Cape York - Northern Havens, Sol 2780 - 2947 Options

[Astro0]

I cannot see it, could you show exactly where, pls?

I've marked the changes in this close up view.


I'm now thinking that the lower one is simply a change of shadow on the ground cast by the rock but the one above still looks like a small shift.
Nothing else on the same feature moves in this way with the change of sun angle.
(has anyone got a pan- or nav- cam view of this rock?)

Just looking for something I guess...you know what we UMSF'ers are like

[dilo]

ok, Astro0, now I see it... personally, I tend to think is another game of light/shadows combined with complex rock structure (you can see similar illusions in other parts of the same rock) but I'm not sure. Deserves high res imagery!

[Phil Stooke]

I don't see any real change here.

Phil

[fredk]

I agree.

But keeners should compare pancam foreground shots over the sols we've been parked - we might see some soil changes due to wind. Here's a subtle example - a dark spot (with windstreaks?) appeared on the corner of the panels sometime before sol 2891:
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...2M1.JPG?sol2891
It wasn't visible on 2811 - here's a comparison (same L5 filter, very similar lighting):

[Stu]

"I'm ready for my close up now..."

[PDP8E]

... reconstructed the bottom quarter of the image that was missing in the L7 frame (it cranked up the colors in the process....)

[James Sorenson]

I think the Greeley Panorama is finally finished.



Edit: Flickr free membership doesn't allow large uploads.

[James Sorenson]

And the Polar view...

[Guest_Oersted_*]

Maybe a whiff too green down in the bottom of the crater, but otherwise a lovely panorama!

[Phil Stooke]

Nice pan! Here's my different take on a polar panorama based on it (also de-greened it a bit)

Phil

[PDP8E]

here is another in the latest series of the IDD
(auto-fixed flares/glints ... hmmm... needs more work)

[PDP8E]

Here is another IDD image (march 29 - SOL2906)
This, I think, is usually the bottom of the IDD as it is stowed and used ...it appears to be pretty clean....

[fredk]

Update on the LF wheel movement and explanation for the IDD imaging in the latest update:

On Sols 2901, 2904 and 2906..., further imaging of the rover's position and detail imaging of the [MB] on the end of the IDD were performed along with a series of diagnostic robotic arm motions. The IDD moved without any problems. Motor currents and actuator motion were all nominal. Detailed images of the [MB] showed no evidence of any off-nominal contact with the ground. Careful review of the left-front wheel suggests that the wheel might have moved more than one time, although these are very small motions (a few millimeters).

[nprev]

Hmm. Curious.

Don't know anything about MER architecture at this level, but uncommanded automatic flight control movements on airplanes can be caused by a wide variety of things. One of these is a bad or noisy position feedback signal, and that's the first thing I'd check. Doesn't seem like there would be any other motion or position sensors feeding the control computer on the MERs that could cause something like this (there are LOTS of these for planes).

A more disturbing possiblity is that the servoamplifier's starting to go south. Presumably it would be easier to identify a noisy feedback sensor & use a software filter to mitigate the effects somewhat.

[fredk]

I'd've thought that a wheel performing a steering or driving movement without being commanded would be very unlikely, but I also know nothing about the architecture. My thinking was more along the lines of a bit of settling, maybe prompted by an IDD movement or even a wind gust. We are on a pretty good slope here. Maybe the LF wheel was perched on the edge of a miniature cliff, in an unstable position, and finally worked its way down?