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Endeavour Crater, And again shall we conquer the Remoteness
ustrax
post Sep 29 2008, 03:13 PM
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Opportunity is getting ready to embark on her most extraordinary journey, a true rover epic.
As information regarding how to win the distance are being collected here, and the emotional last views from Victoria Crater are being discussed here, I thought about creating a new thread that will surely become an obligatory stop as the tall peaks and other features of Endeavour start to rise in the horizon.
Here we will be able to discuss the location of features seen from the distance, references that will help us understanding better what we are seing and that will, fortunately, feed our spirit across the long sail across the Meridiani sandwaves.

Ultreya! smile.gif


I give it a kick with this navcam image, comparing it with Astro0's original (beautiful...) image:
Attached Image

I'm sure James Canvin will correct me... rolleyes.gif



EDITED: I can't resist...I tried! I honestly tried, but it is stronger than me...so many features ahead and not a single name?! tongue.gif
Seriously, at Victoria we had features named after places visited by the vessel, and now for Endeavour? Assuming that Oppy will succeed on her quest will the mission keep the same policy, of naming places after Endeavour's tour? If so, there may be some names in common with Victoria... unsure.gif
While we are ready to leave the port once more I remembered that we could start naming, internally, (in order to have catchier landmark references... rolleyes.gif ) these features, as they loom in the horizon, after the ship's crew.
We could follow the order presented here.
Let me just edit the image up there... rolleyes.gif


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"Ride, boldly ride," The shade replied, "If you seek for Eldorado!"
Edgar Alan Poe
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Stu
post Oct 3 2008, 08:05 AM
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That's really nice, Ant... love the way you've put the name "Endeavour" actually beyond the horizon, I would NEVER have thought of doing that! smile.gif

On the poetry thing... I sometimes worry about posting mine (or lines from other poems) here, because I am very aware that not everyone "gets it", and some people probably think this isn't actually the place for waxing lyrical about space exploration when it's such a Hard Engineering subject. But I like to think there's room for everyone here: the engineer who takes delight in learning and talking about gear ratios, thresholds and performance limits, etc... the geologist who sees a subtle but serene beauty in the cracks in and planes of a dust-coated rock sitting exposed on the surface... the meteorologist who smiles with understanding when they see cotton wool clouds drifting like Scooby Doo ghosts across the pink martian sky... the dreamer who refuses to accept that something is 'clearly impossible' and pushes the rovers on with the sheer force of their passion... the poet, like me, who can't create scientifically useful driving maps but can, occasionally, string a few words together to illustrate the drama and excitement of this amazing, thrilling time, and help people look beyond the rovers' polished metal to glimpse the very human hearts beating within them...

I know, I know, there I go again. I know they're just robots, lifeless shapes of metal being driven by remote control from far across the solar system, mindless automatons with no feelings, no emotions of their own, and maybe it is silly to write poetry about them, but it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up every time I realise that we - mankind - dared to dream we could build such machines, then designed them, built them and flung them across the solar system to explore an alien world on our behalf, and are now seeing Mars through their eyes. I can't imagine how Paolo, Scott and Sharon feel as they sit down to actually drive Spirit and Oppy across Mars, but I do know that they won't just think of it as driving a robot; they're exploring, in the truest sense of the word, and, magically, we're looking over their shoulders as they go...

We might not reach Endeavour. But we might. We just might. But whatever happens, Oppy won't set off on her long drive alone; we'll all be walking alongside her, in spirit at least, keeping her company, trekking south across the great plain of Meridiani towards a new horizon and a new adventure. We'll all find something different to thrill and excite us along the way, making new pictures, writing new poems and creating new maps along the way. And in a hundred years time, when Oppy rests in the Museum of Exploration on Mars, and is seen every sol by hundreds of fascinated visitors, they'll look back on this time and envy us - us! - for accompanying her on her journey.


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Greg Hullender
post Oct 4 2008, 01:07 AM
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QUOTE (Stu @ Oct 3 2008, 12:05 AM) *
On the poetry thing... I sometimes worry about posting mine (or lines from other poems) here, because I am very aware that not everyone "gets it", and some people probably think this isn't actually the place for waxing lyrical about space exploration when it's such a Hard Engineering subject.


I think I can find at least one example of a deeply moving poem that's at least close to the subject:

QUOTE
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of—wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air....

Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark nor even eagle flew—
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

--John Magee, "High Flight"


I don't know about anyone else, but "High Flight" always chokes me up, and I cannot read it aloud.

