Where Is Spirit Right Now? Options

[ustrax]

Hi Ustrax, it still looks too steep, I think according to what has been said by SS that Spirit is going to make a bigger curve around Husband Hill to end up at the southern part of the summit, to have a look at the Inner Basin, or, Ultreya!
You must be very thrilled, but don't worry, I am too, exciting times...
Nico

Do you mean something like this?:

<b>Operation Summit</b>

Phase Alfa - <i>Direct Assault</i>
Failed

Phase Bravo I - <i>Reach Out for Ultreya</i>
Present Action

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v352/ust...loc3_sol311.jpg

Phase Bravo II - <i>Ascension</i>
If justified after Phase Bravo II concluded

[alan]

That makes sense, drive south along along an easy route. Then attack the summit from the south, keeping the solar panels tilted toward the sun just in case the dust storms get bad.

[alan]

Prediction: wider view from the navcam tomorrow.

[dilo]

That makes sense, drive south along along an easy route. Then attack the summit from the south, keeping the solar panels tilted toward the sun just in case the dust storms get bad.

Alan, considering that Spirit actually lies in the southern emisphere, I'm worried that climbing from South could be too critical for solar panels, even without dust storms!

[alan]

Mars is approaching the southern summer, the sun should be moving into the southern sky.

[dilo]

Mars is approaching the southern summer, the sun should be moving into the southern sky.

oops, I didn't consider season...
At this point, climbing from South should be best strategy!

[Guest_Edward Schmitz_*]

Since Spirit is 14 degrees south, the sun is only in the southern sky for a short time around the solstice. Did we just pass that or is it still coming up? No matter... the sun should be very high in the sky.

[Redstone]

The southern solstice is August 17. By the way, Mars perihelion was two days ago.

[alan]

Wider view from current location

[alan]

8x2 pancam mosaic

when they finish downloading this it should be 9x2 in color

[Nix]

nice!

[dilo]

From rightmost two images, I identified the main horizon features (processed in order to enhance far details, angles measured from South direction, satellite map is upside-down):

[Guest_Myran_*]

Thank you Dilo for your dedicated work, also you Alan.
Arrived here from Exploratorium and even after a year I still browse those images amazed over the fact of being able to get almost daily updates, this time I happened upon something I was unable to identify.

http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/spirit/pa...AKP2291R2M1.JPG
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/spirit/pa...AKP2291L2M1.JPG

Its also seen on the lower left on Alans stiched-together image.
To me it looks like a small shallow depression of small gravel or perhaps the kind of salts already found elsewhere in these hills.
We might get to read about it is its investigated, but if its not, anyone interested giving their views or tell me im wrong and that it's just one uninteresting patch.

[Guest_Edward Schmitz_*]

To me it looks like a small shallow depression of small gravel or perhaps the kind of salts already found elsewhere in these hills.
We might get to read about it is its investigated, but if its not, anyone interested giving their views or tell me im wrong and that it's just one uninteresting patch.

Think you are talking about the light feature on the center right of the image. This does not look like a depression to me. Looks like a large flat rock of the type we were seeing at the base of west spur. Posibly altered by water. There were quite a few rocks (can't name them) that had a nodgular appearence and were hemitite bearing at the base of west spur. My best guess from limited information.

[Guest_Myran_*]

Edward Schmitz wrote: Think you are talking about the light feature on the center right of the image

Thank you for the reply, yes its center right on exploratorium image, and down left on Alans composite one.
And you are right, to me it was one ayetwister where I one moment viewed it as somewhat bowl-like feature the other as a flattish area of pepples or gravel.
But you are most likely right, that its one 'nodular' rock that perhaps even got some goethite or hematite.

Edit june 21: Got a better view of it now on todays set of images and feel all happy since it do look interesting and seems Edward Schmitz is correct also.

http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/spirit/pa...AKP2576L7M1.JPG