MSL "Drive, drive, drive" toward Glenelg, The scientists (mostly) get the keys - sols 38-56 Options

[mhoward]

From Sol 42:

[fredk]

I'm assuming that the marked areas in the next two images, from above and from the surface, are the same feature?

Nope - that mastcam mosaic is looking west.

[dvandorn]

Nope - that mastcam mosaic is looking west.

Okay. In that case, I'm finding it really difficult finding the feature in the surface image in the overhead context. And, correct me if I'm wrong, but while the feature I marked in the overhead was more north of us at the Sol 40 position, is it not west-northwest of us now?

I suppose the mastcam mosaic in question was taken well before either of those two stops, though. Ah, well. The surface feature still looks interestingly like some kind of cemented underfloor.

-the other Doug

[Phil Stooke]

Doug - see my route map... the outcrop is due south of the sol 24 position near the SW corner of my map. I suppose it might be looked at on the way back from Glenelg towards the main science area to the west.


Phil

[centsworth_II]

Okay. In that case, I'm finding it really difficult finding the feature....

Did you check the image linked here?

[Doc]

Sol 42 drive images are up. The shadows are long and the dynamic range in the navcam images appears quite high. We've been roving late into the afternoon?

I actually thought there had been a change in the camera's default brightness/contrast settings!

[dvandorn]

Doug - see my route map... the outcrop is due south of the sol 24 position near the SW corner of my map.

Thanks! It can be a little difficult recognizing these flat-to-the-ground features from above, can't it?

-the other Doug

[akuo]

I actually thought there had been a change in the camera's default brightness/contrast settings!

While the lighting conditions do have an effect, the thinking is that there has been change to the contrast stretch and jpeg quality in the released "raw" images. See the discussion here: http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.p...mp;#entry191664

[charborob]

Here is a wider panorama of sol 42 navcams:


There is something I don't understand on the MSL raw images page:http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/raw/. The number of images in the list does not reflect the actual number of images visible. For example, for the front hazcam the list says "Sol 042 (4 img)". When I click on the link, I see only one "Full data product" and one "Thumbnail data product". This happens in many places. I'm just curious to know the reason for the discrepancy.

[Ant103]

So, even if this tosol pics are to stretched from my point of view, here is the Sol 42 navcam panoramic.



I had to be a little bit more stronger with processing, in order to retrieve a much better imagery.

[Phil Stooke]

... and the previous nice pan by Ant103 reprojected.

Phil

[Doc]

Seeing the navigation images are coming down in sets of 5 showing the same view for the past few sols, I tried stitching them all up and put together a (rough) animation to see our progress from the ground.



It is rather small so apologies for that. The full version will be on my blog in time.

[belleraphon1]

http://www.nasa.gov/news/media/newsaudio/index.html


NASA Hosts Teleconference About Mars Curiosity Rover Progress
Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 2 p.m. EDT

NASA will host a media teleconference to provide a status update on the Curiosity rover's mission to Mars' Gale Crater.

Curiosity, the Mars Science Laboratory, is 43 days into a two-year mission to investigate whether conditions may have been favorable for microbial life.

For teleconference dial-in information, reporters must send their name, media affiliation and telephone number to Elena Mejia at elena.mejia@jpl.nasa.gov or call NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Media Relations Office at 818-354-5011.

Note: A UStream player with audio of the briefing will appear here shortly before the event.
Visuals supporting the briefing are/will be available at http://go.nasa.gov/curiositytelecon.

[Zeke4ther]

JPL has been posting updates on the MSL project page.

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/news/whatsnew/...

What is interesting is that on September 17th, the use of DAN was part of the regular drive sequence.

On Sol 41, Curiosity logged 89 feet (27 meters), across the surface of Gale Crater. During this sol, for the first time, the DAN instrument (the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons investigation) was incorporated into the rover's drive sequence.

[RoverDriver]

We have been doinc DAN observations while driving for the past three drives already. Two observations on each drive.

Paolo