(Trying to) Leave WH3 Behind |
(Trying to) Leave WH3 Behind |
Jan 23 2009, 09:06 PM
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#1
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Founder Group: Chairman Posts: 14433 Joined: 8-February 04 Member No.: 1 |
Another drive today, it seems! Take it easy Scott, these sorts of speeds we'll get dizzy!
Doug |
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Feb 24 2009, 02:41 PM
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#2
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 3431 Joined: 11-August 04 From: USA Member No.: 98 |
I kind of wanted to see the west route anyway. Still, this is sobering, isn't it.
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Feb 24 2009, 09:00 PM
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#3
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Member Group: Members Posts: 530 Joined: 21-March 06 From: Canada Member No.: 721 |
I kind of wanted to see the west route anyway. Still, this is sobering, isn't it. Yes, valuable time has been lost trying to conquer the north face of Everest. C'est la vie... I'm wondering if they are going to continue west, or was this just to back up onto some known good ground before heading east? Perhaps through Silica Valley, perhaps another climb spot? |
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Feb 24 2009, 09:33 PM
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#4
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 3431 Joined: 11-August 04 From: USA Member No.: 98 |
Yes, valuable time has been lost trying to conquer the north face of Everest. C'est la vie... I'm wondering if they are going to continue west, or was this just to back up onto some known good ground before heading east? Perhaps through Silica Valley, perhaps another climb spot? As Doug already explained, the route they were attempting was essentially the same one that got us over to Silica Valley the first time. There is no other direct route to Silica Valley that I am aware of. That route is hardly the north face of Everest, but it appears to be closed to us now, presumably due to the failure of the right front wheel. It is that observation that I was referring to as "sobering." It is a painful dose of reality: Spirit just can no longer climb, or even drive, like she used to. We knew that, but didn't want the reminder. Still, I'm sure Spirit will carry on. Hers has never been the easy path, yet look how far she's come. I would actually be curious to see what happened if she tried tackling HP head-on again, rather than obliquely, but at a point where it's not so steep. (In other words, turn hard left and just gun it ) Based on what's been said though, I'm not expecting to see that. |
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Feb 24 2009, 11:41 PM
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#5
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 4252 Joined: 17-January 05 Member No.: 152 |
turn hard left and just gun it It appears to have been the loose soil that defeated Spirit on this latest attempt to climb onto HP, rather than the steepness. If there were a rocky slope on the north side of HP, significantly less steep than WH3, then perhaps that would be worth a try. As we keep pointing out, she made it up on sol 1306 with five good wheels. |
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Feb 25 2009, 07:09 AM
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#6
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Member Group: Admin Posts: 976 Joined: 29-September 06 From: Pasadena, CA - USA Member No.: 1200 |
It appears to have been the loose soil that defeated Spirit on this latest attempt to climb onto HP, rather than the steepness. If there were a rocky slope on the north side of HP, significantly less steep than WH3, then perhaps that would be worth a try. As we keep pointing out, she made it up on sol 1306 with five good wheels. That is correct. We tried different strategies and drive directions but the results were the same. We will try to drive around the NE corner of HP next. Snce we do not have good imagery of that area we will try to get NAVCAM and PCAM from a vantage point a bit to the north from here (at least that's what I heard before leaving last week). Paolo -------------------- Disclaimer: all opinions, ideas and information included here are my own,and should not be intended to represent opinion or policy of my employer.
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Feb 25 2009, 04:38 PM
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#7
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Member Group: Members Posts: 146 Joined: 31-October 08 Member No.: 4473 |
It seems not unreasonable to speculate that the very deep soft soil that foiled the latest attempts to climb atop HP was a loose-dust-filled former wind scour under an overhanging edge of the relatively hard and strong HP layered deposits. (Presumably, the HP mud volcano filled a bowl-shaped depression, either a meteor or explosion crater.) In most cases around HP, the accumulation of regolith from the eroding edge of HP provides some sort of of pavement and packing, but not in the spot Spirit was trying to climb.
Just to the E of Spirit's position is an area of horizontal-lying rock slabs that could be a deposit of "mud lava" outflowing from HP. The satellite pics also seem to show a tongue sticking out N from HP. This could represent an alternate access path onto HP. However, the slabs are quite fragmented, with large chunks of this rock, plus vesiculated boulders, so picking a way through this would be challenging. Good luck to the Rover Drivers, I do hope to get a better look at Von Braun... (pitcher's mound). |
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