That said, I have to say none of the rover poems works for me. The style seems fine, the words seem to be well-chosen, the rhyme and meter are pleasing -- but something leaves me cold. I'd like to say something helpful about that, since I feel Spirit and Opportunity ought to be at least as inspiring as a Spitfire, so I'll say I think the reason the poems leave me unmoved is that they really are just about the two machines. I guess I'm not satisfied with them just being machines -- I want them to be symbols of something much greater. If a rover "feels" something, I don't want it to be an actual physical malfunction -- I want it to be something felt by all of us who want to reach for the stars. I wish I could be more precise.

Yes, I know it's unreasonable to expect something as good as "High Flight." :-) Yet sometimes it doesn't seem like you're that far away from it. Don't mean to offend -- just wanted to offer some feedback that might actually be useful.

--Greg
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ustrax
post Oct 4 2008, 06:08 PM
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QUOTE (Greg Hullender @ Oct 4 2008, 02:07 AM) *
I think I can find at least one example of a deeply moving poem that's at least close to the subject:


That is a fantastic poem, thank you, personally, for introducing me to it and, although I do not entirely concur with you about Stu's poems, there have been, at least, two poems through which this mission has been fueled by, well, I personally didn't know these so, at least for me, they work as my two favourite works so far...El Dorado by Poe and Ithaca by Kavafis, and these you can't disassociate from the sols we've been through...
Engineering, science, astronomy...man...that without the "pilgrim shadow", that without " what Ithaca means", that without, "Ectasy of Gold" (my own MER soundtrack...) wouldn't mean a thing...

And even if the words don't work out for you I am sure, beyond UMSF there's someone dreaming about an Atkinson's Mars... smile.gif

