Drive during 1944, L-NavCam pan roughly stitched in MS ICE be should be good to help pinpoint the location. (the https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/mars-rover-curiosity-mission-updates/?mu=sol-1943-from-the-south-rim-of-vera-rubin-ridge called for a 25 meter drive south)
(delete after proper version is posted)
New thread! Please keep sharing sol 1943 self-portrait work in the http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?showtopic=8333, and carry on discussing the ongoing mission here. Curiosity should be driving east across the top of the ridge for a little bit, chasing interesting CRISM pixels, before driving down into the valley. If we're lucky we might see a little action with restoring the drill to service, too.
Sol 1944 Navcam pan Do we have a name for "the Valley-Behind-the-Ridge" (my temporay proposition for this place) ?
http://www.db-prods.net/marsroversimages/Curiosity/2018/Sol1944_pano.jpg
The most common informal name seems to be "Phyllosilicate Trough", see e.g. http://redplanet.asu.edu/?p=27093.
The https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Phyllosilicates form a large class of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicate_minerals#Phyllosilicates, with the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay_minerals as a subclass. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2016JE005095/pdf in the Phyllosilicate Trough (see e.g. fig. 6 on page 1723 in the paper).
Drive on 1946, here is what I could salvage from a rough stitch of the available L-NavCam's, hopefully it may assist in refining the location (mods to delete when the full version is posted)
Incoming !Still some pictures to complete it, but Sol 1946 is pretty, we have a good view on "Phyllosillicate Valley".
Edit : complete
http://www.db-prods.net/marsroversimages/Curiosity/2018/Sol1946_pano.jpg
For location purposes I did a rough patch of Damia's panorama and made a circular version:
A long distance RMI mosaic, roughly assembled from 9 overlapping images acquired on sol 1948.
The early pointing data on Joe Knapp's image page suggests that it is located Southwest of the rover, if confirmed then it could be a valley Mesa or a section the north side of 'Phyllosillicate Valley'.
I see a possible candidate on the NavCam images, but my monitor is poor (like my aging eyes). It could be mentioned in the weekend plan, but I've not found it yet. Thankfully we often get associated MastCam context frames with these image sets, hopefully we'll see it soon so we can establish the actual location.
Looks like a nice drive (>20 meters?) on sol 1949. MS ICE does not want to play ball with the available images, but there is a lovely view West of the rover's tracks as it drove back onto the top of the ridge. Looking forward to seeing the full pan with a nice view of what awaits us in the valley.
Sol 1949 Navcam panoramic. Just one missing frame but a very nice view.
http://www.db-prods.net/marsroversimages/Curiosity/2018/Sol1949_pano.jpg
I roughly patched Damia's panorama for location purposes - here is a circular projection of it.
Phil
I thought this might look amazing in 3D. I wasn't disappointed.
https://flic.kr/p/22yKLTThttps://flic.kr/p/22yKLTT
The wide exposure variations once again defeated MS ICE on the sol 1950 post drive L-NavCams. I managed to salvage this small section, hopefully it will assist in narrowing down the location until the full version is posted.
Don't give up Paul. Maybe try a different stitching software.
Sol 1950 Navcam panoramic. The visibility is so good we can nearly touch the mountains of Gale crater rim !
http://www.db-prods.net/marsroversimages/Curiosity/2018/Sol1950_pano.jpg
Sol 1950 Mastcam34 driving direction pan. Looks like some new features are visibles here.
http://www.db-prods.net/marsroversimages/Curiosity/2018/Sol1950_Mastcam34.jpg
Damia's panorama in circular projection - rover tracks are visible at lower left, on the edge of the dark-floored depression.
Phil
Postcard from Mars: with the particularly low atmospheric opacity these days, we have a crystal-clear view on the distant rim of Gale crater. What a vista!
This is a section of the sol 1950 NavCamR panorama with an extended sky.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasappere/25191605467/sizes/o/
A stupendous view indeed. It would be a particularly good one on which to mark the whole route travelled so far. I'm especially enjoying the reminders of earlier parts of the journey, such as the reappearance of the little hill to the east I used to call 'Dumgoyne' now seen from above whereas we were looking up at it from Yellowknife Bay.
Thanks. I'll see if I can find out more about that 'suture' process
EDIT : No drive on sol 1957, but the rover took another NavCam 360, so I have deleted the roughly stitched pan I posted earlier as it's the same as the one posted on 1950
One of the telephoto RMI mosaics from sol 1959, roughly assembled in MS ICE with a little pre stitch processing on some of the frames. The 1959 mission update states that some of these long distance mosaics were checking various steep slopes to look for evidence of grain motion downhill.
Sol 1957 (and 1959, one frame) panoramic.
http://www.db-prods.net/marsroversimages/Curiosity/2018/Sol1957_pano.jpg
Looks like they have completed the long awaited drive to the NE on 1962, path looks like a dogs leg, but the point to point may be around 50m. Still playing with ICE
I stitched a couple of MC100 pictures focusing on the foothills and outcrops on sol 1957 and 1959. Photos are taken at ~12h local time, so not a lot of contrast.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasappere/40187366622/sizes/o/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasappere/28440807069/sizes/o/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasappere/39509126904/sizes/o/
I also combined a recent RMI mosaic taken on sol 1961 with a MC100 picture to show the location of the outcrop that was imaged:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasappere/25350388887/sizes/o/
Great pictures, everybody - what an amazing place we are coming to! The next few years are going to be spectacular.
