On the Road Again - volume 4

Sol 2094 ( Dec 14, 2009 ) L0 5x1 looking southeast in the next drive direction:

with links to "next drive direction" R12 4x1 panorana and 3D pairs.

Er, what?! The next drive is not a bump???

Why go to the southeast of Marquette, make some brushless measurments, return to the northwest, orient towards Marquette as if prepared for more measurments then do absolutely nothing for four sols and then drive away towards the southeast????

As a Farengi might say "This makes no sense!"

I hope they were over there rooting around to see if they could find cobbles beneath the sand ripples and maybe to check if cobbles are imbedded in Meridiani strata.

The relative lack of debris in the solid layers has always been interesting. Perhaps just age related, or indicative of consolidation/formation in subsurface depth, even a shielded surface?
Ben, were you suggesting they were looking for 'worn' subangular cobbles?

Dana; Some of us think we saw rounded cobbles imbedded in the exposed Meridiani beds nearby and some believe the patches of "worn'cobbles on the surface between (and possibly under) the ripples could be a result of past fluvial activity.

Confirmation would be an important scientific discovery .

Sol 2095 ( Dec 15, 2009 ) "bump" towards Marquette:

Looks like the rover wasn't quite positioned for further IDD work on Marquette.

Sol 2097 is planned as a RAT day!

02097 p1140.01 2 2 0 0 0 4 front_hazcam_rat_doc_sbfrm_4bpp_crit
02097 p1140.01 2 2 0 0 0 4 front_hazcam_rat_doc_sbfrm_4bpp_crit
02097 p1141.00 2 0 2 0 0 4 front_haz_idd_rat_doc_512x512x1_bpp_high
02097 p1141.00 2 0 2 0 0 4 front_haz_idd_rat_doc_512x512x1_bpp_high
02097 p1141.00 2 0 2 0 0 4 front_haz_idd_rat_doc_512x512x1_bpp_high
02097 p1145.00 2 2 0 0 0 4 front_hazcam_rat_doc_sbfrm_4bpp
02097 p1154.01 2 0 0 2 0 4 front_hazcam_idd_unstow_doc
02097 p2601.03 4 2 0 0 2 8 pancam_tau_L78R48
02097 Total 18 8 6 2 2 36

Sol 2097 ( Dec 17, 2009 ) RAT location:

I find it remarkable that the RAT can be placed mm from a previous position after driving away and back - especially with the IDD joint motor problems!

Not enough can be said about the amazing command skills of the rover teams.

Now, exactly why did Oppy drive away Dec 6 ( 11 sols ago ) before returning to do this task? Very odd mission planning.

I think they were caught in two minds about using the RAT which they were thinking of saving for Endeavour and decided you might as well use it while you can as there are no gaurantees of making it all the way.
Oppy could just as easily fall into a sand trap or fizzle out with old age, equally something may have come to their attention after Oppy pulled away.

They decided to RAT since Marquette is unique among all the rocks we have observed on this trek: we have seen many extrusive Basalts (and the evaporite whatever of Meridiani) but this is the very first intrusive Gabbro we have seen. In a sense, it is a look into the Heart of Mars.

Good call.

--Bill

Bill, why so sure that this is an intrusive Gabbro? Ok it is coarse grained. But we do not have more than passing comments as to the composition other than feldspar and olivine, possibly pyroxine. I can't see any specific indication that this is a grabbo. In fact the implied preponderance of olivine would seem to point to a Peridotite would it not?

But than again, I am still not sold on the ejecta classification.

There appears to be a problem with the RAT of Marquette.

The sol 2097 RAT ended after 33 minutes and another one lasting 90 minutes occurred on sol 2100 with no repositioning of the IDD.

On sol 2101 A "RAT_Hole_Doc image was taken showing the RAT still in place - and today ( sol 2102 ) no activity has yet been sent to the rover as of 5:00 LST.

> Bill, why so sure that this is an
> intrusive Gabbro?

The igneous rocks we've seen thus far have been basalts. This rock is quite coarse-grained, which means that it cooled slowly and from that magma mix it has to be a gabbro. Other than some B&W handlens views after brushing the weathering crust off we don't know much about the minerology, so it may well end up being some oddball igneous rock.

On first approximation, though, it's a duck. Although, it may well be a peridotite. We may know more if we can RAT it...

--Bill

sol 2103 requested images:

Expected EDRs by sequence number and image type:

Sol Seq.Ver ETH ESF EDN EFF ERP Tot Description
----- -------- --- --- --- --- --- ---- -----------
02103 p1140.01 2 2 0 0 0 4 front_hazcam_rat_doc_sbfrm_4bpp_crit
02103 p1141.00 2 0 2 0 0 4 front_haz_idd_rat_doc_512x512x1_bpp_high
02103 p1154.01 2 0 0 2 0 4 front_hazcam_idd_unstow_doc
02103 p2601.03 4 2 0 0 2 8 pancam_tau_L78R48
02103 p2627.02 36 0 0 0 0 36 pancam_sky_radiance_thumbs_L457R247
02103 Total 46 4 2 2 2 56

Looks like there are still problems moving the arm. The images should be in today's 9:40 PM Exploratorium update.