TheChemist...don't tell me you have reached that poem only know?!... tongue.gif


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"Ride, boldly ride," The shade replied, "If you seek for Eldorado!"
Edgar Alan Poe
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Posts in this topic
- ustrax   Endeavour Crater   Sep 29 2008, 03:13 PM
- - jamescanvin   QUOTE (ustrax @ Sep 29 2008, 04:13 PM) I...   Sep 29 2008, 04:05 PM
|- - climber   QUOTE (jamescanvin @ Sep 29 2008, 06:05 P...   Sep 29 2008, 04:30 PM
|- - ustrax   QUOTE (jamescanvin @ Sep 29 2008, 05:05 P...   Sep 29 2008, 04:44 PM
- - ilbasso   Looking back at this thread from two years ago, I ...   Sep 29 2008, 04:24 PM
- - charborob   We should be on the lookout also for the ridge on ...   Sep 29 2008, 04:34 PM
- - fredk   QUOTE (ustrax @ Sep 29 2008, 04:13 PM) I ...   Sep 29 2008, 05:17 PM
|- - Pertinax   QUOTE (fredk @ Sep 29 2008, 01:17 PM) Tha...   Sep 29 2008, 07:34 PM
- - jamescanvin   Anyone remember those 'Inverse polar' imag...   Sep 29 2008, 06:33 PM
|- - ustrax   James... I like that...a lot! It looks...   Sep 29 2008, 06:48 PM
- - climber   So James Cook () isn't Rui's Cook, correct...   Sep 29 2008, 07:53 PM
- - climber   I'm pretty sure I already said that somewhere ...   Sep 29 2008, 08:06 PM
- - Shaka   Is it possible that the correct term was not ...   Sep 29 2008, 09:14 PM
- - jamescanvin   QUOTE (ustrax @ Sep 29 2008, 07:48 PM) It...   Sep 29 2008, 09:14 PM
- - Bobby   Does anyone have any idea how deep Endeavour Crate...   Sep 29 2008, 10:52 PM
- - Astro0   Not sure if this alternate view of Endeavour crate...   Sep 29 2008, 11:14 PM
- - Phil Stooke   That's really nice. You can see how the Meridi...   Sep 30 2008, 12:34 AM
|- - ustrax   Really, really nice! Looking at this old i...   Sep 30 2008, 06:38 AM
|- - jamescanvin   QUOTE (ustrax @ Sep 30 2008, 07:38 AM) Ja...   Sep 30 2008, 10:31 AM
|- - climber   QUOTE (jamescanvin @ Sep 30 2008, 12:31 P...   Sep 30 2008, 10:49 AM
|- - ustrax   James is my hero!... A perfect match! ...   Sep 30 2008, 11:14 AM
|- - jamescanvin   QUOTE (ustrax @ Sep 30 2008, 12:14 PM) A ...   Sep 30 2008, 12:11 PM
|- - ustrax   QUOTE (jamescanvin @ Sep 30 2008, 01:11 P...   Sep 30 2008, 02:19 PM
- - Ant103   Astro0 : I'm curious to know how do you obtain...   Sep 30 2008, 08:56 AM
- - djellison   It's from the HRSCView website - from MEX HRSC...   Sep 30 2008, 09:12 AM
- - climber   For quite a while, we're going to extract as m...   Sep 30 2008, 10:45 AM
- - Astro0   Ant103 - "I'm curious to know how do you ...   Sep 30 2008, 12:24 PM
- - djellison   I've tried using that HRSC DEM for animation -...   Sep 30 2008, 12:45 PM
- - rogelio   Hypothetical question (and pardon if this is isn’t...   Sep 30 2008, 02:43 PM
|- - djellison   QUOTE (rogelio @ Sep 30 2008, 03:43 PM) H...   Sep 30 2008, 03:06 PM
- - Stu   Ustrax, I have nothing to contribute to this amaz...   Sep 30 2008, 03:15 PM
|- - dvandorn   QUOTE (Stu @ Sep 30 2008, 10:15 AM) ...ha...   Sep 30 2008, 04:01 PM
|- - ustrax   QUOTE I have nothing to contribute to this amazing...   Sep 30 2008, 05:08 PM
- - Ant103   QUOTE (djellison @ Sep 30 2008, 02:45 PM)...   Sep 30 2008, 03:20 PM
- - djellison   Why do you need to ask me if you can try? The dat...   Sep 30 2008, 03:43 PM
- - Ant103   Okay Doug, I misunderstand. Sorry.   Sep 30 2008, 04:24 PM
- - Phil Stooke   Wow, Other Doug, I didn't think anybody would ...   Sep 30 2008, 04:34 PM
- - marswiggle   Fortunately I long ago downloaded and saved some i...   Sep 30 2008, 05:21 PM
|- - ustrax   QUOTE (marswiggle @ Sep 30 2008, 06:21 PM...   Sep 30 2008, 06:49 PM
- - charborob   Using these images, would it be possible by triang...   Sep 30 2008, 06:23 PM
- - ilbasso   In spite of the dusty, cold weather, We're off...   Sep 30 2008, 07:11 PM
- - marswiggle   QUOTE (ustrax @ Sep 30 2008, 06:49 PM) ma...   Sep 30 2008, 07:45 PM
- - marswiggle   These include the long baseline images I used (...   Sep 30 2008, 07:55 PM
- - Tesheiner   One of the peaks can be clearly seen on the today...   Sep 30 2008, 09:30 PM
|- - climber   QUOTE (Tesheiner @ Sep 30 2008, 11:30 PM)...   Sep 30 2008, 09:49 PM
|- - ustrax   Tesheiner...don't you ever sleep?! I'v...   Oct 1 2008, 12:13 AM
- - Phil Stooke   Rogelio asked if Opportunity might have gone somew...   Oct 1 2008, 12:53 AM
- - ElkGroveDan   I would add to the "if we knew" possibil...   Oct 1 2008, 03:42 AM
- - Stu   One for our Cheerleader...   Oct 1 2008, 05:48 AM
