Time for a new topic in line with Curiosity's new location.
MSL 1726 with extended sky...
https://flic.kr/p/Veob9m
left
EDITED Having no luck with the 1727 end-of-drive NavCams using MS ICE... So here is a roughly assembled long distance (~100 meters) RMI Mosaic of a section the Vera Rubin Ridge, only four of the 5 frames have been released as 'enhanced data products'.
Here is 2km square of Vera Rubin Ridge & beyond made with best available HiRISE data & compressed to fit within Sketchfab constraints.
https://skfb.ly/68Fxz
The 8k texture limit covers approx 2km sq.
Scaled for VR so you can start wandering from Sol 1727 location.
Cropped 1727 R-MastCam mosaic (2 frames in MS ICE, sharpened with 1 meter-long scale bar added), features what I believe to be https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/mars-rover-curiosity-mission-updates/?mu=sol-1727-blog-little-bit-of-everything The sedimentary layers appear to be a little odd / puzzling for mudstone? Likely a valid explanation for these cross bedding like features (thin mineral filled fractures?)
Slightly ahead of schedule...here is the 2km tile beyond Vera Rubin Ridge using best available HiRISE data squished into Sketchfab & scaled for VR
This is Jan's panorama for sol 1726 - the one clearly showing the ridge - in circular form.
Phil
The first of wheel checkout MAHLI images acquired on 1729 are down. Lovely lighting and superb location.
Debayered & extended sky of Vera Rubin Ridge, Sol 1726
https://flic.kr/p/VQSsg1
My take on this MC100 mosaic of Vera Rubin Ridge:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasappere/34997268710/sizes/o/
Impressive work debayering / processing those MastCams
Thanks for the Sketchfabs Sean, I will say it enhances my quality of life flying around future MSL terrain like this!
Here's an interssting composition from http://www.midnightplanets.com/web/MSL/image/01729/1729MH0001900010304846C00_DXXX.html, plus an obligartory http://www.midnightplanets.com/web/MSL/image/01728/1728MR0090250100803600E01_DXXX.html stereo crosseye. [edit: add balanced contrast crosseye and anaglyph]
Every time I think the rock textures can't get weirder, Curiosity proves me wrong. Thanks for the 3D views.
And Sean, those Sketchfab VR things are awesome.
I have updated the Vera Rubin Sketchfab model to color...
https://skfb.ly/68Fxz
https://sketchfab.com/virtual-reality
This is a circular version of Jan's 1730 panorama. Many of the blocks are large enough to show up clearly in HiRISE images.
Phil
MSL 1732...
https://flic.kr/p/VYhprJ
Maybe our path onto Vera Rubin Ridge is just left of center?... looks inviting!
Detail...
https://flic.kr/p/VYhpw3
https://flic.kr/p/VQh9qp
A few questions to those in the know.
I saw today that a solar conjunction is coming up soon. What is the exact timing of that and do we plan on being atop Vera Rubin Ridge throughout it?
Secondly, because we've been climbing up this hill, the giant mesas at the base of Mt. Sharp have been hidden from view. I would imagine that the view from atop Vera Rubin Ridge will once again expose that dramatic geography and that they'll be considerably closer than when they disappeared. The photographs should be stunning. Am I right in my assumption?
Third, are there any upcoming sections of the trek ahead that appear particularly perilous with real questions as to whether the rover can navigate over the rugged and steep terrain especially with the degraded wheels?
Lastly, I've seen a number of daily updates that talk about doing further drill diagnosis but no indications at all about the outlook on being able to use this tool. Any insight on this?
In regards to the drill, Emily Lakdawalla posted on the Planetary Society's blog last week:
http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2017/0613-curiosity-update-sols-1675-1725.html
A simulated Curiosity ( scaled by HiRISE ) climbs Vera Rubin Ridge ( Sol 1732 )
https://flic.kr/p/UPeggR
Detail...
https://flic.kr/p/UPeg84
Quick and Dirty 10x2 RMI telephoto mosaic featuring a small section of 'Northern Neck' targeted on sol 1734. One of the frames (lower center) was not available as an enhanced data product when I assembled the mosaic. I've patched it as well as possible within the limitations of MS ICE and my basic skills. Hoping for a better version to be posted here
EDIT: I've identified the target area on a crop from Sean's CG mosaic
My take on the MC34 mosaic of sol 1732:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasappere/35490333925/sizes/k/
Sol 1734: 2 frame R-MastCam mosaic, part of a multi-spectral session. Provides detailed Stratigraphy / better context for the 10x2 telephoto ChemCam-RMI mosaic of Northern Neck on the Vera Rubin Ridge that I posted yesterday, processed in MS ICE.
