Opportunity Mission Update Thread

[claywoman]

oh...oh...I do hope its something they can fix...I don't think the Martian automotive repair center is anywhere near the rover this month...

 

[alpha_taur1]

How long now before Opportunity's odometry overtakes Spirit's odometry? Not long.

 

[centsworth_II]

<font color="yellow">"The one which spent all that time climbing out of the crater is likely to fail first, IMHO."</font><br /><br />Are you talking about Spirit and its climb up into the Columbia Hills -- not a climb out of a crater. Or Opportunity which has bounced into and climbed out of one crater, Eagle, and driven into and climbed out of another, Endurance. I think all would agree that Spirit has had the rougher trek. We're still waiting to see how rough and difficult to manuver in the etched terrain will be for Opportunity.<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[marslauncher]

Oppy drove 220M !!! on a single SOL ! That is incredible, looking at the latest images from Meridiani it looks like Oppy is now at Viking, not too far from Albert<br /><br />but 220m that is almost 1/4 km in one day, absolutely awesome!

 

[imran10]

Oppy has also surpassed Spirit's odometry total. It has now travelled almost 3 miles compared to Spirit's 2.61 miles.

 

[jurterra]

I noticed that the raw images are getting very stale on the NASA/JPL website. I see no news that there is a problem. Are the images just not being updated as often as before, or are they being posted elsewhere?

 

[centsworth_II]

Exploratiorium is often more up to date than the official NASA web site. I find the NASA site a little more user friendly, with its thumbnail image pages, but I've gotten used to clicking through the Exploratorium images. <br />http://www.exploratorium.com/mars/index.html<br />Click on the "Spirit Data" or "Opportunity Data links". <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[alokmohan]

Actually I dont give so much importance to the images,sometimes difficult to interprete without help of nasa.Reading is better procedure .

 

[davp99]

I Agree with You Alokie, Raw Pictures with no description is almost useless, Check out The Link Centworth_ll supplied.... <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="4">Dave..</font> </div>

 

[yevaud]

Hi.<br /><br />Sorry to break your train of thought here.<br /><br />I'm working on an "Official History" of SDC. There's a thread in "Free Space" called, simply enough, "Official History."<br /><br />When you get a chance, please post your basic information there (there's no obligation, and you can post as little or as much as you wish, or nothing at all).<br /><br />Basic Info. sought:<br /><br />1. Username(s) used on SDC<br />2. When you joined.<br />3. Any long-term absences (so a chronology of when you were and weren't an active member can be determined).<br />4. Your age (not a requirement).<br />5. Geographic location.<br />6. Profession.<br /><br />Hopefully, somewhere down the road, I will have an "official, free history," replete with a chronology, names, significant events, and so on.<br /><br />As well, any odd, curious, funny, or interesting stories about SDC are appreciated.<br /><br />Thanks!<br /><br />*We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread, already in progress* <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Differential Diagnosis:  </em>"<strong><em>I am both amused and annoyed that you think I should be less stubborn than you are</em></strong>."<br /> </p> </div>

 

[waldo2]

Questions: Opportunity's goal is the Victoria crater which looks, from an untrained eye, to be surrounded with soft soil and blueberries. After we get to Victoria are there any craters or other interesting terrain features further south? Does anyone have a picture of the terrain south of Victoria? I am interested as to what might be our next destination. Ever since Vostok it is like we have gotten into the fast lane on the expressway on our way to Victoria with a stop at the etched terrain along the way.<br /><br />

 

[centsworth_II]

<font color="yellow">"Ever since Vostok it is like we have gotten into the fast lane... on our way to Victoria with a stop at the etched terrain along the way."</font><br /><br />I would say a fast lane to the etched terrain. That is the next big mystery to be unveiled. No one knows what will be seen there. Opportunity will not be making A stop there, it will be traveling THROUGH the etched terrain. How many stops are made and for how long will depend on how interesting it proves to be. At this point, no one knows. No one has ever seen the etched terrain up close before. That is what makes this all so exciting. Within one day of the scientists seeing the images, we will also be looking at and commenting on them. Amazing!<br /><br />As to Victoria.... What we will see and what will be done cannot be known ahead of time. Perhaps when the rover gets there it will be obvious that entering the crater is out of the question. Or maybe some possibilities will present themselves. No one knows. <br /><br />Will we have seen Victoria and be ready to move on in three months or will we have just scratched the surface of Victoria six months from now... no one knows.<br /><br />Personally, I can't think of anything beyond that. I would say that even if the rover continues to operate for another year, and that brings us to the approach of another winter with two-year-old batteries, there are no large features besides the etched terrain, Victoria, and more etched terrain within reach. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[novi]

