On the Road Again - volume 6 - Page 3

For the last few Sols, we have been getting featureless MI images like the above. Anyone have an explanation?

Wind/dust blowing through inter-dune "channels" create patterns that resemble fluvial phenomena. Here two converging channels erode a middle dune and result in something perhaps like an interference pattern.

Barsoomer, the "feature" is the dust obscuring the MI lens.

I use these images to correct for dust - as I am sure "the big guys" also do.

Speaking of MIs I have downloaded all the Oppy sol 199 MI images and have started working on them. Give me a few days.

I have been "busy" enjoying my new HDTV the past few days so I haven't spent much time on Mars.

Oppy's really clipping along, having already done most of the distance from Concepcion to Twin Craters. I think that the point where the rover will turn back to the west is within a few hundred meters, just beyond Twin Craters. From the HiRise image it looks like this maneuver will avoid even mediun-sized ripples. Overall we should see the ripples shrink from here on and then almost disappear. At some point about a kilometer away I'm expecting the view of Endeavour to suddenly improve as Oppy reaches the crest of a steeper slope toward the crater.

In my reply 24 that should be "the point where the rover will turn back to the EAST is within a few hundred meters".

Where's this HiRise image Kye?

Hort your eyes will go square!

Amazing picture in HD.

On the 3rd of April a football game is being shown in 3D at my local pub, so if the beer doesn't make us all cross eyed the red blue glasses will!!!

Looks like the regular pavement surface has some of the "levitating" planar crust above it here. This can't be "fracture fill," can it?

randy in yellowstone, This site has a really good interface for viewing the HiRise images:

http://marsoweb.nas.nasa.gov/HiRISE/hirise_images/

The image that covers Oppy's neighborhood is a dot near the center of the Mars map (being close to the equator and the prime meridian). It is labelled, "Fading rover tracks near Victoria Crater" when you mouse over.

Another useful reference is this LPSC 2010 abstract. (Originally called to our attention by Bill Harris I think.) It includes a 5m interval contour map of the whole journey including the rest of the route to Endeavour:

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2010/pdf/2638.pdf

sol 2188-2190 montage of Twin crater:

Oppy is about 200 meters north of the craters on sol 2190.

Is anyone intrested in seeing safurated false color images of the rover tracks from the last week or so?

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2010-094

Increased autonomy for Oppy.

First Autonomous Exploration from sol 2172 ( Mar 4, 2010 ):

I wondered what was going on when this rock was selected for the full filter treatment when a trove of other Concepcion rocks were all around.

Nice offer Hort re your #50, I think many would love to have a look at what has been churned up en route.

sol 2191 L6R1 of west Twin crater:

A parallax measurment to rocks on the far rim is 162 +/- 15 meters and 144 +/- 12 meters to the near wall. The maximum height of the south rim is 20 cm.

Oppy did a turn at the end of the sol 2191 drive that may indicate a forward autonav drive to the crater on the next drive.

Maybe "there" by the weekend?

Sol 2186 ( Mar 10, 2010 ) L0 2x1 pan of Meridiani dune bands ( HD format ) :

with a link to a false color pan detail.

My new HD TV inspired me to create this 1920x1080 format version.

If anyone wants any other images in this format just let me know.

Horton Re54, this reminds me of the MSL will be equiped with a full HD video cam which will yield some breath taking clips i guess...realy looking forward to

I also like the new automatic target detection mode (AEGIS) - iam sure this will be implemented to the MSL as well and will result in more targets being imaged in detail.

Saturated false color tracks from Concepcion to Twin craters:

Interesting.

sol 2187 ( Mar 20, 2010 ) target "syros":

At first I thought this might be an "auto explore" image - but it has a target name so my guess it was planned.

SO. What was the point of intrest? The "crust" on the top of the bedrock - or the dark angular stone? Maybe both?

The crust is similar to the "levitating" planar crusts that we saw at Concepcion with berries underneath, even though this is bedrock pavement.

The two dark angular stones, colored blue in the image, look like unusually pure crystalline material. The surface is smooth and somewhat reflective. I'm surprised they haven't stopped to do IDD work on it.

sol 2193 ( Mar 26, 2010 ) R12 4x1 pan looking towards twin crater:

Now about 60 meters from the northern rim of the western twin.