A simple 2 frame ChemCam-RMI mosaic from sol 1736, of what I believe could be the target referred to as 'https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/mars-rover-curiosity-mission-updates/?mu=sol-1736-1739-a-roving-astronomer' in the latest mission update ('a block of the Murray formation that may have been tilted on its side'). Roughly assembled in MS ICE without further image processing. Also added a L-NavCam frame from 1734 which I believe contains the target block. I used AlgorimancerPG to establish the scales on the NavCam, this was then transposed onto the RMI. Once we have the context R-MastCam frame, I hope to be able to check the scale on the RMI. In the meantime, maybe we are seeing some more concretions, similar to those observed on Sol 1718? Refer to Atomoid's http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=8298&view=findpost&p=236125 and subsequent replies
Sol 1737 partial R-NavCam pan after the drive East (MS ICE)
RMI mosaic from 2 frames acquired on sol 1739 (MS ICE, sharpened). Thoughts on what this may be?
Kinda shiny, kinda dark, so my guess would be a little meteorite.
Yes, could be!
Phil
If anyone's up for a June Easter egg hunt, I think it's in this frame...
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/proj/msl/redops/ods/surface/sol/01737/opgs/edr/ncam/NRB_551700076EDR_F0641194NCAM00375M_.JPG
Following on from my earlier http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=8309&view=findpost&p=236331, we now have the R-MastCam context image (processed) Here's the https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/msss/01736/mcam/1736MR0090670000803720E01_DXXX.jpg to the raw image
Partial L-NavCam 1739 (including what we have of the top tier Mods feel free to delete as the full pan is posted
There's a few more frames down - it should now be a complete 360 with no trimmed horizon anywhere
There seems to be minor subsidence at the edge of the slab but no movement of the slab itself. This is a reasonably common phenomenon observed by MER and MSL and could have something to do with rover proximity.
Jan's last two panoramas in circular form to show the local area in map form. Soon we will be seeing a broader view of the ridge and the slope we will climb.
Phil
1737:
Not as polished as some of the nickel-iron meteorites spotted earlier by MSL! Not sure if LIBS was used on this target? Presented here in its Sol 1739 R-MastCam context image to support the RMI image https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/proj/msl/redops/ods/surface/sol/01739/soas/rdr/ccam/CR0_551873426PRC_F0641194CCAM02739L1.PNG
Interestingly (or not) it failed to get a mention in the latest mission update https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/mars-rover-curiosity-mission-updates/?mu=sols-1741-1743-cat-sized-island
MSl 1739 360 NR extended sky
https://flic.kr/p/V2ecMz
cropped
https://flic.kr/p/WfGu2F
( I should have extended the exposure glare to the sun! Next time... )
resized, compressed & attached
i wasn't thinking meteorite itself, only basaltic bedrock fragments induced by an impact, but LIBS should reveal, and there do appear to be the usual pattern of LIBS hits most visible in the shadowed portion at right http://www.midnightplanets.com/web/MSL/image/01739/CR0_551873426PRC_F0641194CCAM02739L1.html.. The https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/mars-rover-curiosity-mission-updates/?mu=sol-1739-1740-more-touch-and-go-on-the-way-to-vera-rubin-ridge mentions "..We have ChemCam LIBS observations of targets named "Hamilton Pond," "Whalesback," and Rice Point."
Sol 1741 L-NavCam partial pan after another drive (~ENE). Very roughly assembled using MS ICE: mods please feel free to delete after full size, or better version is posted.
Very nice Sean
Here is my take on this beautiful panoramic :
http://www.db-prods.net/blog/2017/06/30/heading-vera-rubbin-ridge-a-sol-1739-postcard/
Beautiful work Damia! I much prefer yours.
This is Phobos as seen on sol 1730, a 4x enlargement with six images merged and individually processed. Stickney on the left.
Phil
really http://www.midnightplanets.com/web/MSL/image/01730/1730MR0090330030803640E01_DXXX.html they managed to get as it presumably came out of the penumbra, shown here in cross-eye because (despite the orbital motion) it's so much closer than the stars!
