Opportunity Route Map Options

[Pando]

Here is an updated map of the road to Vostok.

Attached thumbnail(s)

 

[alan]

Jason, Alvin, and Argo are names of deep sea submersibles, what are they doing on Mars? Will they be continuing with this theme for the crater names?

[djellison]

Jason, Alvin, and Argo are names of deep sea submersibles, what are they doing on Mars? Will they be continuing with this theme for the crater names?

And what were the submersibles named after

Doug

[TheChemist]

Well, Jason was the guy that got the Golden Fleece, and his ship was named Argo.
http://www.pccc.cc.nj.us/asrc/readwrit/jason.html

I have no idea what Alvin has to do with them , but here comes Google :

The connection is Robert Ballard, the Undersea Explorer, who also served in a submarine called Alvin, before establishing the Jason-Argo project.

[lyford]

Jason, Alvin, and Argo are names of deep sea submersibles, what are they doing on Mars? Will they be continuing with this theme for the crater names?

Well, maybe after Alvin they will name the next two Simon and Theodore.

[ilbasso]

Notwithstanding the Chipmunks...

According to http://www.sciencenetwork.com/turner/rdt-bio.html, Al Vine, of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, is the designer and namesake of Alvin.

You learn something new every day!

[volcanopele]

Well, Jason was the guy that got the Golden Fleece, and his ship was named Argo.
http://www.pccc.cc.nj.us/asrc/readwrit/jason.html

I have no idea what Alvin has to do with them , but here comes Google :

The connection is Robert Ballard, the Undersea Explorer, who also served in a submarine called Alvin, before establishing the Jason-Argo project.

well obviously the crater Jason was named after me

And the crater Jason on Phoebe was also named after me

[mhall]

For what it's worth, I've been inside Alvin.

This was in 1985, when I was working as a diver on an expedition to Saipan in the Marianas, to find a Spanish galleon that had sunk in 1638. I was walking along the dock, and there it was. I sweet-talked my way aboard.

They were there to look at the weird colonies of creatures that had just been discovered around the deep-water volcanic vents, the 'smokers'. They had lots and lots of film that they had taken, and gave me an undeveloped roll!

Altogether, a very exciting afternoon.

[alan]

Alvin
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...36P1617R0M1.JPG


Jason
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...36P1617R0M1.JPG

[imran]

Another view of Alvin as it was passed (looks very similar to Eagle):

http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...19P1772L0M1.JPG

[imran]

I updated the "Heatshield to Vostok" map. Hopefully we'll see another long drive in the next day or two.

Attached thumbnail(s)

 

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

Endurance Crater is only just visible in the rear hazcam images now

http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...00P1315L0M1.JPG

[OWW]

Outcrop material without a crater or crack? First subtle signs of the etched terrain?

http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...03P0711L0M1.JPG

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

Is that another crater visible in the distance?

[Gray]

Obsessed - perhaps we're seeing some ancient ejecta that are in the process of being buried or exumed.

[imran]

It seems Oppy has moved again although it's hard to put any numbers on how far we have travelled. I don't see any features in the latest navcam, forward and rear hazcam images.

Forward Hazcam 2-21
Navcam 2-21
Rear Hazcam 2-21

[Pando]

Oppy is currently doing some major driving, possibly exceeding previous records, over a 3-sol period (driving on all sols). Considering that the previous driving record is something like 156 meters or so per sol (someone please correct me), that should put us around 450 meters south of Jason crater by Wednesday.

[dot.dk]

Now that is some serious driving! I like it

But are they planning to drive both forward and backward on these long traverses? To put an even load onto the drive mechanism.

[Pando]

But are they planning to drive both forward and backward on these long traverses? To put an even load onto the drive mechanism.

Yes, it's a standard procedure now to do that, for both Spirit and Opportunity. I don't know the distance though at which point they switch, or what other criteria is used to determine the "ok stop, let's do 180 and drive the other way now"...

