Opportunity Mission Update Thread

[thechemist]

Centsworh_II,<br />It surely is a strange shaped and interesting rock, worth studying.<br />I don't know the answer to your questions, but I bet JonClark would say its position can be perfectly explainable. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />By the way, Oppy has moved considerably down the crater today. <br />It came across some slippery sand also, it appears. Note the "flow" of berries inbetween Oppy's shadow.<br />Oppy has already ratted the soil , for some reason, at its new location.<br /><br /><i> edited to add ratting image </i> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>I feel better than James Brown.</em> </div>

 

[centsworth_II]

<i>"Oppy has already ratted the soil , for some reason, at its new location.'</i><br /><br />Maybe they suspected a thin layer of soil over rock and were checking this out. Or maybe there is a crust they are trying to rat. Or (I just looked at your link and see no crust) maybe they want to see how the layer of soil just under the thin surface dust differs fronthe surface. <br /><br />Thanks for sharing my interest in 'half-dome' (although that name dosn't fit so well having seen it clearly now).<br />I haven't been so obsessed by a rock since Bounce. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[centsworth_II]

One third there?<br /><br />In this view from across the crater, the layers of Karatepe (A through F) that were studied by Opportunity are marked with the arrow on the right. The center arrow marks 'half-dome' (my name) and Razorback. The arrow on the left marks my guess as to where the rover now sits. <br /><br />I don't know if there is even any discussion going on about possibly reaching the dunes, but as you can see, the rover is about one third of the way there. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[abq_farside]

I hope they will go all the way to the dune. I have been waiting for some close ups of it. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><em><font size="1" color="#000080">Don't let who you are keep you from becoming who you want to be!</font></em></p> </div>

 

[thechemist]

Centsworth_II, rock obsession is a perfectly good space vice, don't worry ! <br />I was fascinated (and still am, I admit) with the deformed rocks/the fence (officially razorback) since the first time I saw them <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br />And I bet you, everyone in here is crazy with the dunes on the center !<br /><br />By the way, your image dissapointed me, since I thought we were much lower already. 1/3 of the way ?<br /><br />With respect to the last RAT, I noticed that there are two PanCam images of the arm also posted today. Maybe the engineers want to check its operation, and just touched the soil to brush it. We 'll see, sooner or later JPL will comment on it. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>I feel better than James Brown.</em> </div>

 

[spacechump]

If anyone wants to judge how far Oppy is to the bottom they can try with this anaglyphs I made.

 

[centsworth_II]

<i>"By the way, your image dissapointed me, since I thought we were much lower already. 1/3 of the way?"</i> <br /><br />I guess the rover could be as far as half way there. It's hard to tell since the latest updates have not included details of distance driven. There is a band of large rocks between the rover and the dunes that the rover doesn't seem to be near yet, based on the front hazcam. <br /><br />Here's another view with my guess at the rover's position marked by a ring of yellow dots. The band of rocks between the rover and dunes is more clear in this view. <br /><br />source image:http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040716a/17-JF-03-dunes-B170R1.jpg<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[centsworth_II]

Thanks, spacechump, I've reproduced your image here so I could indicate the band of rocks I'm talking about. You can see it in my previous post between my estimated rover location and the "upslope mega-ripples". <br /><br />Will the rover reach those upslope mega-ripples? It may be only one third of the way to the dunes at the base of the crater, but much closer to the nearest upslope dunes. The end of an entcingly close one is marked with the blue arrow.<br /><br /><br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[spacechump]

I very well believe it will get to those mega ripples given that right above them are more outcrop targets to ponder over. It's just a hop, skip and a jump away from that point.

 

[centsworth_II]

Bad news, and really REALLY good news!<br />The bad news is that the rover is still far from the dunes:<br /><i>"The rover currently sits about 20 meters (about 66 feet) inside the stadium-sized crater."</i>-- From the 8/3 update:<br /><br />http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status.html<br /><br />The crater being about 170m across, it's probably about 50-60m from the rim to the dunes (excluding the mega-ripples).<br />So the rover is still 30-40m away.<br /><br />But so what? The dunes can wait. The really, REALLY good news is that the exploration of Endurance continues:<br /><i>"The rover planning team is contemplating the next traverse which will move Opportunity around the interior of the crater, <br />first to some outcroppings dubbed the "Arctic Islands," then possibly to "Burns Cliff," <br />roughly 80 meters (about 262 feet) from the rover's current position."</i><br /><br />Burns Cliff! WOW!!!<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[spacechump]

How does that orient the rover inside the crater? Didn't they want it facing the direction it was in to maximize the sun on the panels and keep the rover power happy?