Phil
Sol 1962 Navcam pan :
http://www.db-prods.net/marsroversimages/Curiosity/2018/Sol1962_pano.jpg
Potential Drill Site?
L-MastCam arm workspace: Sol 1962 (MS ICE) minimal processing, some nice surface details on the exposed bedrock
Fingers crossed they get the all clear to drill... Been a while
Gregory Dubos, who works at JPL on Curiosity, recently tweeted (@astroptere) that his team is currently preparing a new drilling attempt.
Damia's new panorama for sol 1962 in circular form.
Phil
The https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/mars-rover-curiosity-mission-updates/?mu=sol-1965-torridon-pace calls for a 360 MastCam mosaic, maybe to support that they have also acquired a NavCam set of the Rover deck Should be an impressive panorama from this vantage point.
There is also a nice candidate for another iron-nickel meteorite in the arm workspace, the team are going to be here for a while if the ground is suitable to attempt drilling, so maybe they will give it a zap to see if it is iron, I hope the coating on its topside is not dust, maybe wishful thinking that is a ferrous oxide, or maybe where is was in contact with a rock (if it was buried in the sediments)
This is part of Paul's workspace mosaic (with a little patch), posted earlier, annotated with recent activities.
Phil
FYI (from Ashwin), the smaller pile (upper one in your view) is the sieved (fine-grained) sample, the larger pile the unsieved (coarse-grained) sample.
Curiosity update forthcoming.
Thanks, I was trying to decide which was which.
Phil
Go For Drilling at "Lake Orcadie" https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/mars-rover-curiosity-mission-updates/?mu=sol-1973-go-for-drilling
Suffering through a bit of an image diet here, but it looks like we had a successful drill on 1977. Here's a comparison of images 2 sols apart.
Phil
http://www.midnightplanets.com/web/MSL/image/01977/1977MR0103370010901802E01_DXXX.html
Told you! There it is.
Phil
High five to the whole team! The drought is (almost) over!
Only step 1, though, as this press release explains.
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7070
Going to try drilling again, need to be deeper to obtain a sample, but first the DRT and APXS will assess the new target (Lake Orcadie 2) roughly 7 inches to the right of the first hole. https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/mars-rover-curiosity-mission-updates/?mu=sol-1979-mars-strikes-back
Checking-Out the Phyllosilicate Trough to the SW of the rover (Telephoto RMI mosaic assembled in MS ICE, sol 1981)
Three of the recent ChemCam targets from sols 1980 & 1981.
A lovely looking vein (calcium sulfate?) A revisit to 'Black Cuillin' and yet another candidate iron meteorite (judging by the bright laser spots)... (mosaics assembled in MS ICE)
I think I may need to make a list of these candidates
Felt compelled to make the GIF (looks like a little movement in the sand grains below the target)
Sol 1982... looks like the drill happened. To my eyes it looks like it made only a small ring of tailings, suggesting only a small drill hole, possibly stopped early.
Phil
Regarding the Peace Vallis RMI images - we have two nice sequences very recently which I hope somebody will mosaic for us - you may find this new LPSC abstract useful:
https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2018/pdf/2965.pdf
Interesting information on RMI and Mastcam observations including "super-resolution" efforts.
Phil
Nice find Phil, would be nice to see those figures used in that abstract at the full resolution one day, especially the "super-resolution" observations
I've updated the annotated image of the workspace to include the new drill attempt.
Phil
Hope someone with more skills and professional applications can have a go at assembling the Peace Vallis mosaics. ICE running on my old laptop will only join these 17 of the 20 in this set from 1981, and that was after much trial and error in cropping away the bright borders (vignetting?) from the overlapping regions before dropping into ICE. No additional processing was done on the images, just cropping and then into ICE.
Thanks, Paul. That image might seem hard to interpret or do anything with (not Paul's fault! It's the geometry) but look what happens when you stretch it out vertically to counter the foreshortening:
Imagine doing this with all the mosaics of the fan. Eventually you get good coverage of large areas with lots of scope for analysis of the geomorphology.
Taking Phil's idea and running with it a bit: a rough foreshortened-corrected 40 image RMI mosaic, and an animated map-projected version overlaid on the USGS orthophoto image of Gale Crater. Will definitely need to check this out with PDS data once it's released.
Double-post just to add another attachment, which has Curiosity's current location as a red X and an outline of the RMI mosaic footprint.
Fantastic work on the RMI mosaics guys
Simple animated GIF of the second sample acquisition attempt at Lake Orcadie 2 (1.5 second blink rate)
Source frames (https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/msss/01980/mcam/1980MR0103690000901868E01_DXXX.jpg & https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/msss/01983/mcam/1983MR0103790010901898E01_DXXX.jpg) Margins added to roughly align the frames.
