Endeavour Crater, And again shall we conquer the Remoteness Options

[ustrax]

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!


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

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



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?!
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...
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... ) 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...

[MarsIsImportant]

Wow! Even though I know it is a vertical exaggeration, I'm still salivating.

Will we actually get there? My assumption is yes. Given the slow degradation of certain parts of oppy what equipment will still work when we arrive?

I'm especially excited about the clays that were identified from orbit. How much science will be available once we find a handful?

[Nirgal]

Will we actually get there?
what equipment will still work when we arrive?

With the recent improvements of the RF-wheel situation I'm very optimistic about that

However it probably also depends on how much priority is given to actual driving versus long science stops ...

So it is encouraging to remember that the priority has been clearly set by the Rover's Lead from the beginning of the Trek and re-iterated in the press updates since then:

"Drive, Drive, Drive" Squyres said.

"Opportunity is going for the home run of Endeavour Crater."

http://www.planetary.org/news/2009/0131_Ma...Spirit_and.html ://http://www.planetary.org/news/2009/...pirit_and.html

And I interpret this that it's not about record breaking single-sol drives or such ... Just a couple of months of slow but safe and steady daily progress without much interruptions is all we need to make serious progress towards the destination

[BrianL]

And I interpret this that it's not about record breaking single-sol drives or such ... Just a couple of months of slow but safe and steady daily progress without much interruptions is all we need to make serious progress towards the destination

Under the current plan, a couple of months of slow, steady progress will actually take us farther away from the destination.