After Victoria..., .. what next? Options

[Stu]

I know we've had rather light-hearted discussions about this before, with most people agreeing that Oppy is likely to end her days inside or on the edge of Victoria Crater, simply because there's nothing else to investigate within reach, but has Steve S got it in his mind that Oppy will head off somewhere else after Victoria? This report could be read in a way that suggests that...

[climber]

Listening SS on the TPS interview I've realized that we can now say that the size of the lake/sea at Meridiani was at least 6 km big in the direction Endurance-Victoria. SS said that they've found basicaly the same stuff in both crater.
So, one advantage, getting to Ithaca, will be to extend this ground proof both in a second dimension and in size.

[dburt]

...I've realized that we can now say that the size of the lake/sea at Meridiani was at least 6 km big in the direction Endurance-Victoria. SS said that they've found basicaly the same stuff in both crater...

Climber - "Basically the same stuff" in both craters does not mean there was a lake/sea there, because the sediments are clearly not lake or sea beds. They are cross-bedded, obviously transported sediments, derived from some place else via either wind transport (according to SS et al.) or via impact reworking (according to Knauth et al.).

Regarding the later discussion, I still drive (and abuse) a 1985 4WD pickup truck with its original engine and transmission. It had 7 years and 100 k+ miles on it when I bought it. I love that go-anywhere vehicle, even though it has developed some obvious quirks and rattles with age. So don't write 4-year old Oppy off yet.

-- HDP Don