Going To Mogollon..., ...and points South Options

[Bill Harris]

It was already said that those structures seen on previous hazcam pics (well, in all sort of cameras and filters...) were delicate.

[attachment=3535:attachment] (138k)
But what about these ones? It looks like the smallest touch could broke them.

[attachment=3536:attachment] (138k)
PS: It's time to open a new thread, don't you think so?

Good idea. That topic was "tired" and had the cord showing.

Delicate, to be sure. One thing I've noticed is that the "ledge-forming" rocks are a layer and extend to the right and left of where we camped out. I wonder if that feature is related to the bluff at Mogollon Rim?

We need to check out the "mobile dust" at that site and see if there has been more movement during the stopover.
--Bill

[Tesheiner]

Not only that, but the rover would have to make the whole way around the crater to it's southern size (northern looking wall) AND find a path into the crater.

[Toma B]

Not only that, but the rover would have to make the whole way around the crater to it's southern size (northern looking wall) AND find a path into the crater.

Oh, but we aren't going to Victoria just yet as Jim Bell says...
There are some more places around that they want to see, and maybe then they will decide that there are some more places nearby, after that there will be some more IDD to be done here, after that there will be some things that we have never seen before...
Opportunity will never reach Victoria Crater at this pace...PLEASE make up your mind and start DRIVING!!!

[Marcel]

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Opportunity will never reach Victoria Crater at this pace...PLEASE make up your mind and start DRIVING!!!

[/quote]

I can understand the frustration. I'd love to see the place as well: the possibility to reach it is there, and this will diminish every day that long drives south are postponed and mechanics and electronics are aging.

But (and it's said before often): This mission is not about pretty pictures, it's about science. About understanding what we see. Try to reconstruct what happened on this part of the surface. Relate morphology with rock/soil composition (while the cobalt source still radiates within workable levels, before it's out of operation), look for geologic context. And: do it as thoroughly as possible. This, combined with the knowledge that the quality of the scientific results is highly dependent on the quantity (that is: statistically reliable) AND te quality of the data (that is: complete, without forgetting to record just about everything that's within the capability of the instruments). And this costs time. A lot of it. And this is why we're not in Victoria (yet). It's a balance between continuing the trek across the line southward and feeding hunger for new terrain, and relating it to the knowledge that returning to a spot to fill a gap in the data is probably not going to be an option.

In other words: it's choosing between knowing some things for sure (like the prime target: pinning down water related processes), than a lot of things superficially.

[Nirgal]

But (and it's said before often): This mission is not about pretty pictures, it's about science.

My feeling is that Victoria will offer both: "pretty pictures" *and* the most valuable science at the same time
just as it has been the case with the other long distance treks to Endurance, Columbia Hill Summit
and now Home Plate. Imagine we could be still turning every pebble at "Adirondack" but so far, each time we did take the "risk" of driving longer distances to new horizons, the reward has been a whole new chapter of discoveries there
Apart from accuracy and thouroughness It has always been also the Couriosity and the explorative spirit of trying new things and taking risks that have been the drving force behind science

[Marcel]

Imagine we could be still turning every pebble at "Adirondack"

Which would make no sense, because there was nothing but volcanic rock there. Oppy however, is in a treamendous complex and interesting spot at the moment. This combined with the problems with her arm, and all the microscopic work makes that it's been a while around here. I must admit however, that continuing to another spot is about time.