Now time to seek 'https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/mars-rover-curiosity-mission-updates/?mu=sol-1984-searching-for-softer-pastures'
Wow, Justin - fantastic results!
Phil
Here is my version of the sol 1984 long-distance RMI mosaic that the https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/mars-rover-curiosity-mission-updates/?mu=sol-1984-searching-for-softer-pastures mission update refers to as 'a portion of the clay unit that represents part of Curiosity's future agenda'. I have sharpened the images a little before assembling in ICE. There was also another RMI sequence of the PV fan, but I think I best leave that mosaic to Justin and the other experts
Sol 1985 Navcam panoramic
http://www.db-prods.net/marsroversimages/Curiosity/2018/Sol1985_pano.jpg
Thanks for that nice panorama! Here is a circular projection of it. You can see the tracks leading up from the previous outcrop site to the current location, almost in a straight line.
Phil
Nice work on the 360's and the circular projection
Here's the Sol 1985 L-MastCam Workspace mosaic. Unprocessed, only assembled in MS ICE.
No contact science planned on this gravelly patch of ground, so another drive is planned for https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/mars-rover-curiosity-mission-updates/?mu=sol-1986-clear-vista-on-mars heading towards the Northeast
Sol 1986 Navcam pan is already here
http://www.db-prods.net/marsroversimages/Curiosity/2018/Sol1986_pano.jpg
And thank you Paul ^^
Yes indeed, thanks! Here is a circular projection of it which I used to update the map.
Phil
A little discrepancy in names... can anyone throw any light on this situation?
Due west of our current position there is a distinctive crater at the foot of the wall of Gale crater. It seems to have been given two names:
Slangpos: https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2017/pdf/2995.pdf
Slagnos: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA22208
Slangpos looks like the correct name to me (matching the Namibian naming scheme used during the period when the ChemCam RMI mosaic was made, see link). So is Slagnos a mistake, or a separate name?
Please let me know if you have any insight into this.
Phil
Fred Calef says it’s “Slangpos” crater.
Thanks, Emily and Fred.
Phil
animation of drilling on sol 1982
Nice animation
Another drive during Sol 1989. No drive data yet but they performed a series of wheel checks at the onset of the drive, then drove for around 1 hour. I've roughly assembled the available L-NavCams in MS ICE. Edit: Looks like the rover did a turn in place after this small set was acquired.
L-NavCam mid drive imaging on Sol 1991. Roughly assembled in MS ICE
EDIT: Midnight Planets reports the drive as ~15.0m ENE
A small taste of what is to come in the 360 when all the images come down, It's going to be an interesting traverse across the trough and onto the rounded buttes and mesas of the sulfate unit
Sadly I couldn't get enough bits in the plan to finish that upper tier - I only had two frames to spend, and needed three
A postcard from Mars, sol 1981. I love how the late afternoon light enhances the relief of the hills...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasappere/39002048110/sizes/o/
Numerous small light-toned structures (crystals?) in this sol 1991 pre-drive target? I think it could be called 'Seaforth Head' as it was the only MALI target https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/mars-rover-curiosity-mission-updates/?mu=sol-1991-1992-taking-our-time-for-science
R-MastCam http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/raw/?rawid=1991MR0104350000902007E01_DXXX&s=1991.51116948775
My take on this Sol 1991 :
http://www.db-prods.net/marsroversimages/Curiosity/2018/Sol1991_pano.jpg
A mosaic of three MC100 pictures taken on sol 1987 showing nice details on the foothills and yardangs.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasappere/26994847828/sizes/o/
Very nice processing from Jan, Damia and Thomas
Sadly there's some data drop out on this telephoto RMI frames from this mosaic, so this was the best I could do with MS ICE and the available images, hopefully they will be able to command the rover to resend the affected frames? If not I am sure there will be a better version posted soon, maybe even a colour composite (hint)
Looks like this sol 1994 mosaic was targeting the stratigraphy of the edge of a Mesa from the Sulfate unit and a section of the more distant Light Toned Yardang Unit' (LTYu), the mission https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/mars-rover-curiosity-mission-updates/?mu=sols-1993-1994-castle-in-the-sandcalled for two RMI's of the Yardang unit, so hopefully this one could be extended or we have another one to look forward to.
RMI took a super-resolution sequence in the peace Valley fan on sol 1993. Here's a quick look at it. The images were registered, enlarged 3x, sharpened and merged. A comparison between part of it and one of the original images (the last one), enlarged 3x, is included. Of course, the real PDS data will give better results.
Phil
PS OK, RMI persons, how about doing this for the landing site, maybe targeted to include the bit of the backshell which Doug thought he could see...
That shows really nicely how we're perched on the ridge above some pretty steep cliffs above the plain in the north, Phil.
Another drive, looks to be Northeast (again) probably towards that CRISM target on one of Phil's wide area maps?
ICE is not behaving with the available images, maybe I'll have more success when more come down http://www.midnightplanets.com/web/MSL/sol/01996.html
Sol 1996 Navcam panoramic
http://www.db-prods.net/marsroversimages/Curiosity/2018/Sol1996_pano.jpg
The last images are down and here is the view on Sol 1993.