Sol 1741 RMI mosaic featuring the stratigraphy of another section of the Vera Rubin Ridge, not sure about scale, but I estimate the distance to be around 80-85 meters South of the rover (distance depends on its position on the slope). There was another RMI frame, sadly that had data drop-out, not sure if it belonged to the same set or a different section. Assembled in MS ICE and rotated, not sharpened or processed other than stitching in MS ICE.
Has there been any consideration of looking at Phobos through ChemCam? It's certainly something I would do if I were on Mars with a telescope.
A simple animation (GIF) of Phobos imaged during the early hours of sol 1730 (13 frames) the timing of each frame varies towards the end of the animation, maybe more frames are in the pipeline? The mission update tells us this was done to help measure the dust in the upper atmosphere...
To run the animation full size https://www.flickr.com/photos/105796482@N04/35257001640/sizes/o/
Time for a new Mars anaglyph pan.
https://flic.kr/p/WfVktohttps://flic.kr/p/WfVkto
"Has there been any consideration of looking at Phobos through ChemCam? It's certainly something I would do if I were on Mars with a telescope."
Yes - but it's tricky. See this discussion:
http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?showtopic=7730&st=285
Phil
1736 R-MastCam animated GIF (unprocessed raw files) with a sharper view of Stickney
Nice! Here is an enlarged view, north at the top, a merge of five frames.
Phil
Jan's sol 1741 panorama in circular form. Compared with the last one (previous page) we are much closer to the prominent blocks.
Phil
I refreshed my workflow for these simulated clips of Curiosity driving around HiRISE models mapped to mosaics...click thru for a video of Curi climbing Vera on Sol 1732.
https://flic.kr/p/Vb1S6a
I'll take a look at the speed & suspension on the next one.
A 4th of July Special from Curiosity, in the form of a long range 10 frame RMI mosaic featuring another section of the Vera Rubin Ridge. Rather nice for MS ICE, I'm hoping that rash statement will inspire others to have a go at this one There is another 10 frame mosaic, but that will have to await my morrow.
Happy 4th to all that are celebrating the original Brexit V1 (1776 version)
Yes Steve, you can see this on the model also...
https://skfb.ly/68Fxz
The planned route does offer what appears to be the best entry point to the Ridge, with the possible exit not far away to the south east.
Drive to site 64/1890 on sol 1746, duration >50 minutes (MS-ICE with L-NavCam)
Not many frames yet, but this may help to identify the location
Sol 1745 R-MastCam (cropped mosaic) features one of several eroded blocks imaged by the mast camera. I've added a scale bar (50cm) below the block using AlgorimancerPG, the image has been sharpened a little.
There is a rather nice http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/msss/01745/mcam/1745MR0091200160803864C00_DXXX.jpg from the same sol, featuring an upper section of the Vera Rubin ridge, but it is bayer encoded and I can't do it justice after decoding (too many compression artifacts).
Sol 1746 L-MastCam 'Drive Direction' mosaic, MS ICE with unprocessed raw images
Here is another HiRISE enabled animation using Sol 1732 RGB mosaic mapped to Navcam composition. RGB gaps filled with data from Sols 1601, 1730, 1734 & extended sky
Click thru for the 4k version...
https://flic.kr/p/VdbGLs
Click thru for the 2k version ( zoom cut in this sequence )...
https://flic.kr/p/WqX3Nf
https://youtu.be/4yEMWT6t-6k
https://youtu.be/5CF9Fim8HwY
This one has music & retimed to suit...
https://flic.kr/p/WvETcn
Sol 1748 : L-MastCam Workspace: Assembled in MS ICE, no additional processing, looks a little overexposed, but I've left the mosaic in its raw state (just stitched)
A 5-Sol plan has been issued https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/mars-rover-curiosity-mission-updates/?mu=sol-1748-1752-kicking-up-some-sand 'Sol 1748-1752: Kicking Up Some Sand'
I've tried to assemble the available NavCam frames for 1748, but they wont behave in MS ICE, which is a pity as the scene is rather special with the large sandy ripples...
Jan's last two panoramas in circular form.
Phil
Sol 1746:
1749 MAHLI of the wheel scuff across the ripple, shows some interesting grain size distribution. Unprocessed other than adding the scale bar. Enhancing the colours shows some nice grain colour variations including one tiny and much redder grain than we are used to seeing, but I guess that may be a JPG compression artifact.
