Go to Vostok

Here is my updated map.

122 KB:
http://s04.imagehost.org/1702/Opportunity_Sol_359.gif

Aaah, driving again:

http://s04.imagehost.org/1702/Opportunity_Sol_359.gif

Aaaargh, not even the link works. Last time i tried to post a picture...
Good map, blue_scape.

Yeah .. And goodbye heatshield !
The dunes on plain seems mostly to be lined up in one direction.
Anyone who had information against a trade wind like feature on mars?

I don`t know how strong winds are on mars, but i think they are strong enough to move smaller sand dunes.

With respect to erosion, the strongest winds on Mars are potentially more powerful than the strongest winds on Earth. The same mass of sand exerts a downwards force of about 40% that on Earth. To make a particle fly requires a vertical and a horizontal component.

Although the surface atmosphere is about 1/100 of the density of that on Earth, the atmosphere has lower drag and airborne particle velocity tends towards wind velocity. Peak wind velocity is much higher than that on Earth, and the momentum of the particles is consequently higher during these periods.

Power transferred to the airborne sand varies according to the cube of the velocity of the wind.

I'd say that a sandstorm on Mars would be a daunting prospect to both human and robotic explorers.

The shape of dunes rather suggests that they where formed by the rain, not by the simply winds

e s

>I'd say that a sandstorm on Mars would be a daunting prospect to both human and robotic explorers.

I'd suspect that the sandstorm would be like sandblasting.

I wonder if the wind (and the associated mass of the bedload of sand) could not cause the Blueberries to _roll_ on the plain. Not saltation, but rolling.

--Bill

Here we go!

Can't put it larger...
Each square corresponds to 100mts.
Heatshield > Vostok = 1200mts
Heatshield > Victoria = 5100mts
Vostok > Victoria = 3900mts

Ustrax that is not VICTORIA CRATER !!!!

Use this map ustrax.

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lost on Mars...
I'M LOST ON MARS!!!

Thank you blue_scape!

Each square corresponds to 100mts.
Heatshield > Vostok = 1200mts
Heatshield > x crater = 5100mts
Heatshield > Victoria = 6000mts
Vostok > Victoria = 4800mts
x crater > Victoria = 900mts

A guy goes out for two days and arrives still with the head on the clouds...

Ustrax, You have a flair for graphical presentations

Bill - quite possibly the spherules could roll as they are undermined.

Oh Mars Gods Allow us the Sight!

Nice comparison to Endurance! I wonder if there's an approach into the crater, or if the beast is too steep?

Any guesses what the weird circular feature is on the southern rim (right above the 900mts mark). Is it just a fracture of the crust, or could the Mars gods be so kind as to let it be a geyser?

C'mon Oppy!!!

My guess is that there will be so much of interest if Opportunity gets to the etched terrain that Victoria would be far in the future, or possibly unattainable.

Still we were worried about the rover lasting to Endurance last year.

I suspect it will be a great view but too steep. Think Meteor Crater, Arizona.

Jon

One of my personal disappointments in life was that when I visited the Barringer Crater about a decade ago, tours were no longer allowed into the bowl for "insurance" concerns.

If Victoria is like Barringer, there ain't no way Oppy's going in. It was truly a surprise that Endurance could be entered -- and exited!

Great, great feat of interplanetary driving guys. My belated kudos.

I wonder if Oppy's will be on cruise control for most of the traverse to Vostok?

"lost on Mars...
I'M LOST ON MARS!!!"
__________________________

Ha! Ustrax had to pull over and ask for directions.

Ha!

"I suspect it will be a great view but too steep. Think Meteor Crater, Arizona.

Jon"

Victoria Crater is indeed almost exactly the same size as Meteor Crater in AZ. as far as I can determine, Victoria is 1.15 Km diameter and Meteor Crater is 1.186 Km

I'm wondering if the ESA has done any of those fancy computer generated oblique angle shots of Victoria, the ones where they combine the photographic image with radar altimeter data to produce a low altitude view...