Jan van Driel
A RMI mosaic taken on late afternoon of sol 1981 colored with the corresponding MC100 picture:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasappere/40009424275/sizes/o/[
Beautiful image! Here's Damia's latest panorama for sol 1996 in circular form.
Phil
Sol 1996 Lmastcam pre-drive:
https://flic.kr/p/FFC8rx
Sol 1996 Lmastcam post-drive:
https://flic.kr/p/23YUzJD
Curiosity had a short drive on Sol 1998 (time stamps on the downlinked drive images show ~20 minutes. The ground does not appear to have many options for contact science, so they may choose to drive again before the weekend
A large RMI-ChemCam mosaic was taken on sols 1980 & 1981 (40 photos !) to look at Peace Vallis Channel (on the right part of the mosaic).
Top image was taken by MC100. Color transitions are somewhat weird because of debayering artifacts and JPEG compression.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasappere/40945636231/sizes/o/
When I see these images I always wonder about the trade off of putting a super telephoto camera on a rover. Not sure what the numbers in MC40 and MC100 stand for, but with 35mm nomenclature, how about a MC400 or MC800? The camera would probably be used a bit more than the ChemCam because it would give much better images of distant objects and could be in color. I know the next rover is going to have zoom MastCams, but not that wide on the telephoto end. Thoughts? If the aperture were large enough it cold do astronomy. What weight would make a camera a realistic consideration 10 kg 5 kg 2 kg 1kg 0.5 kg? I assume weight is a much bigger constraint than volume.
MC 100 field of view (around 5 degrees square) corresponds roughly to the fov of a 300-400 mm lens on a 35 mm sensor. ("100" is the focal length in mm, but the sensor is smaller than 35 mm so the fov is also smaller). For fixed speed (focal ratio) the volume and weight of the aperture lenses would increase like the square of the focal length, so either the weight gets big or you have to sacrifice speed (and perhaps resolution if you're diffraction limited).
Sol 1998 Navcam panoramic. We are approaching the bug of 2000. I mean… the 2000th sol ^^ (These sols feels like years for me)
http://www.db-prods.net/marsroversimages/Curiosity/2018/Sol1998_pano.jpg
A couple of circular panorama projections...
1998, from Damia's panorama:
Sol 2003: Edit: MP reporting it as a very short drive, maybe something went tilt? Nicely assembled Damia
Sol 2003 Navcam panoramic, in live from Mars.
http://www.db-prods.net/marsroversimages/Curiosity/2018/Sol2003_pano.jpg
Sequencing those post drive Navcams on Friday ( specifically those with ncam00272 and 273 in their file name ) I had a suspicion we might get a whole horizon if we got a tiny bit lucky. Looks like about 2 pixels to spare
Sol 1998 RMI image of the Upper Yardang Unit on Mt. Sharp.
https://flic.kr/p/25r2Kxq
https://flic.kr/p/25r2Kxq
Stunning! (I think that's the northern hemisphere of Pan in the middle)
Here is Damia's panorama in circular form - a tiny move and a turn in place, but according to the update it should have been a 50 m drive, so I think a mobility fault is what happened.
Phil
MastCam 100mm context pictures for the RMI mosaic, taken on sol 1994 at 12h26 local time:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasappere/40325079664/sizes/o/
Two ChemCam RMI mosaics from Sol 1994 and a third from Sol 2003. I believe all three are of different parts of the Upper Yardang Unit. The two on Sol 1994 are relatively close to the rover, almost due south. The third appears to be along the ridgeline further to the SW.
https://flic.kr/p/25sY4fq
https://flic.kr/p/25sY4fq by https://www.flickr.com/photos/132160802@N06/, on Flickr
https://flic.kr/p/25sY481
https://flic.kr/p/25sY481 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/132160802@N06/, on Flickr
https://flic.kr/p/HoV2Fs
https://flic.kr/p/HoV2Fs by https://www.flickr.com/photos/132160802@N06/, on Flickr
I think all of these are part of a change-monitoring campaign on the upper slopes of Mt. Sharp, as per Ryan Anderson. I had a chat with him at LPSC - there is a good chance this will be the last time this part of Mt. Sharp will be imaged with ChemCam, assuming that there are no changes detected.
Thanks, Justin. The 1994 and 1998 RMI views form a decent stereo pair. Cross-eyed:
Here is my contribution to this gorgeous RMI mosaic:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasappere/40344654384/sizes/o/
This is amazing! Thanks for everybody's efforts on the RMI imaging.
This kind of view of the upper parts of the mountain will be lost to us when we are among the lower mesas. This is as good as it will get, so I hope this kind of imaging will continue even if, as Justin suggests, the change-detection images for slope streaks will be ended.
Phil
Brilliant Thomas.
Sol 2004 (finally !) :
http://www.db-prods.net/marsroversimages/Curiosity/2018/Sol2004_pano.jpg
Thanks, Jan and Damia. Here is Damia's panorama in circular form. Don't wory Jan, I'll use yours next time!
