats.
Author: Holger Isenberg, web@areo.info