[alan]

Wow, 450 meters, should have a good view of Vostok from there. I see a broad darker area at that distance, perhaps a slope to the south? If so on Wednesday Oppy may be at the top of a slight hill with a good view of Victoria.
<crosses fingers>

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

Has anyone found any MOLA data for this area of Merdiani? If the plains do slope downwards at the point indicated in Alan's image that might offer an explanantion why Vostok and perhaps even Victoria Crater have been so hard to identify - it is quite strange that there is no obvious sign of Victoria Crater... Endurance Crater is still visible even in the rear hazcam images.

[Pando]

I seriously doubt there is any slope there, or it would've been visible on the horizon by now. The immediate area of Meridiani plain appears to be quite flat. I think it's just a darker windblown material deposited there...

[arccos]

I am still wondering what the dark feature NE from Vostok is.

[Bill Harris]

I am still wondering what the dark feature NE from Vostok is.

I wonder, too. It seems to resemble the heatshield disturbance.

--Bill

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

Dunes ......... looking back towards Endurance

http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...03P0617R0M1.JPG

[akuo]

Oppy moves on during sol 385, after sol 384 during which nothing happened as far as I can see (there might still be a problem with back-to-back drives):
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...03P0617R0M1.JPG

No features to see, but the dunes look different further on:
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...03P2380R1M1.JPG

Maybe the larger dunes are causing the slightly darker region in the route map.

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

Rear Hazcam for the end of each sol


Sol 383:
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...00P1315R0M1.JPG

Sol 384:
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...00P1315R0M1.JPG

Sol 385
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...00P1315R0M1.JPG

The PanCam images of the dunes on sol 385 were taken late in the day so the shadows make them especially prominent......

[akuo]

Rear Hazcam for the end of each sol

Oh, you are right, there was a change of scenery between 383 and 384. Both the front and back hazcams looked so similar, that I didn't realise it :-)

[Bubbinski]

Are the drivers following the zigzag path set out in the "Road to Vostok" map or are they making a beeline due south of Endurance using the receding feature to help them keep their bearings? Just curious.

[Decepticon]

Dunes ......... looking back towards Endurance

http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...03P0617R0M1.JPG

This reminds me so much of Snorkling off the coast of cuba.


I was just looking down from about 30 feet deep. And those ripples look so simular to what I saw.

[ToSeek]

Any idea where Opportunity is now? The navcam pan looks nearly featureless - you'd think Vostok would be close enough now to be clearly imaged.

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

It's impossible to say, we'll have to wait for some official information from the people at JPL.... but Opportunity performed drives on sols 383, 384 and 385 - with hopefuly another one today, so they must be making good progress south.

[Bubbinski]

So far no new images from sol 386 are in at the exploratorium. Did they have a restricted sol? They should be pretty far south after 3 consecutive days of driving. If Vostok isn't visible, is it because it is a flat feature?

Bubbinski/Space Cadet

[Pando]

Based on some of the latest images, looks like Oppy has been driving directly South which is more toward Vostok than the originally planned route. That route was more South/South-West toward the other small crater after Jason... Interesting...

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

So far no new images from sol 386 are in at the exploratorium. Did they have a restricted sol? They should be pretty far south after 3 consecutive days of driving. If Vostok isn't visible, is it because it is a flat feature?

Bubbinski/Space Cadet

Maybe they'll come down in an overnight Oddysey pass?

[OWW]

According to the latest director update ( February 22nd ), Opportunity drove a whopping 177 meters on sol 383 and on sol 384 added another 104!

[dot.dk]

I had to listen more than one time to confirm that it was 177 m
That's brilliant

[Marslauncher]

so any idea where we are yet?

[Marslauncher]

http://qt.exploratorium.edu:16080/mars/opp...00P2663L5M1.JPG

Could the feature on the right horizon be Vostok?

[ToSeek]

According to the latest director update ( February 22nd ), Opportunity drove a whopping 177 meters on sol 383 and on sol 384 added another 104!

The figures given in the flight director's report were goals, not confirmed values. They'll find out today (from downloaded data) whether the goals were achieved or not.

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

I think she meant they were waiting for an imminent Odyssey pass with data and results of the Sol 385 drive.

[Pando]

so any idea where we are yet?