Phil
Sol 2007 Navcam panoramic. Looks like we have taken the road south.
http://www.db-prods.net/marsroversimages/Curiosity/2018/Sol2007_pano.jpg
Thanks, Jan! Here is a circular version of it. This let me revise my map (we are a bit further south than I thought before). It will show up on the next map post.
Phil
Thanks Phil and Serpens!
I made an animated gif based on the sols 1994 - 1998 RMI stereopair Fredk showed us:
Another drive for Curiosity on Sol 2009, post-drive images not complete yet, but there is a stunning view across the trough to the SSE. Sadly not able to stitch images for the time being due to IT issues.
Regarding the trough ahead: how much is it an actual trough as opposed to a break in the slope? Does anyone have a contour map of this area like the ones Larry Crumpler posts for Opportunity?
Sol 2009 Navcam panoramic. And it looks like we are driving on some bump here.
http://www.db-prods.net/marsroversimages/Curiosity/2018/Sol2009_pano.jpg
Damia's panorama in circular form. I used it to get the new position for the map. The weird projection method I use exaggerates the size of small elevations in the foreground.
Phil
New RMI-ChemCam mosaic on sol 2010. I'm waiting for the context MastCam-100mm pictures to colorize it.
This area is located quite high on Mt Sharp. It is visible near the top of http://www.midnightplanets.com/web/MSL/image/01965/1965ML0102760110605466C00_DXXX.html taken on sol 1965.
Thanks, Jan - here is a circular view of it, showing how we are parked in an angle of the small scarp separating the upper and lower parts of the ridge.
Phil
Wow, interesting targets for ChemCam. So are we now in the area that gave a strange/interesting spectra from satellite? Can anyone add more detail to what was seen remotely and the likely nature of the blue/white broken rock---gypsum, silica, other????
Here is a circular version of Jan's panorama. We climbed the slope!
Phil
Hmm, the rocks Curiosity is looking at on Vera Rubin Ridge look kinda similar to Jake M and some of the random crater floor float rock. I wonder what the geochemistry says about their relationship?
Sol 2014 Navcam panoramic
http://www.db-prods.net/marsroversimages/Curiosity/2018/Sol2014_pano.jpg
Beautiful work Damia.
Sol 2014 Rmastcam (pre-drive):
https://flic.kr/p/25TtbpU
Sol 2014 Lmastcam (post-drive):
https://flic.kr/p/24ScqV5
Looks similar to the Garden City prominent veins observed during 2015, but this time (Sol 2016) we appear to have at least three distinct tones of material. I Believe this target is called Askival.
Mosaic of MC34 pictures taken on sol 2014:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasappere/41295836622/sizes/o/
And a saturation/contrast increased version to emphasize the diversity of rock colors:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasappere/39529705510/sizes/o/
Serpens: "Jake M turned out to be sedimentary and Emily wrote an interesting summary on the implications, although these need to be evaluated in the light of the data garnered over the past few years."
Probably a good idea to point out that Emily added this caution:
"Note: the idea that Jake M is a sedimentary, not igneous, rock is likely not the unanimous opinion of the Curiosity team. But the MAHLI team seems to be convinced."
It would be useful to know what the current majority opinion is.
Phil
Given the implications set out by Emily it would indeed be interesting to get an update. Jake M was comparatively high in silica (49-53 wt% SiO2) and rich in Aluminium (up to 16.9 wt% Al2O3) which could imply water influenced sediment.
Sol 2017 Navcam panoramic.
http://www.db-prods.net/marsroversimages/Curiosity/2018/Sol2017_pano.jpg
The latest status report at JPL mentions dust devils being seen recently. I have not done a thorough search, but the only one I noted recently was on sol 2007, shown here. The images are:
top - original image.
middle - top and bottom merged to show location of the dust cloud on top of or beyond the ridge.
bottom - original image subtracted from the previous image in the sequence and contrast stretched, showing a dust cloud - it's actually dark against the sky but shows up bright because it was subtracted from the previous image. Dark smudges near the middle of the image show where it was in the previous image.
Phil
And Damia's panorama in circular form. You can see how we hopped around the rock cluster on its north side.
Phil
Despite the fact that I should be doing some actual - you know - work - I couldn't resist checking for more dust activity. Here's a nice one from sol 1997:
Here are the sequences.
1998 cloud shadows:
Sol 2017 Lmastcam:
https://flic.kr/p/23imTSL
Just a short drive on sol 2020 - I will update the map later. It carried us back to look at a rock which was passed on sol 2014.
In this plot the 2014 and 2017 drives are in yellow and the 2020 drive is in red. The base image is Damia's image from 2017 in circular form.
Phil
And here is Jan's panorama from 2017 in circular form (Damia's had a gap).
Phil
A circular version of Jan's panorama from sol 2023.
Phil
Not one but two panoramics for today
Sol 2020
http://www.db-prods.net/marsroversimages/Curiosity/2018/Sol2020_pano.jpg
Sol 2023
http://www.db-prods.net/marsroversimages/Curiosity/2018/Sol2023_pano.jpg
Nice work Damia! I love these ripples...
