Up to date, tracks were only discernible on cProto images, and this one has "normal" resolution.

Our "friend" Pancam tracking web tells us that today (sol 612) is driving day.
But it's quite strange to find it AND at the same time an indication that no picture from sol 610 (previous planned drive) is available.

Last time a similar think happened with Oppy was on sols 597-598 due to a sw issue.

Thanks Pando for this very nice view. Are you able to show the entire crater? It seems there is a possible "ramp" just at the left rim part. Do we already know the rough slope?

Do I missed out on the health of Oppy? Why couldn't we reach it? What's up?

> Do we already know the rough slope?

Well, MOLA data gave us the crater's depth...

I hope that the zone where there is wind streak, at the north rim of Victoria crater *would be a good place* to help to clean Oppy's panel solar since when the speed of wind passes along a narrow sides, an example between two stones or rocks of rim, is considered of greater speed than the other zones.

Rodolfo

Just to extend a little bit on this point, NO image from any sequence planned for sols 610 and 611 has been downlinked until now (sol 612.2).

Thanks for the link to the image. Notice that the two streaks on the right seem to widen as you move from the point of origin.
I have argued that this characteristic of some *wind-blown* streaks on Mars is indicative of material being vented:

=========================================
Newsgroups: sci.astro, alt.sci.planetary, sci.geo.geology
From: rgregorycl...@yahoo.com (Robert Clark)
Date: 13 Feb 2004 07:03:49 -0800
Local: Fri, Feb 13 2004 11:03 am
Subject: Re: Active volcanic vent on Mars?

David Knisely <ka0...@navix.net> wrote in message <news:O7_Wb.96$FO.93@fe01.usenetserver.com>...
> Robert Clark wrote:
> > Take a look at a hires image on this page:

> > Portion of Valles Marineris.
> > http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/in...fobjectid=34528

> Nope, sorry, its no volcanic vent. Its just a small dark albedo feature which
> is underexposed enough so that you can't see the underlying topography. It
> shows up in the MGS Atlas pretty well as a teardrop-shaped darker spot, and is
> also visible in the old Viking MDIM images. Clear skies to you.
> --


Take a look at a hires image on the page, in either JPEG or TIFF
format.
The dark material gives the definite appearance of emanating from the
crater. It also has a key characteristic suggestive of a geyser or a
vent: the dark material is light right next to the vent but heavier
further away. This is suggestive of material being thrown up with some
velocity and then coming back down some distance away.
Another key characteristic of a vent or geyser I consider to be the
fact that the origin is quite small compared to the widest portion of
the dark area. If this was just a wind blown deposit it wouldn't widen
out to this degree. It remain more or less the same width as the
origin.
A noted Valles Marineris expert has argued for recent volcanism in
Marineris.

More on RECENT(?) Dark Volcanic Patches in the Valles Marineris, Mars
Lucchitta, B. K.
LUNAR AND PLANETARY SCIENCE XVII, PP. 496-497.
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/bib_quer...LPI....17..496L

Bob Clark
========================================

Note that streaks on slopes also widen as you move down slope but these are gravitational driven rather than wind driven as in these cases.


Bob Clark

The edge of Erebus is very strange, and gets odder the more i look at it!

Bob Shaw

Even if Opportunity manages to keep it together software-wise, I suspect, from the images that the soft sand/dust around Victoria's rim may prove an insurmountable obstacle.

So where would/should Opportunity go instead?

Will JPL keep operating the rovers even if they can no longer roam? They can monitor dust devils at least.

I suspect that they should try their best to get to Victoria Crater, but continue to gather the information they can from Erebus, and everywhere else they can. If my guess is right and they can't get up the rim of Victoria, then they should probably just keep driving South looking for chemical variations.

Insurmountable? I dont' think so.
Very difficult and time consuming, yes. Once we get to those bigger dunes/ripples seen on sol 608 panos we should know if Oppy can simply cross by them or would make a detour.

That new MOC image is nice. Thanks for posting it, SigurRosFan. I am now more excited about getting to Victoria.

Regarding earlier comments that there is not an ejecta blanket around Victoria, it appears to me there is an ejecta blanket, as evidenced by the irregular terrace surrounding the crater, at approximately a distance of 0.5-1 Victoria diameter from its rim.

While there are significant fields of large drifts between Erebus and Victoria, I don't see large drifts on the ejecta blanket around Victoria, so I suspect roving there will be easy.

Didn't Opportunity spot some sandy layers in the lowest outcrops visible in Endurance? I seem to remember something about basaltic sands being observed, perhaps with the mini-TES. Those western ramps into Victoria look like places where deeper strata might be accessible, but the evaporite promontories on the eastern and southern sides look like good places from which to take panoramas.

All this talk about software problems and missing images is worrying me.

I'll agree with your observations about the ejecta blanket: it is there, but the surface is not a soft, sandy purgatory. This is evident because there are no wind-generated ripples, even downwind of the windgaps in Victoria's rim. Not to be ole "Mr.Negative", but my fear is that the surface might be covered with melon-to-desk sized boulders, like a Viking landing site, which would make going a PITA. Remember, at orbital resolution, the Viking-x site looked smooth as a baby's butt, but might have been impassible via Rover.

The software issue is worrisome. but we humans get bit creaky and crotchety when we get past The Big Six-Oh, so I guess Oppy can do the same when she gets past The Big Six-Oh-Oh. That is why it is important to do as much science as possible along the way...

--Bill

In the Forum Get-together discussion there was a suggestion made to meet in Arizona so that a field trip to the Barringer crater could be done. That got me to thinking about how Barringer compares to Victoria, and the following image is what hatched. Both images are presented at the same scale, with North UP.

Enjoy!

--Bill