The scale bar is only applicable to items in sharp focus. Thumbnails suggest a focus stacked version was planned.
L-NavCam partial pan after a bump on 1751 roughly assembled in MS ICE
I've seen the dates for the solar conjunction moratorium on commanding Opportunity (July 22 to Aug. 1, 2017) https://mars.nasa.gov/allaboutmars/nightsky/solar-conjunction/
Anyone here aware of the dates for MSL? Maybe I missed it
Last tactical shift is this Friday but I think the last drive will be Wednesday to allow us time to recover if something goes wrong with that drive, before conjunction starts.. First tactical shift afterwards is Monday Aug 7th, planning Sol 1780
I believe we’re expecting a BIG dump from MRO on the Friday before we start planning again.
Sol 1752. These are Hazcams roughly reprojected to help me find the block we are looking at after the drive.
Phil
Thanks guys for the info on the solar conjunction, but I know I'll have withdrawal symptoms during the image drought.
EDIT
Here's an updated version of a long-distance RMI mosaic featuring a section of the Vera Rubin Ridge. Now with 10 overlapping frames assembled in MS-ICE
Is the number of 'Drivecam' images a rough indicator of how far Curi has driven?
From 1752 measure of 10m it looks like 1753 is around 20m ( before metadata )
Thanks Doug.
Formal MSL conjunction dates:
Mission Update: Sol 1755: Getting Ready to Disappear Behind the Sun, by Roger Wiens, dated 13 July 2017 https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/mars-rover-curiosity-mission-updates/?mu=sol-1755-getting-ready-to-disappear-behind-the-sun
In case you missed the public talk 'Five Years of Curiosity on Mars' aired on July 13, 2017, here is the YouTube https://youtu.be/zqhK8dA7iO8?t=524
I had missed that Paul. Thank you for the heads up. It was an outstanding summary of the findings to date and indeed explained the conflict between empiracle evidence and the models of the early solar system in plain English. More, it was most entertaining and I will be watching it a few times to fill in the time before we can talk to the rovers again.
The last 3 images are down and here is the complete Sol 1748 Navcam L panorama.
Jan van Driel
Here is sol 1751 NavCam R panorama patched with pics of Mt Sharp taken on sol 1749, with an extended sky.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasappere/35147925243/sizes/o/
MC34 panorama taken on sol 1756 at 13h32 local time:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasappere/35833940111/sizes/o/
This panorama offers a new perspective on the top right outcrop already imaged on sol 1745 by MC100:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasappere/35773223335/sizes/l
It is worthy of note that during question time following the public talk on Curiosity, James Erickson was extremely upbeat over the future use of the drill and was extremely confident that a fix to the current problem was imminent. This is good news indeed.
Using the drill even in rotary mode without using the contact sensors and stabilisers would seem to be pretty risky. The percussive action of the drill was designed to pulverise the rock to powder and the vibration, combined with the auguring action of the drill raised the powder to the collection chamber without clogging. I wonder whether rotary action alone would grind rock finely enough to transfer it up the drill shaft to the collection chamber? Given the small size of a drill hole and spoil it is hard to see how the scoop could secure a sample and even then there would be a high probability of cross contamination from surface dust. Still, the work arounds that have been achieved on MER and MSL have been impressive to say the least and it will be fascinating to see what magic they use with the drill.
Percussive drilling was pretty much off the table before the current drill issues arose - so that's not really a consideration. Rotary only drilling was planned when the problem with the feed first arose (and that was my 7th training shift on ECam - Sol 1536
I've not seen specifics of the drill testing they've been doing with the test-bed - but I've heard good things about their results. The fact that we're now 7.5 months after the drill anomaly occurred and only just beginning to see work arounds being discussed for use on Mars should give you some idea of how much care, diligence and attention is being paid to this. Depending on your value of 'risky' - I wouldn't say they were planning anything that puts the vehicle or other functional instruments at 'risk'.
(see this old press release - https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/news/curiosity-rover-team-examining-new-drill-hiatus&s=2 )
Another navcam sequence on the same sol which needed some stretching (after subtraction of the mean):
Looking at relative elevations, would I be correct in thinking that the erosion resistant, hematite cemented Vera Rubin Ridge cap would have been part of the horizon between the Murray Formation and the sulphate unit?