Here are two photomontages of RMI zooming on veiny rocks. First is Askival but I don't know the name of the second one. Does someones know its name?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasappere/27631413138/sizes/o/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasappere/26654338997/sizes/o/
What looks like a long drive reported by Midnight Planets, Sol 2027 ~85.6m WNW. Duration was ~130 minutes, almost 10 meters downslope. Possibly retracing the path that will take the rover back to the exit ramp from the ridge. Haven't found the mission update for this sol yet
They wont be exiting AFAIK, they'll be headed to a drill site.
Thanks, Jan - here is a circular version. There are some nice large blocks northeast of this location. I wonder if they are as varied as the little rock cluster we just left.
Phil
Sol 2030 Lmastcam view:
https://flic.kr/p/26quHFd
Looks like a nice drive to the West on 2032 MP reports it at ~17 m. Certainly a room with a view
Indeed, really nice view Paul!
I tried assembling the sol 2032 Rmastcam thumbnails in Photoshop, but without success. When the full-sized images are posted, they will probably be un-Debayered.
Well we made it to the other side of Taconite crater, but I'm not sure if Curiosity Managed the 10 meters or so of decreased elevation, after a 48 meter drive mentioned in the Mission Update: https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/mars-rover-curiosity-mission-updates/?mu=sols-2034-2035-descending-vera-rubin-ridge
Jan's 2032 panorama in a circular format. On sol 2034 we moved roughly northwest to a point downhill from the northern edge of the crater.
Phil
The last image is down and here is the Navcam L view on Sol 2034.
Jan van Driel
A bit late. But still.
Sol 2030
http://www.db-prods.net/marsroversimages/Curiosity/2018/Sol2030_pano.jpg
Sol 2034
http://www.db-prods.net/marsroversimages/Curiosity/2018/Sol2034_pano.jpg
Very nice panoramas. Here is Damia's from sol 2034 in circular form.
Phil
Another stunning end-of-drive NavCam on sol 2036 appears to feature a section of the "vertical outcrop faces that are high interest targets for imaging for next week" https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/mars-rover-curiosity-mission-updates/
A wider shot...
https://flic.kr/p/JxaxVm
*edit* tidied up the sky...
https://flic.kr/p/23UY5NJ
Lovely work Sean, another great room with a view...
EDIT looks like the drive may have terminated earlier than the 50 m planned.
Sol 2036 Navcam panoramic. Indeed a beautiful place.
http://www.db-prods.net/marsroversimages/Curiosity/2018/Sol2036_pano.jpg
My take on this scenic place:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasappere/41810534141/sizes/o/
Pheew, almost walking there, Seán (processing by Thomas Appéré super)
Gorgeous...neo56.
John Moore
Great views, everyone! Here is Damia's full panorama in circular format. I needed the full view to find the location.
Phil
15 rather nice telephoto RMIs of 'Red Cliff' are now available for stitching, sadly no PC here or I'd be stitching them right now... Here's a taster...
Well, this is what Photoshop manages to do:
https://flic.kr/p/JAfggm
Another longish drive on 2040, possibly heading WSW? Maybe they're taking the scenic route back to Ireson Hill
Sol 2039 Navcam panoramic.
http://www.db-prods.net/marsroversimages/Curiosity/2018/Sol2039_pano.jpg
Sol 2039 post-drive Lmastcam view:
https://flic.kr/p/26HC363
Sol 2040 Lmastcam post-drive:
https://flic.kr/p/26P3p8p
This 2041 post drive Front HazCam appears to offer some potential drilling opportunities, with lots more options just a bump away... could be on station here for a few days if it passes muster
Super, charborob...such wonderful details.
John Moore
Here is Jan's latest panorama, sol 2040, in circular form.
Phil
Sol 2041 Lmastcam post-drive view:
https://flic.kr/p/HdeLoR
My take on the Red Cliff RMI observation, with added MastCam color imagery:
https://flic.kr/p/HevCaD
https://flic.kr/p/HevCaD
Sol 2040 Navcam panoramic. Sorry for the delay, I just forget to post it yesterday ^^
http://www.db-prods.net/marsroversimages/Curiosity/2018/Sol2040_pano.jpg
And *EDIT*, sol 2041 :
http://www.db-prods.net/marsroversimages/Curiosity/2018/Sol2041_pano.jpg
Just in: Images from a drive on sol 2044. I guess if they were targeting a good spot to give the drill a FED workout, then they've found what appears to be a nice workspace.
Sol 2044 Navcam panoramic.
http://www.db-prods.net/marsroversimages/Curiosity/2018/Sol2044_pano.jpg
It would make sense. I think there's indications that something unusual is going on within VRR itself, and with the relatively large direct sampling gap for the strat column, it might be hard to piece together what that is.
A wheel perched on a rock calls for a bump on 2046 (link not working)
Jan's 2044 panorama (left) and 2045 panorama (right) in circular form.
Phil
Screen Capture from Midnight Planets after what looks like a round the houses drive on 2047 to reach the block now in front of the rover
The Navcam L view on Sol 2047.