I think we're somewhere in the lower end of the purple (200m) line on this map:

http://mer.rlproject.com/index.php?act=Att...pe=post&id=5284

edit: ^^ it's a pretty wild guess though based on the fact that oppy took a turn toward South after Jason, not toward one of the other craters along the route...

[dot.dk]

This must be the cluster of small craters on to the left of the 200 m mark
http://mer.rlproject.com/index.php?act=Att...pe=post&id=5284

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

WHOAHHHH !!!!

They must have done a hell of a lot of driving the past few sols

[dot.dk]

This is a mystery to me...

Very quick and dirty pan...
http://img223.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img223&image=pan8yl.jpg

How did they get here from THERE??
Endurance+Heatshield to the left, but Oppy is coming from a different direction

[dot.dk]

Perhaps they turned right where we can see the rover tracks stops...
Well they must have done it that way...

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

I'm assuming these pancam images were taken looking in the next drive direction:

http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...00P2381R1M1.JPG
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...00P2381R1M1.JPG

Still nothing immediately obvious on or just below the horizon .....


I still think the annulus of bright material we see in orbital images of vostok is nothing more than dust, all the craters have it, you can see it in orbital images of the craters Opportunity is sitting in front of right now, yet from the ground they appear pretty dark.

[Pando]

Sol 383: 177m
Sol 384: 104m
Sol 385: 109m
Sol 386: no drive
Sol 387: 80m
Sol 388: no drive

Interesting route there. Looks like they didn't quite want to visit the craters along the route but then all of a sudden changed their minds and made a quick shortcut to the crater triplet. That's where we are now...

Attached thumbnail(s)

 

[MahFL]

I think they did turn right as if you notice the tracks that are at an angle slightly disappear but the tracks that are aligned with the camera are more visible.

http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...00P0680R0M1.JPG

So tracks at 90 degrees to the camera will be invisible at that kind of distance as they will be hidden by the height of the dunes.





This post has been edited by MahFL: Feb 25 2005, 02:34 AM

[alan]

Wow, 450 meters, should have a good view of Vostok from there. 

Or maybe not

[TheChemist]

Luckily, we have a beacon pointing to North

[babakm]

Judging by the tracks, the feature on the horizon about a quarter of the way from the left edge of this image could be Vostok. I missed it the first time I looked at the picture as I was staring at the outcroppings.

http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...00P0680L0M1.JPG

[Pando]

That can't be because it's look at West. Vostok is toward South-East.

[babakm]

That can't be because it's look at West. Vostok is toward South-East.

Hmm. Should've figured that out by the direction of the dunes. The last Pamcams from 2/24 are looking SE-ish.

http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...00P2381R1M1.JPG

[Pando]

Personally I don't think Vostok is visible at all unless you're almost on top of it. The rim is probably totally eroded away so that it's just a flat bedrock peeking through the soil.

[Fred]

I thought this was Vostok. It's about a third the way from the right side of the image, just below the horizon. They've been taking lots of L4 L5 L6 pictures of it for a while now.

[djellison]

I thought this was Vostok. It's about a third the way from the right side of the image, just below the horizon. They've been taking lots of L4 L5 L6 pictures of it for a while now.

No - I've made the same mistake - that's a large crater way out to the east somewhere. (notice the dunes running across the field of view - not in line with it )

Doug

[TheChemist]

And an updated JPL Opportunity Route Map :

Large version in this link.

[dot.dk]

They will have a hard time keeping this map up to date given Oppys current pace

Already 300 meter farther south than the map shows

[Decepticon]

^ WOW! How close are they to Vostok?

[dot.dk]

^ WOW! How close are they to Vostok?

That close
http://mer.rlproject.com/index.php?act=Att...pe=post&id=5855

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

....damn, I guess the person that updates the pictures is on holiday

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

Sol 389 Pancam images......

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all...unity_p389.html

These images aren't showing up on the exploratorium site

[argv]

Blueberries everywhere we look. I got a creepy feeling that this seemed familiar
and realized it strongly reminded me of the "black flies" in Stanislaw Lem's The Invincible. I'm not suggesting the blueberries are anything like the remnants
of microrobots in Lem's fiction... but the descriptions in that book have an eerie
similarity to our pictures from Mars.