 

[centsworth_II]

In this view, the Burns Cliff area appears to be a very sunny spot,<br />at least during part of the day (sol).<br /><br />http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all/1/f/180/1F144177858EFF3352P1214L0M1.JPG <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[alexblackwell]

MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE<br />JET PROPULSION LABORATORY<br />CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY<br />NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION<br />PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011<br />http://www.jpl.nasa.gov<br /><br />Guy Webster (818) 354-6278<br />Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.<br /><br />Don Savage (202) 358-1727<br />NASA Headquarters, Washington<br /><br />News Release: 2004-191 August 4, 2004<br /><br />Mars Exploration Rover Mission Status<br /><br />NASA's Spirit rover has climbed higher into rocky hills on Mars, and<br />its twin, Opportunity, has descended deeper into a crater, but both<br />rovers, for the time being, are operating with some restrictions while<br />team members diagnose unexpected behavior.<br /><br />Both rovers have successfully operated for more than double the span<br />of their three-month primary missions. They have been conducting bonus<br />science in extended missions since April.<br /><br />While Spirit was executing commands on Aug. 1, a semiconductor<br />component failed to power on as intended. The component, a<br />programmable gate array, directly affects usability of the rover's<br />three spectrometer instruments. Subsequent commands for using the<br />miniature thermal emission spectrometer in that day's sequence<br />resulted in repeated error messages.<br /><br />Engineers on the Mars Exploration Rover team at NASA's Jet Propulsion<br />Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., have determined the most likely cause is<br />a timing issue of one instruction reaching the gate array microseconds<br />before another that was intended to precede it. If that diagnosis is<br />confirmed, a repeat could be avoided by inserting a delay between<br />commands that might reproduce the problem, engineers expect. Until<br />then, the rover science team's daily choices for how to use Spirit do<br />not include using the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, the<br />Moessbauer spectrometer or the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer.<br /><br />"While w

 

[jaredgalen]

Flight Director report for today, 4th August, said that Oppy is "leaving the crater" and "exiting".

 

[thechemist]

<br /><i><font color="yellow"> Flight Director report for today, 4th August, said that Oppy is "leaving the crater" and "exiting" </font></i><br /><br />I just heard that too, jaredgalen !<br />Just like that, exiting the crater ? <br />The F.D. said "there are some science targets on the way that we will be looking at" but if Oppy leaves the same way it came in, we've been there, seen that.<br /><br />???<br /><br />Then again, the F.D. said both rovers are in excellent condition, so, I don't know what to believe.. <img src="/images/icons/frown.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>I feel better than James Brown.</em> </div>

 

[thechemist]

Is this a reflectibe RAT hole or what ??<br /><br />http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportunity/navcam/2004-08-04/1N144874632EFF3416P1950L0M1.JPG<br /><br />I noticed that Oppy is looking towards Karatepe now.<br /><br />http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportunity/forward_hazcam/2004-08-04/1F144878573EFF3435P1212L0M1.JPG<br /><br />Is this because it is preparing to leave ? <img src="/images/icons/frown.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>I feel better than James Brown.</em> </div>

 

[centsworth_II]

<i>"I don't know what to believe..."</i><br /><br />Me neither. First we have from the 8/3 update:<br /><font color="yellow">" The rover planning team is contemplating the next traverse which will move Opportunity around the interior of the crater..."</font><br /><br />Then, the 8/4 press release:<br /><font color="yellow">"If assessments of traversability continue giving positive indications, the rover team plans next to send Opportunity counterclockwise across the inner slope of the crater to study possible targets of dune tendrils, boulders and the base of a cliff."</font><br /><br />So far, so good. <br /><br />And then the bombshell flight director report:<font color="yellow">'...leaving the crater...'</font><br /><br />What to think? Is it possible that the flight director report confuses leaving Karatepe (a region within the crater) with leaving the crater itself? Or has there really been a complete turn around in plans?<br /><br />Now would be a great time for a press briefing. <br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[thechemist]

If he had said "leaving", I would indulge myself to thinking Oppy will<br />be "living in the crater" for the winter <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />Unfortunately he used "exiting", if I remember well <img src="/images/icons/frown.gif" /><br /><br />Surely something happened, we don't know yet, but we will find out soon.<br /><br />Maybe the last RAT hole opened up an underground pipe and Endurance will fill up with liquids ? <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>I feel better than James Brown.</em> </div>