Do you suggest, that the clay unit is part of the Murray Formation? Then, after the clay unit, there should be another fragment of Vera Rubin Ridge type, before the sulfate unit begins.
If Mr Steno's principle of original continuity holds true then the (pre-erosion) upper level of what became the hematite ridge would have been a continuous, pretty much horizontal sheet that was then covered by the sulphate unit. The clay is in an eroded trough and since there does not seem any indication of the layer on Curiosity's side of the ridge the clay may have formed as a late, localised event during the erosion of Mount Sharp, possibly connected with the fan. If the ridge upper level was part of the horizon between Murray formation and the sulphate unit then the hematite would have probably formed within reasonably unconsolidated, layered sediment which makes the concept of a linear confined aquifer near the surface, oxygenated via the vadose zone less likely than a surface stream. The transition to a more acid environment represented by the sulphates does raise a few possibilities with respect to the ferric deposition process.
Wouldn't the finely laminated structure of Vera Rubin Ridge, as far as we can see thus far, suggest, that we are still in a lacustrine environment, but closer to the surface below an oxygen-bearing atmosphere?
The sufate layer may have formed after erosion of lithified older layers.
-- I'm not perfectly up to date with the current state of discussion about the contact to the sulfate layer, but I'd presume, there are still various options.
I don't think lacustrine, there is lots of cross-bedding in the ridge (see the ridge images at the top of this page), so aeolian accumulation followed by episodes of wetting and lithification would be my guess.
Phil
To be fair we need to get up close to determine whether there is cross bedding indicative of surface water flow or as Phil posits, purely aeolian with later diagenisis. But the presence of the hematite ridge is fascinating.
The thing is that iron oxides have a large number of polymorphs and (for me anyway) confusing phase transformations. However the basic route to hematite requires a ferrous solution (and ferric in solution in low <5 pH waters) and oxidation. We do not know the makeup or partial pressures of the Martian atmosphere at the time the ridge formed but it would be safe to assume that the capacity for oxygenation was very limited. The amount of oxygen required to transition ferrous to ferric and hence deposition as iron hydroxide 2Fe(OH)3 reduces dramatically as pH falls which draws attention to the sulphate unit. The process from the iron hydroxide via goethite to hematite or even direct to hematite is more intuitive with standard notation where 2Fe(OH)3 = Fe2O3·3H2O or Ferric Oxide Trihydrate. The transition from Goethite 2FeO(OH) = Fe2O3·H2O can occur at quite low temperatures (40 celcius) which could have been supplied via burial.
Just as a follow up to Phil's observation. Probably wishful thinking but this could possibly be scour which would imply running surface water.
Must be passing out of solar conjunction. Seeing some pictures coming from the rover over the last few hours.
They didn't get names, they got numbers. M1, M2 and so on. I updated my map of the Buttes when PDS gave the target names, so i will post it for you in the route map thread.
Phil
A few recent engineering camera images are down... I assembled this little GIF from FLB frames from 1772 and 1779, apart from the small changes in the shadows, there is no obvious sand movement, maybe the seasonal winds are abating, or we are sheltered by the ridge? Looking forward to normal service resuming ASAP
Nice drive on 1781 of ~61 minutes, rough L-NavCam in MS ICE, may assist in narrowing down the location until we get the rest of the frames
Thanks, Paul and Jan. It's good to see new rocks under our wheels. This is Jan's panorama in circular form, which gave me a good location for the route map.
Phil
Sol 1782 drive, looks like about 30 minutes
Roughly assembled L-NavCam partial pan using MS ICE and the 13 available frames, including those lovely top tier images... thanks JPL
BTW: Is it me, or have they changed the exposure times on the recent post-drive images, seem to have a lot less issues with under/over exposed terrain Makes stitching in MS ICE so much easier.
Sol 1780: The drill feed mechanism looks to be fully extended in this raw Left Mastcam frame
And as luck would have it, we have Mt Sharp as a fitting backdrop...
Part of the https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/mars-rover-curiosity-mission-updates/?mu=sol-1780-five-earth-years-on-mars into the drill issues.
EDIT: Added a roughly aligned animated GIF, using a pair of L-MastCams before and after the Solar Conjunction
Great, Jan - here is a circular projection of your panorama. We are moving around the slope and its big blocks, heading for the on-ramp to the ridge which is still southeast of here but not too far away.