[TheChemist]

Sol 390 raw images have arrived!

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all/opportunity.html

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

Could this be in the direction of Vostok?

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all...00P2286L7M1.JPG

I wonder if the dark line with what I assume is a rock above it is the small crater nearly midway between Oppys current position and Vostok. Just above it is another linear feature, possibly Vostok?

Possible meteorite?:

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all...00P2287L7M1.JPG

[erwan]

Sunspot: to my opinion, Pancam images from Sol 390 heads toward SW to NW; then Vostok cannot be seen.
Here is a little version of Sol 390 stitched images. I believe Opportunity is parked East of the "two big, one little, crater cluster" (see Opportunity route map image Sol 387). These three craters are seen on the Pan below: the Eastern one on the foreground, the Western on left, the little Northern one halfway to the right side of the Pan. Sand dunes orientation (roughly North South) may fit also with a Westward view.

[Pando]

Updated Opportunity route map.

Attached thumbnail(s)

 

[gregp1962]

So, are we at Vostok? The map above makes it appear that way.

[Pando]

So, are we at Vostok? The map above makes it appear that way.

No. There is a Mars Clock for both rovers at:

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html

You'll see that Oppy's current sol is Sol 393.

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

I wonder if it would be possible to add a mars clock to this forum? At the top of the page so it's always visible.

[Pando]

Good idea..... Doug?

or that one in the office:

[Pando]

Going off-topic here but here's probably the coolest clock I've seen on the web (Earth time though).

[lyford]

I wonder if it would be possible to add a mars clock to this forum? At the top of the page so it's always visible.

Get mhoward's MIDNIGHT MARS BROWSER and keep it running in a window - keeps great Mars time by rover!

[MiniTES]

I wonder if it would be possible to add a mars clock to this forum?  At the top of the page so it's always visible.

Get mhoward's MIDNIGHT MARS BROWSER and keep it running in a window - keeps great Mars time by rover!

That's three minutes ahead of the JPL clock - what's with that? Who's right?

[Gsnorgathon]

Don't forget Mars24...

[djellison]

I wonder if it would be possible to add a mars clock to this forum? At the top of the page so it's always visible.

Not easily Without just stealing the flash one at JPL's site.

Doug

[TheChemist]

I noticed in the last route update, that Opportunity's goes inside Vostok

[cIclops]

I noticed in the last route update, that Opportunity's goes inside Vostok   

that assumes that Vostok is a crater, some say it may be a mound ... :>

new panorama of 'Naturaliste' Crater, Sol 387 here

[djellison]

If it was a mound of any height - we WOULD have seen it by now

imho - it's a very very erroded crater, much more so than eagle/fram etc - i.e. pre hydrological activity - it'll just be exactly what it appears on the orbital images - a ring of exposed rock perhaps a few CM above the surrounding area with no inner 'dip' or dunes

Doug

[TheChemist]

I noticed in the last route update, that Opportunity's goes inside Vostok   

that assumes that Vostok is a crater, some say it may be a mound ... :>

Well, it must be a really low mound, otherwise it should be visible by now.

Edit : it appears Doug types faster

[erwan]

According to Pando's last Opportunity routemap (link: Pando's RouteMap) and JPL's sol 387 Pan (link: Pan sol 387), Vostok should be seen on that sol 387 Navcam picture: 1N162546176EFF4700P0680L0M1.JPG
(on the left part of the horizon, and roughly 400m far). Thus in fact "it must been a really low mount", as you wrote Djellison and TheChemist...

[SFJCody]

Astrobio has a nice javascript Mars clock. Just add this to the page source:

<script src="http://www.astrobio.net/news/javascript/marstime.js"></script>

[djellison]

To be honest - it'd piss me off If I want to know the time on mars, I load up Mars24 Great though the Invision board is -it's cluttered and noisey enough already. It'd be breaking my own rule about excessive signatures ( I HATE signatures that go on and on about peoples PC specification WHY DO I CARE!! )



Hell - what next - BA Flight schedules from Heathrow to KSC in the menu bar

Doug

[mhoward]

That's three minutes ahead of the JPL clock - what's with that? Who's right?