 

[centsworth_II]

Actually he said "leaving" and then reiterated, saying "exiting". I'm surprised by the cavalier way in which this announcement was made.<br /><br />There are only two possiblilities as I see it: <br />1. A sudden and dramatic reversal in planning.<br />2. An error in either the update AND press release OR in the flight director report.<br /><br />Those of us who were excited at the prospect of getting a close look at burns cliff will hope the flight director report is in error. That BOTH the update and press release are in error seems less likely. But maybe all three are correct and there WAS a reversal. I would hope that if that were the case, there would have been more of an explanation than a shrug of the shoulders and a curt dismissal, changing the subject to Spirit (as was done in the flight director report).<br /><br />Hopefully there will shortly be a briefing, update, release, or whatever that explains all. <br /><br />It looks like Spirit has found a winter home on the north-facing slopes of West Spur. I can't imagine a better winter home for Opportunity than the north-facing slopes in Endurance crater. Unless it's felt by the planners that the sun is high enough in the sky for Oppotunity to trek across the flat terrain of Meridiani with no lack of power. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[thechemist]

I find it hard to believe there is no mention of the "exit" story so far in the web. I searched just now.<br />If I hadn't heard it myself, I would think it was just a rumour.<br /><br />Let's hope that the "to exit or not to exit" dilemma is not blanketed by far more serious problems for Opportunity. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>I feel better than James Brown.</em> </div>

 

[thechemist]

NewScientist and Space.com have just now published articles about the rover glitches, whithout mentioning anything about Oppy exiting Endurance.<br /><br />The flight director said on Aug. 4: <br /><i><font color="yellow">"We are leaving the crater, we're kind of exiting (??), there are some good science targets that we'll be looking at on the way...." </font></i><br />and then continued with Spirit's update.<br /><br />kind of exiting ??? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>I feel better than James Brown.</em> </div>

 

[centsworth_II]

I don't know any more than you, but having thought about it, I think that the person giving the flight director report was focused on Spirit and just made an offhand comment on Opportunity which I think he got wrong. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[fangsheath]

We have seen off-hand remarks in flight director's updates before that were misleading or in some cases inaccurate. Bear in mind that "exiting the crater" interpreted very broadly can mean that we will go no deeper, but will begin the process of moving toward the rim and ultimately out of the crater. This could easily take weeks or months.<br /><br />The JPL web site makes clear that decision-making is still conditional, but gives a fairly clear general outline: "The investigation at an area dubbed 'Inuvik' at a target called 'Tuktoyuktuk' (named for a small village in the Canadian arctic) will likely be the rover's last in this region. The rover planning team is contemplating the next traverse which will move Opportunity around the interior of the crater, first to some outcroppings dubbed the 'Arctic Islands,' then possibly to 'Burns Cliff,' roughly 80 meters (about 262 feet) from the rover's current position."<br /><br />I think it is unlikely that the vehicle will be directed to the dunes on the floor. There is a definite risk of bogging, not so much on the dunes themselves, but on the slopes just above them, which undoubtedly consist of soft, deep soil. Unliess there is a strong reason to think that the floor area has a water story to tell (unlikely), I think it will be avoided.<br /><br />There is the issue of rover age. No doubt there are those who would like to make a quick dash to the south before instruments fail and while the mobility system is still working well. But I suspect that the consensus at JPL is that the south wall of Endurance is the best place to be for the next few months at least. There are still plenty of good data to be had there and we can compensate for the poor sun angle.

 

[radarredux]

> <i><font color="yellow">Is this a reflectibe RAT hole or what ??</font>/i><br /><br />What I find interesting is the condition of the rover track patterns to the lower left of the rat hole. They look very indistinct, not the typical sharp lines seen before.<br /><br />Is it different texture of dust or dust with different elctro-static properties? Or perhaps it is because Oppy made several turns in the area? Or to really go out on the limb, it almost looks like mud.<br /><br />Side discussion: Can anyone tell me the approximate dates the following image was taken?<br /><br />SDC article photo<br /><br />It is from the SDC article<br />http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/mars_microorganisms_040803.html<br />and I would like to look at some of the original photos.</i>

 

[bobw]

That picture was taken on sol 1.<br /><br />The press release image is about half-way down on this page:<br /><br />http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20040125a.html<br /><br />The raw images are here:<br /><br />http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all/opportunity_p001.html<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>