The first "Roadblock " on Mars?
Jan van Driel
It could be, Jan! Here is your view in a circular format. Viewing it full size shows how the tracks wrap around the big block.
Phil
Crazy rough terrain here. For the sake of the wheels I sure hope those rocks are softer than they look.
Having some IT issues so can not access Fernando's Google Mars Curiosity path etc. I'm looking for a traverse map that identifies all the names of the quadrangles the rover has passed through. Is anyone aware of such a map published by JPL or others. If not I'll go back though all the old posts and try and pierce one together TIA
Jan's panorama in circular form. The rover moved slightly south and rotated a bit before the drive halted.
Phil
2055 MAHLI at Duluth, looks like some nice scratches in the surface from the brushing and a little reddish dust which may indicate the rock is not too hard, so drilling for a sample may be possible. There is also a mark in the middle of the DRT site that could be the impression from the drill pressing on the surface, it's got the characteristic shape of the cutting edge of the drill, but it could just be wishful thinking by me. Wishing the team at JPL good luck in the next day or so with FED & then FEST
Edit: Additional images are now available, here is one of them from a lot closer, and I now believe the mark in the middle of the image is from the drill bit. I've rotated the raw image 180 degrees.
Sol 2054 Lmastcam view of Duluth:
https://flic.kr/p/HCWAGR
Very nice, Charborob!
Here is Jan's panorama for sol 2052 in circular form.
Phil
This is Jan's 2053 panorama in circular form - showing our location relative to the rock very nicely. Let's hope the drilling goes well.
Phil
Looks like we have a new sample hole on Mars, sol 2057 HazCam. Well done JPL.... fingers crossed they got some material in the drill sleeve.
Yup - visible in NavCam as well - https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/proj/msl/redops/ods/surface/sol/02057/opgs/edr/ncam/NLB_580106757EDR_F0701752NCAM00309M_.JPG
The complete view on Sol 2053-2056.
( added 3 images taken on Sol 2056 ).
Jan van Driel
The MASTCam R view on Sol 2053.
( debayered and stitched )
Jan van Driel
My take on this Sol 2053 & 2056 Navcam panoramic
http://www.db-prods.net/marsroversimages/Curiosity/2018/Sol2053-2056_pano.jpg
Looking at the reddish powdered rock residues on the upper part of the sleeve on the drill, provides further confidence they were deep enough to have obtained a sample. Now we have to see how they are going to do FEST. Or if they have developed a procedure to try and use the feed mechanism (without the load used in drilling) to rewind the sample transfer tube towards CHIMERA. Going to be interesting to see, maybe we will find out in the next mission update?
As I understand it, a tapping procedure is used with the repeated, low intensity impact vibration causing the material within the transfer tube to loosen and drop into the catchment.
Sounds interesting, I wonder if that procedure can be captured by the mast mounted cameras
Thanks Emily, it makes sense to protect the lenses, but I thought I had seen a short MastCam animation of CHIMRA releasing a sample and letting it fall out of frame of the image. Sadly I can't find it, but I think it was several years ago...
Nice RMI mosaic Jan...
IT issues are still preventing me from processing images, but I did spot this pair of sol 2059 R-MastCam frames, they appear to capture 'before & after' delivery images of portions of the Duluth powdered rock (reddish) material to the surface of a rock, as mentioned in the recent mission update:-
https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/msss/02059/mcam/2059MR0109190010903676E01_DXXX.jpg
https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/msss/02059/mcam/2059MR0109200010903678E01_DXXX.jpg
Follow on images are planned to check if the wind moves the material
The sol 2059 ChemCam/RMI mosaic colored with a MastCamR photo, in the context of a MastCamL mosaic:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasappere/41442393385/sizes/o/
Thanks Paul!
While browsing ChemCam/RMI pics of early May, I figured out that I didn't colore the Red Cliff mosaic. Here it is:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasappere/40543301900/sizes/k/
Stunning! Thanks.
Phil
I enlarged and animated the drilling sequence because I wanted to see all the rivulets and pebbles moving around
https://imgur.com/KWRRxN0.gif. standard ~1:45 between frames
https://imgur.com/KWRRxN0.gif
https://i.imgur.com/I9ngLhU.gifv
copy/paste this link if imgur is trying to redirect to the .mp4: imgur.com/I9ngLhU.gifv
https://i.imgur.com/yB8kwpg.gifv
imgur.com/yB8kwpg.gifv
edit: bonus 2056 phobos transit
Thanks antcitizen2 for this really nice animations!
Curiosity captured the sunset on sol 2060 with its MastCam 34mm camera. Enjoy the result!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasappere/42322134842/sizes/o/
antcitizen2's animation shows that even without hammering there is sufficient vibration of the rock to cause the consolidated dust around the base to slip and the rock to shed particles.
This image shows where some sample was dumped on the rock near the drill site - I don't do it here, but you can animate before and after pictures taken on sol 2059 to show where the dumped material is. There is very little to see, just scattered particles, not piles of dust as we have seen at other sample dumps.