Here is the sol 2102 cloud movie ( enhanced ):

The clouds are moving about 1 degree per minute, so the wind speed is about 1 km per hour per km of distance.

So what is that wispy whitish stuff with strands that coats the rock in this image?

So what is that wispy whitish stuff with strands that coats the rock in this image?

Good question Barsoomer.

I will combine all the images that have finally been posted in the last few days into super resolution extended depth of focus MI images and see if there is more to see.

sol 2103 ( Dec 23, 2009 ) hazcam L0R0 RAT grind of Marquette:

The RAT has been in this position for a week. A grind normally takes 2-4 hours.

My guess is something is broken.

NEWSFLASH

51 MI images are planned for sol 2104 ( today ) of "RAT hole Peck Bay 2" and some should be posted to Exploratorium by 21:40 EST.

Looks like I will be a busy little pachyderm Christmas eve preparing a final present for Santa's pack.

Here is a 2x "3D" version of reply 13 created from 8 exposires with links to selected 3D details. The 3D is in quotes because the "left-right" separation was quite small so the resulting 3D is quite weak. But "good enough" to show major bumps and depressions.

The left and right exposures are each the average of 4 translation registered 2X images. I think you can believe anything you see - including the curious collection of "elongated bumps" on this detail:

WHAT?!

Expected EDRs by sequence number and image type:

Sol Seq.Ver ETH ESF EDN EFF ERP Tot Description
----- -------- --- --- --- --- --- ---- -----------
02105 p0654.03 8 0 0 8 0 16 navcam_4x1_az_90_3_bpp
02105 p1550.01 2 0 1 0 0 3 navcam_tau
02105 p1588.03 6 0 6 0 0 12 navcam_cloud_movie_right_eye_pri_57
02105 p2350.21 9 0 0 9 2 20 pancam_drive_direction_3cx1r_L6R12
02105 p2351.21 9 0 0 9 2 20 pancam_drive_direction_3cx1r_L6R12
02105 p2601.03 4 2 0 0 2 8 pancam_tau_L78R48
02105 p2631.01 11 0 0 0 2 13 pancam_sky_spot_L234567R34567
02105 p2633.02 4 2 0 0 2 8 pancam_late_tau_L58R48
02105 Total 53 4 7 26 10 100

No sol 2104 MI or pancam images of the RAT grind area have been downlinked and today TWO pancam sequences in the next drive area are scheduled???

Looks like the Oppy science team is taking a Christmas break and doesn't want anyone with a lot of free time on their hands ( that, that would be me ) seeing the RAT grind until they are satisfied there is nothing "interesting" to see.

Naaah. Opportunity's RAT is broken and they have decided to "move'em out".

Beautiful images. WOW!

Meanwhile, here is an 11 image Extended Depth of Field ( EDF ) sol 2089 view of the crust on Marquette Island block with a "3D" link to a very interesting spheroid and - my personal favorite - the focus shift animation used to create the EDF.

And now for something completely different:

A Christmas poem.

THE SOL AFTER CHRISTMAS

Spoof by hortonheardawho ( with apologies to Clement Moore after seeing a Stuart Atkinson post. )

T'was the sol after Christmas and all throughout Mars,
Not a spacecraft was transmitting, not even to stars.
Their antennas were pointed towards the Earth with care,
In hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be there.

The rovers were powered down all snug in their ROMs,
While visions of dust devils danced in their RAMs,
And Ma in her jumpsuit and I in my comcap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap.

When out on the plains there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my pod to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
opened the shutters and threw up the sash.

And what to my eyes appear says I am daft,
But a miniature capsule, and eight ancient craft;
With a little old pilot, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be Saint Nick.

More rapid than eagles his spacecraft they came.
He whistled and shouted and called them by name:
"Now Mariner! Now Zond! Now Observer! Now Kosmos!
On, Viking! On, Beagle! On, Nozomi and Phobos!
To the top of the orbit, to the end of the fall
Dash away, dash away, dash away all!"

Over homeplate the spacecraft they flew
With a capsule of parts and Saint Nicholas, too.
And then in a twinkling I heard on the hill
A shattering noise of each retro so shrill.
All bundled in spacesuit, from his head to his foot,
His things were all tarnished with Mars dust and soot;

As I took off my comcap, and was turning around,
Down Husband Hill Saint Nicholas came with a bound.
A bundle of parts he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And cleaned all the panels; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up Ultrea he rose.

He sprang to his capsule, to his craft gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him transmit 'ere he drove out of sight,
"Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!"

Nice!!!
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

sol 2105 ( Dec 25, 2009 ) 4x1 L0 in next drive direction:

No MIs or Pancams of the RAT hole. Something is broken. Seriously broken.

I wonder if there is a single point failure that would paralize the rover wheels and IDD but still allow the cameras to operate?

Getting old sucks - for man and machine.