vicar2png

vicar2png converts VICAR image files to PNGs. The VICAR (Video Image Communication and Retrieval) format is commonly used by NASA, JPL, and various universities. Read more about the format specification at http://www-mipl.jpl.nasa.gov/external/VICAR_file_fmt.pdf.

We wrote and packaged vicar2png so that anyone can view, enjoy, and remix NASA's mission image data easily by converting VICAR files to the popular PNG image format.

Sample usage:

# Use the input filename to generate a default output filename.
vicar2png cassini01.IMG

# Specify an output filename.
vicar2png cassini01.IMG test_image.png

Installing vicar2png

You can get and install vicar2png from PyPI: http://pypi.python.org/pypi/Vicar2Png

You'll need to install the setuptools packages before installing vicar2png: http://pypi.python.org/pypi/setuptools

vicar2png demo

Once you've installed vicar2png, try converting the following files:

An image of Jupiter from an Earth-Jupiter cruise during the Cassini mission:

1. Download http://pdsimg.jpl.nasa.gov/data/cassini/cassini_orbiter/coiss_1004/data/1355070805_1355176231/N1355070913_1.IMG
2. Convert from VICAR to PNG with vicar2png N1355070913_1.IMG
3. Open N1355070913_1.png in an image viewer (open N1355070913_1.png will do the trick on OS X and many Linuxes)

An encounter with Saturn's moon Phoebe from the Cassini-Huygens mission:

1. Download http://pdsimg.jpl.nasa.gov/data/cassini/cassini_orbiter/coiss_2004/data/1465674475_1465709620/N1465674502_2.IMG
2. Convert from VICAR to PNG with vicar2png N1465674502_2.IMG
3. Open N1465674502_2.png in an image viewer (e.g. open N1465674502_2.png)

You can find many more images to test at http://pdsimg.jpl.nasa.gov/data/cassini/cassini_orbiter/.