- - Stu   I know Oppy will never reach it, but I still think...   Oct 1 2008, 01:28 PM
|- - Tesheiner   QUOTE (Stu @ Oct 1 2008, 03:28 PM) I know...   Oct 1 2008, 02:22 PM
||- - Stu   QUOTE (Tesheiner @ Oct 1 2008, 03:22 PM) ...   Oct 1 2008, 03:35 PM
|- - climber   QUOTE (Stu @ Oct 1 2008, 03:28 PM) I know...   Oct 1 2008, 04:53 PM
- - ElkGroveDan   How about...Medusa.   Oct 1 2008, 01:31 PM
|- - TheChemist   QUOTE (ElkGroveDan @ Oct 1 2008, 04:31 PM...   Oct 1 2008, 01:41 PM
|- - climber   QUOTE (ElkGroveDan @ Oct 1 2008, 03:31 PM...   Oct 1 2008, 04:59 PM
- - djellison   Medusa, whos head Persus gave to......ATHENA (our ...   Oct 1 2008, 01:44 PM
|- - ustrax   Is that a challenge?...Accepted! Jiigurru (...   Oct 1 2008, 02:09 PM
|- - mhoward   QUOTE (djellison @ Oct 1 2008, 06:44 AM) ...   Oct 1 2008, 05:03 PM
- - eoincampbell   Was Ithaca dropped in favor of Endeavor for Big Cr...   Oct 2 2008, 04:25 AM
- - Astro0   Ithaca is just what we've been calling the big...   Oct 2 2008, 06:04 AM
- - Astro0   Stu, I hope you don't mind, but your latest pr...   Oct 2 2008, 07:59 AM
|- - Stu   QUOTE (Astro0 @ Oct 2 2008, 08:59 AM) Stu...   Oct 2 2008, 01:18 PM
- - climber   What will we be without these two ... (not talki...   Oct 2 2008, 08:27 AM
- - charborob   Here are some very rough straight-line distance es...   Oct 2 2008, 04:33 PM
|- - ustrax   Astro0, the image in that second poster is simply ...   Oct 2 2008, 07:54 PM
- - Stu   Rui... want to share these with you... Exultation...   Oct 2 2008, 08:42 PM
|- - ustrax   Stu, impossible to imagine this mission without it...   Oct 3 2008, 07:17 AM
- - Ant103   This become a poetry room Astro0 : great posters...   Oct 3 2008, 07:44 AM
- - Stu   That's really nice, Ant... love the way you...   Oct 3 2008, 08:05 AM
|- - Tesheiner   QUOTE (Stu @ Oct 3 2008, 10:05 AM) I know...   Oct 3 2008, 08:25 AM
||- - ustrax   James, still sleeping? There's work to be done...   Oct 3 2008, 09:48 AM
|- - RoverDriver   QUOTE (Stu @ Oct 3 2008, 12:05 AM) ... On...   Oct 3 2008, 05:21 PM
||- - ustrax   Paolo, I know that you are on the engineering side...   Oct 3 2008, 07:01 PM
||- - climber   QUOTE (ustrax @ Oct 3 2008, 09:01 PM) Pao...   Oct 3 2008, 07:18 PM
||- - RoverDriver   QUOTE (ustrax @ Oct 3 2008, 11:01 AM) Pao...   Oct 3 2008, 07:56 PM
||- - ustrax   I can understand Paolo, I really can, but if you c...   Oct 3 2008, 08:10 PM
|- - Greg Hullender   QUOTE (Stu @ Oct 3 2008, 12:05 AM) On the...   Oct 4 2008, 01:07 AM
|- - ustrax   QUOTE (Greg Hullender @ Oct 4 2008, 02:07...   Oct 4 2008, 06:08 PM
||- - ustrax   Just received an e-mail...looks like Jim Bell jgot...   Oct 4 2008, 06:51 PM
||- - TheChemist   QUOTE (ustrax @ Oct 4 2008, 09:08 PM) The...   Oct 4 2008, 07:03 PM
||- - Greg Hullender   QUOTE (ustrax @ Oct 4 2008, 11:08 AM) . ....   Oct 4 2008, 10:00 PM
|- - djellison   QUOTE (Greg Hullender @ Oct 4 2008, 02:07...   Oct 4 2008, 09:29 PM
- - Tesheiner   Rui, that image is looking north so not related to...   Oct 3 2008, 10:12 AM
|- - ustrax   QUOTE (Tesheiner @ Oct 3 2008, 11:12 AM) ...   Oct 3 2008, 10:20 AM
- - climber   Stu, You're so right. Just look at the posts ...   Oct 3 2008, 10:55 AM
|- - ustrax   QUOTE (climber @ Oct 3 2008, 11:55 AM) Th...   Oct 3 2008, 11:29 AM
- - Phil Stooke   Rui's hill is the big drift fringing Duck Bay....   Oct 3 2008, 11:55 AM
- - Tman   Could/should be the rim of the Duck Bay.   Oct 3 2008, 11:57 AM
- - Bobby   Hi Ustrax Where is Pando??? No reply from him S...   Oct 3 2008, 07:10 PM
|- - climber   QUOTE (Bobby @ Oct 3 2008, 09:10 PM) Hi U...   Oct 3 2008, 07:20 PM
- - Bobby   Thanks Climber Yes I did miss that post and thank...   Oct 3 2008, 07:29 PM
- - TheChemist   In view of the publicity Kavafis got in UMSF, it i...   Oct 3 2008, 11:45 PM
- - Shaka   Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To ...   Oct 4 2008, 10:12 PM
|- - ustrax   "...Come, my friends, 'Tis not too late t...   Oct 4 2008, 11:27 PM
- - CosmicRocker   /me wipes a tear from his eye and provides hugs fo...   Oct 5 2008, 06:50 AM
|- - Shaka   QUOTE (CosmicRocker @ Oct 4 2008, 08:50 P...   Oct 5 2008, 07:46 AM
|- - ustrax   QUOTE (CosmicRocker @ Oct 5 2008, 07:50 A...   Oct 5 2008, 11:59 AM
|- - BrianL   QUOTE (CosmicRocker @ Oct 5 2008, 01:50 A...   Oct 5 2008, 02:52 PM
- - CosmicRocker   We probably should not go there. I am crying ag...   Oct 5 2008, 07:55 AM
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