Phil
Thanks Phil, that really gives a good visual indication of how high we have climbed.
Roughly assembled L-NavCam from 1785 after a ~55 minute drive. EDIT MP reports it as ~30 meters East.
doh!!wrong..thread..cant..delete..reposting..here's something within scope from http://www.midnightplanets.com/web/MSL/image/01782/1782ML0092040000702029E01_DXXX.html
The best I could pull out of MS ICE. L-NavCam 1786. Midnight Planets reports the point to point drive as ~16.0m NE (39º)
Thanks, Jan and Paul. This is Jan's panorama in circular form. The drive probably terminated as the wheels were negotiating a rocky mound here. It's actually very surprising that this doesn't happen more often!
Phil
The roughly assembled L-NavCam partial pan using MS ICE that may help pinpoint the location until the full version is posted here. As usual, feel free to delete this post once full pan is posted.
here are a couple corsseye views of m34/m100 pairs on http://www.midnightplanets.com/web/MSL/image/01782/1782ML0092050010702034E01_DXXX.html and http://www.midnightplanets.com/web/MSL/image/01787/1787MR0092250010804100E01_DXXX.html
Partial RMI mosaic (sharpened) of VRR, acquired on sol 1790.
Sadly one of the images in the sequence had data drop out, so MS ICE could not be convinced to assemble all of the https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/raw/?s=1790&camera=CHEMCAM_.
Even though incomplete, it gives us a fairly good look at the stratigraphy of this section of the ridge... If they resend the errant frame I'll try to assemble the complete mosaic.
some aolean art http://www.midnightplanets.com/web/MSL/image/01790/1790MR0092430020804129E01_DXXX.html
This is Jan's panorama from sol 1792 in circular form. We were supposed to have a drive on sol 1792, but it didn't happen, so this is the same location as sol 1789.
Phil
Roughly assembled (MS ICE) 10 frame Sol 1795 ChemCam RMI Mosaic
The https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/mission/mars-rover-curiosity-mission-updates/?mu=sol-1795-skirting-around-vera-rubin-ridge for this sol made a reference to this activity: Acquire a long distance ChemCam RMI mosaic of a contact between bright and dark rocks in part of the ridge.
Curiosity has been zigzagging through an obstacle filled path. A few more stand between it and VRR's top, but hopefully it will reach it next week.
Every once in a while I speculate (for myself) about the upcoming path (and I'm wrong more often then not). This time I'll paste here two alternative routes that seem ok to me - weekend filler - and I'm happy to be proved wrong once again.
Fernando
70 Mastcam R images, taken on Sol 1785, Debayerd and stitched.
Jan van Driel
Looking at Fernando's proposed path and the images of the more direct path I'd have to concur with his choice to save the wheels
Attached is the arm weekend workspace for 1796 L-MastCam (MS ICE - sharpened) I dont think JPL published the weekend mission update, but there has been plenty of contact and remote science so far and likely more will take place today (1798)
Thanks, Jan - I like the larger format you are giving us now. Here is the sol 1796 panorama in circular format.
Phil
Quick and dirty pan using MS-ICE of the 1799 L-NavCams, feel free to delete when the proper version is posted
MAHLI 1798: One of 5 full sets of routine https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/raw/?s=1798&camera=MAHLI (rotated, cropped and sharpened). I can't see any obvious new breaks in the grousers, which if confirmed is great news
Something a little bit different. All eyes are on Vera Rubin Ridge, but if you turn around, our increased elevation gives the best view to date of the northern floor of Gale Crater.
This image is a CTX mosaic of northern Gale (top) and a vertically stretched full resolution Navcam mosaic looking north on sol 1799. It's only a rough mosaic, not properly controlled. But quite a few features can be seen including the Yellowknife Bay area at far right. This is a heads-up for the Mastcam mosaic taken a few sols ago - when we get that it will offer a really nice view of the crater floor, and many more features might be visible near the landing site.
Phil
Nice work Jan & Phil, looking forward to that MastCam mosaic looking back...
Here's the drive direction L-MastCam from sol 1799, raw in MS-ICE
Roughly assembled L-NavCam after the latest climb on sol 1800, it may help to establish a location until more frames come down.
trying to get some long-baseline stereo from sets of recent crater floor navcams (sol1793+1800, sol1793+1795).