I think MMB's is just a couple seconds off Mars24's. I'm not exactly sure why the difference from Mars24, possible a rounding error. Couple seconds off was close enough for my purposes.

[lyford]

new panorama of 'Naturaliste' Crater, Sol 387 here

QTVR of the 'Naturaliste' Crater, Sol 387, panorama here: "site_A47_cyl-med.mov"

Just a quickie, but I like the "being there" feel...

Looks like the "vessels of discovery" naming meme still applies...though I don't remember any "Voyages of the Naturaliste," Google again saves the day!

[erwan]

Looking all around Naturalist QTVR Pan; damnation, where is Vostok? Thanks, Lyford.

[Deimos]

I wonder if it would be possible to add a mars clock to this forum?  At the top of the page so it's always visible.

You can get a non-Flash (but javascript) html Mars clock at:
http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~lemmon/mars/MERClocks/mera.html
http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~lemmon/mars/MERClocks/merb.html
http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~lemmon/mars/MERClocks.zip

It is as accurate as the UTC clock of the computer it is run on, or
to within a couple seconds for a time-synched computer. It can be
put in another web page or set as a desktop feature (at least for
windows, haven't tried elsewhere).

[Pando]

curious, why choose Deimos as opposed to Phobos as a screen name...

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

I noticed in the last route update, that Opportunity's goes inside Vostok   

that assumes that Vostok is a crater, some say it may be a mound ... :>

new panorama of 'Naturaliste' Crater, Sol 387 here

I think they'll take one look at Vostok and drive right on by lol .... I still don't believe the white annulus visible from MOC images is bedrock... I think it's lighter coloured dust that's accumulated around the object.... all the craters show this when seen from orbit.

[cIclops]

I think they'll take one look at Vostok and drive right on by lol .... I still don't believe the white annulus visible from MOC images is bedrock... I think it's lighter coloured dust that's accumulated around the object.... all the craters show this when seen from orbit.

I found this previously released image of Vostok, as you can see they are looking into it and it is surrounded by a lighter coloured dust that's accumulated around the object. Well called Sunspot



ps Vostok was Gagarin's spacecraft,

you can read the fascinating story here

[ToSeek]

Vostok was the Russian equivalent of the American Mercury program, so it was the spacecraft for Gagarin, Titov, Tereshkova, and several others.

[erwan]

cIclops: your post raises the question of Vostok's images true colors, and i am pretty sure the following one is more accurate :

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

Daily updates are coming in for Spirit..nothing for Opportunity for a few days now

that always makes me nervous lol

EDIT: a new flight directors update is available, they should be driving over the weekend and hope to be at Vostok early next week.

[Pando]

Yes, driving on Sols 394,396,397, no drive for today, Sol 395 (restricted Sol).

Assuming yesterday's drive was successful (let's say about 140-160 meters), we should be sitting around the Sol 395 marker on the map right now, continuing on toward Vostok over the weekend, and be there by Monday.

http://mer.rlproject.com/index.php?act=Att...pe=post&id=6069

[Pando]

Looks like a nice long drive backwards toward South-East on Sol 394



edit: looking back on sol 394 at a drive made on sol 393...? maybe?

[erwan]

Hello Pando, mhoward, folks: i wonder why Pando just post Sol 394 Opportunity images: Exploratorium is up! Tralalalarere, just a Froggie folk song...

[OWW]

Yes, exploratorium is back, but it skipped the PanCam images of the Opportunity triplet crater that were posted on the jpl site the last few days....

[mhoward]

Yes, exploratorium is back, but it skipped the PanCam images of the Opportunity triplet crater that were posted on the jpl site the last few days....

You should let them know that, if that's the case, it might be a bug with their software. (Chuckle... kind of an inside joke for me there.)

On second thought, I suppose it might be a bug with *my* software, if you're using it, so maybe I'll just shut up...

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

According to Pando's routhe map todays drive should take us up to Vostok