Judging from the recent images Oppy is passing a crater. Looking at the traverse map it looks to me like Erebus? Which would mean it almost reached the etched terrain and Victoria could be reached in app. 10 sols (if Oppy doesn't stop too often and the etched terrain is not an obstacle)

 

[centsworth_II]

According to this, Opportunity is just finishing up at Viking today (April 3).<br />http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status.html#opportunity<br />"Sols 421 and 422 (March 31 and April 1, 2005):<br />Actually, this is kind of neat. As this report is being written, Opportunity is on Mars driving away from this soil survey spot and heading toward the "Viking" crater. When it gets there, it will stop and image the crater for two days."<br /><br />NASA maps of the area can be seen at this site:<br />http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20050330a.html <br /><br />I don't know how long Opportunity wil spend at Voyager and on the trip to Erebus -- at least two weeks? Erebus' location seems to coincide with the beginning of the etched terrain. I'm looking forward to seeing that new landscape.<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[retro555]

See link below for some interesting info on Victoria Crater. The walls are estimated to be 40 meters deep and I don't see a gradual sloping to the bottomr. It is unlikely Oppy will go in. The MER team will probably spend several weeks exploring the etched terrain before getting to Victoria. But it will be worth the wait!<br /><br />http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c...MNGBNC2S9B1.DTL<br />

 

[odysseus145]

The rovers have been approved for at least another 18 months of operation. At the rate they're going I wouldn't be surprised if they surpased that.<br /><br />http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2005-55 <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[thechemist]

Erebus in the distance. Our next stop <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>I feel better than James Brown.</em> </div>

 

[jurterra]

Thanks to The Chemist for spotting Erebus. This is why pictures can be better than words. Anticipation, awe and wonderment are not created with as much ease by written reports when we are dealing with an alien surface. To each his own, I suppose, and I will grant that a rock might look like just like any other rock without some chemical analysis, and I agree that good analysis can indeed bring forth amazing discoveries (and we have seen a lot of that on these twin missions), but the pictures stir my interest more than the data. I think that pictures and data separately appeal to different aspects of the human need for discovery. Together, they can compound the effect. But separately, they still have much value.

 

[centsworth_II]

<br />Could this be what the Etched Terrain looks like? The bare, top surface of the Meridiani evaporite layers, with larger, more widely spaced dunes?<br />http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportunity/pancam/2005-04-10/1P163695724EFF5000P2384L7M1.JPG<br /><br />No deep erosion, no access to deeper layers? Disappointing if that's the case, but it would lead to a quicker trip to Victoria if there's really nothing new to see. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[silylene old]

Centsworth, did you read my mind? I posted almost the identical thought yesterday.<br />http://uplink.space.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=sciastro&Number=137121&page=1&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&fpart=29 <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature" align="center"><em><font color="#0000ff">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</font></em> </div><div class="Discussion_UserSignature" align="center"><font color="#0000ff"><em>I really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function.</em></font> </div> </div>

 

[centsworth_II]

"Great minds..."<br /><br />Oops, I posted this: <br />"I've gotten behind in my 'Images of Mars' reading!",<br />there, on the "images" thread when I meant to post it here. <br /><br />So, my mind's not so great... <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[starbaby57]

From the photos used to chart Opportunity's course the last few weeks, it has been my impression that there was very little if any relief to the etched terrain. I am not surprised if this is all there is to see, On to Victoria!

 

[alpha_taur1]

"Could this be what the Etched Terrain looks like? The bare, top surface of the Meridiani evaporite layers, with larger, more widely spaced dunes?"<br /><br />That would explain the lower abundance of hematite. The surface hematite concretions are obviously a form of desert pavement eroded from the strata. I wonder if we'll find evaporites without concretions in the Etched Terrain.

 

[starbaby57]

Did Opportunity have an earlier chance to get readings on the absolute surface of the bedrock or were the measurements always somewhat below the surface? If not, it might prove interesting what the final evaporite concentrations of salt turned out to be as the last of the water vaporized.

 

[chmee]

Looks like Oppy's front right wheel's steering mechinsim is stuck. After the 150M drive yesterday the steering on this wheel stuck at 7 degrees and would not straighten out. Today, they backed the rover a meter and tried to straighten the wheel again but it immediately stalled.