Phil
thanks for pointing it out, it is definitely hard to spot. https://i.imgur.com/sTQCToW.gif
https://i.imgur.com/sTQCToW.gif
I also tried some more before/after comparisons with the navcam and mastcam.
I didn't notice this raft of vein material shifting up front in the previously posted https://imgur.com/yB8kwpg.gifv
imgur.com/yB8kwpg.gifv
https://i.imgur.com/d8Nd1yc.gif
https://i.imgur.com/T7ICne0.gif
https://i.imgur.com/z9LJnvF.gif- imgur.com/z9LJnvF.gif
I used Jan's mosiac as a base, and only layered the relevant, in-focus information from the next image on top of that, so the animation doesn't jump around too much
probably not a good idea to stand between the rover and this hole
2 images of larger chunks being moved
Sol 2064 L-MastCam. Before & After a Duluth sample drop onto one of the SAM port covers.
Sol 2065, another small sample dump near the first three spots. (Those first three spots are so diffuse that they could be interpreted in other ways than I show here). The black ellipse is the new location.
Phil
Needs Must!
Hopefully this will soon become commonplace on Mars. NavCam frames from sol 2068 showing the drill positioned over The CheMin inlet port (cover closed) I guess how common it becomes depends on the MAHLI images of the 1 mm screen inside the port, after sample delivery. Fingers crossed for a successful delivery and completion of test
From the Mission Update https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/mars-rover-curiosity-mission-updates/ sample delivery seems to be coming up short. Perhaps gravity has a greater impact on the amount of sample delivered than was anticipated based on trials on Earth. Or of course some other factor such a temperature, sample cohesion or even winnowing during sample delivery.
A little bit of dust blowing around down by the dunes on Sol 2060
In this Sol 2069 NR B gif, a dust devil is passing nearby.
Jan van Driel
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7149!
While we wait for the delivery to SAM lab, here is a RMI/ChemCam mosaic colorized with MastCam 100mm, taken on sol 2041:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasappere/42514491782/sizes/o/
Awesome!
It took a while before all the images where down and Debayered
but here is the Sol 1995 Mastcam L view.
Jan van Driel
The much awaited press release is finally official
'NASA Finds Ancient Organic Material, Mysterious Methane on Mars'
Link: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7154
There has been a lot more reaction in the mainstream media than on this site . . . Or is that because of rule 1.3?
ADMIN MODE: Likely, yes. However, discussion of the detection of organics is not prohibited, as long as it doesn't drift into speculation that leads to claims of life detection. For the record, that will not be discussed here unless and until there is incontrovertible peer-reviewed validated evidence and it is expressly stated by a competent authority (that means NASA or another government institution with full public support of and concurrence by the world scientific community) that such a discovery has been confirmed...and even then the admin/mod team will have to decide to allow it.
Yes, that is an extremely high standard to meet. But this Forum has been defined by such standards over time for very good reasons, and it is the core of our reputation.
In the meantime, please feel free to discuss these very interesting findings. The appropriate subform for this mission is http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?showtopic=7534&hl=. Thanks!
Sol 2072
https://flic.kr/p/2823dzb
https://flic.kr/p/282RNfo
DeBayered, image processed & extended sky.
Nice time lapse.
Nice to see the 1mm CheMin inlet port screen was clear during sol 2081 as recorded in this MAHLI
Some nice tracks in the dust on the o-tray, not sure if these are related to deck vibrations and gravity that induced the larger grains to move downslope on the tray, but it feels more likely than wind induced. Sol 2082 L-Mastcam.
The MASTCam L view on Sol 2072 Debayered and stitched.
Jan van Driel
A new MAHLI Selfie is coming down.
Here is the Sol 2082 MAHLI view. ( Not complete but the rest of the images will be added later ).
Jan van Driel
100 megapixel dust storm selfie from 2082
https://flic.kr/p/28dqrSd
repairs & extended sky
Lovely processing on the Selfie's guys ....
Curiosity had a tiny nudge away from Duluth on Sol 2084. I'd estimate it at just a few millimeters, so probably not a bump to reposition, more likely a halted drive? The weekend mission update did not get issued, so I'm not sure what was planned.
Is that Mt Sharp hidden in the fog / dust in the background?
My version of the "Dust Storm Selfie". I added the Sun, because -even very softs- there is shadow, and then, the Sun visible in the sky. Visible but very fuzzy, filtered by the abundance of dust in the sky.
http://www.db-prods.net/blog/2018/06/18/sol-2082-dust-storm-selfie/
Great job Sean and Damia! Here is my take.
Just one thing I noticed Damia: since the horizon visible on this self-portrait is northish, the Sun is on the opposite way of the portrait. So your added Sun, despite really artistic, is not physically correct. By the way, really a nice rendering!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasappere/28009944197/sizes/k/
Thanks Thomas
Actually, the Sun is in the correct place, because in the panoramic, you have the nadir point, and the whole view is covering more than 180° (it's about 200-200°). And the Sun is near the zenith, visible because of the projection used here (sterographic).
Ok Damia, I missed that point. So your Sun is right then!
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