..but rather of hard on the eyes the stereo breaks down, so my favorite view is a normal-baseline of the http://www.midnightplanets.com/web/MSL/image/01795/NRB_556856106EDR_F0651934NCAM07753M_.html composition of rockpile stepping-stones
Another view to the north in anaglyph form using yet wider baseline - don't remember the corresponding navcams sols anymore but the right side image must be from sol 1793. This is a kind of follow-up to an earlier post from myself, tracing the emergence of faraway northern mountains over the rim of Gale. Currently two different peaks at different distances can be seen almost lined up at the center of this image. Please note that I have used 3x vertical stretch.
Can't wait to see how they will appear in the upcoming Mastcam images.
L-Mastcam 'drive direction' mosaic from 1800, quick and dirty in MS ICE, raw images (no processing)
Marswiggle! That's great. I had not noticed those distant features. I must have missed your earlier post about them.
I compared sols 1400 and 1800:
Thank you Phil, I concur with your identification. Yeah, a 'follow-up' to my observation about one and a half years ago, that was based on Mastcam images sols 1270 & 1302. I'm not sure in which thread it is now. http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=39268
Here, for those unable to view anaglyphs a remade cross-eyed 2x stretched version of my previous image. A rather nice pair of Right Navcam images, with only a minimal amount of tweaking needed.
I just did a little bit of thread housekeeping. We can split threads when the rover has all wheels up on top of the ridge.
No shortage of targets for the long weekend plan after another up-slope drive on 1802
Sol 1800 MR, 8 frames of what should be a 12 frame mosaic when the other images arrive, some lovely erosional features
Edit: hints of desiccation (to my untrained eye) in some the new images
Where have you been seeing hints towards dessication patterns, Paul? I see hints towards layering of sediments of variable cementation, fracture fill, possibly syneresis cracking of a soft and fresh sediment. But I've difficulties to find hexagonal or rectangular shringkage patterns more typical for dessication, unless it's been heavily distorted by a subsequent process.
Thanks, Paul! These escaped my notice. There is indeed a considerable similarily with dessication patterns. Thanks again for pointing to the according image!
Weekend workspace, Sol 1802, 6 x L-MastCam (MS ICE) raw colours, sadly no mission update for the holiday weekend, so no target names
Neat to see the lighter colored rocks on top of the ridge.
That lightness could have more to do with the angles of reflection than composition of the rock.
No - the Hematite ridge really is a brighter tone of rock - it's https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/2017/curiositys-traverse-map-through-sol-1802
Mosaic using just 8 L-MastCam frames of what will eventually be a much larger mosaic. These raw https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/raw/?s=1805&camera=MAST_ were assembled in MS ICE without additional processing.
After a ~66 minute drive on Sol 1807 Curiosity arrives at site 65/3200: L-NavCam partial pan, roughly assembled with MS ICE may help fix the location.
Feel free to delete when the 360 is posted
Credit: NASA/JPL-CalTech
This is Jan's sol 1800 panorama in circular form. I also made a circular projection of Paul's partial panorama from sol 1807 to get a good location for the route map.
Phil
A great image, Jan - thanks. Here is a circular version showing how we are perched on the edge of the ridge. The atmosphere is getting clearer, so we see the crater rim quite well. Soon we'll have the widest view ever of that distant landscape.
Phil
The circular part of a circular projection is just Photoshop: Filter-Distort-Polar Coordinates. If you use it on a raw panorama you get what is usually referred to as a polar projection. Every vertical column of pixels is mapped onto a radial line from the projection center to the circumference. So the extreme foreshortening near the horizon is the same in the raw pan and the polar projection.
I perform an extra step for my circular projections, which is why I use a different name for them. I could call it Stooke's Fudged Polar Projection, but 'circular' is shorter. I change the radial scale so the outer part is greatly exaggerated and the inner part shrunk - in effect removing the foreshortening to create something a bit more like a map. It still contains a lot of relief distortion so it's not really a map-like geometry - to fix that you need a DEM. In the old days I left it like that, causing high features on the horizon to be greatly exaggerated in height. Now I shrink the horizon features a bit to try to create a horizon closer in appearance to the original panorama. A total fudgerooney. But I like the effect and it makes locations easy to compare with a HiRISE image.
Phil
Drive direction L-MastCam from sol 1807, looking towards the top of the rise.
Not sure if we'll have a clear view of the lower part of the mountain, towards those rounded buttes, after we clear this ridge? Maybe we have a few other small ridges to clear before we get that vista? I guess a wider map with contour lines would help
Raw colours, roughly stitched in MS ICE
Emily has added a great MSL write-up on the PS's blog:
http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2017/0906-curiosity-balky-drill-problem.html
"The engineering team has explored other methods of sample delivery, including dropping all the drilled sample on the ground and then attempting to scoop it up. If they can get the sample into the scoop, that puts it into CHIMRA for ordinary delivery. Unfortunately, the speed of the scoop works against this."
Is there anything stopping them from dropping the sample directly into the scoop (rather than dropping on the ground, then scooping)?
Dean
Interesting idea... but apart from the fact that it sounds way too dangerous for the safety of the arm, those grousers are zigzags, not straight lines, so the direction anything would fall off them would be difficult to predict.
Phil
Yeah I'd say this one is not possible also because of the tiny height of the grousers, combined with all the safety issues of even putting the turret so close to the wheel (which remember is on a suspension system that allows it to move dramatically up and down), much less driving with the turret in that position, but I have to give you points for creativity. It's a fun mental image, the rover using a grouser V to funnel sample into its scoop.
What about drilling more than one hole in order to get sufficient tailings for the scoop? Scoop subsequently in perpendicular direction, first create a narrow lengthy pile, then in a perpendicular way a higher pile with more potential of some tailings ending up in the scoop. Ideally scoop uphill, or better against an edge of an uneven rock. Select the drill target not just by geological considerations, but also by the topographical settings suitable for subsequent processing. Use Mars as a tool, related to the idea of sampling onto a sand ripple. Even using the scoop to move one or more small nearby stones to the pile would be an approach. It will require some patience, but better than no sample analysis.
Edit: Btw, did you consider to rotate the drill while removing it from the hole? This will reduce friction.
I think this is getting way out of topic. It is not that I do not want to continue the conversation, but believe me there are very smart engineers working on this which are considering all options. Paolo
Maybe time for a new thread
Sol 1809 Drive to Site 65/3308, NLB in MS ICE (raw)
Made it! [ I hope... ]
https://flic.kr/p/Ygn27w
*surveys domain*
A circular view of Jan's panorama, showing us making progress up the slope.
Phil
deja vu of the Home Plate ascent? such a nice view http://www.midnightplanets.com/web/MSL/image/01809/NLB_558097616EDR_F0653308NCAM07753M_.html stitch anaglyph/xeye for hecks..
Allllllmost there. Surely they'll stop at a good viewpoint to take some nice images before the ridge hides the Gale floor from view. I've been poking my friends on the mission to see if they'll get a self-portrait up here -- it's been a year since the last one. Nobody ever commits to actions in the future, of course, so nobody will commit, but I'm hoping.
Enjoyed the anaglyph (atomoid) and fingers crossed for that selfie Emily is wishing for, but right now I'd settle for the weekend plan before Monday.
Meanwhile: here's Curiosity's Sol 1809 (post-drive) L-MastCam Workspace, assembled in MS ICE without additional processing (raw)
1809 L-MastCam, drive direction mosaic, assembled in MS ICE, without additional processing (raw)
Looks like there are plenty of interesting targets ahead, but with no weekend mission update/plan, I'd guess there will be no more driving until early next week.
Nice (banded?) sedimentary bedrock seen in this pair of focus merged MAHLI's from sol 1811. Stitched in MS ICE, then rotated to roughly align with the view in the 1809 http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=8309&view=findpost&p=237092 mosaic. I've identified the location on a reduced version of the L-MastCam mosaic.
Raw MAHLI images, no additional processing
After the drive on sol 1812 seemed like a good spot to split the threads; http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?showtopic=8333.
What a great view we have here - and the crater rim is clearer than it has been for a long time. This is Jan's panorama in a circular version. We are still very close to the edge of the slope, moving almost parallel to the edge on sol 1812.
Phil
L-MastCam mosaic acquired before the drive to the top of the ridge on sol 1812 (MS ICE-sharpened)
Here is a portrait of Mount Sharp from Sol 1785...
https://flic.kr/p/CveAZ9
and a 4k wallpaper...
https://flic.kr/p/ZBnQuP
Sol 1785 landscape...
https://flic.kr/p/YAgehH
4k wallpaper...
https://flic.kr/p/YAgeBv
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