Post Conjunction: Santa Maria to Cape York, The Journey to 'Spirit Point' Options

[serpens]

I'm hoping that those big rocks at Odyssey are full of phyllosilicate too- I doubt that CRISM would be able to resolve them, so it's possible.

From Pertinax post 1517 the phyllosilicates seem concentrated in the ejecta around the old crater in the centre of CY so there's a pretty good chance.

[Matt Lenda]

What s happening behind the scenes? Any news of Oppy driving towards CY yet?

Here's your news...

A new drive executed today, only a few hours ago. I do not know exact sequenced distance, but it was an approach drive to the Odyssey crater. It will take at least 1 more "bump" drive to get her within IDD distance. We will presumably be planning another drive tomorrow, to start executing a bit after that. But again, that's only my guess, and it's as good as yours. Tactical ops can change quickly.

That's about all I know.

-m

[jamescanvin]

Moved a couple of posts to the Cape York thread. We're there now folks!

[walfy]

"Gibraltar" in 3D turns out nicely.



On the right side, it looks like a mini-rivulet of sorts!

[charborob]

it looks like a mini-rivulet of sorts!

By gully golly! The first evidence of small-scale flowing water on Mars! Joke aside, is it possible to imagine a wind mechanism capable of creating such a feature? It really looks sharp, so it must be relatively recent. Also, which way is downslope on that image?

[AndyG]

...Or is it a mini-graben from the movement of the two large slabs?

Meanwhile, I'm liking the sticky-out layer on the left side of the rock at the back. Nothing says dry and windy and ancient more than features like that!

Andy, who would be instinctively snapping those off if there: it's a sort of geological involuntary bubble-wrap popping thing that I have.

[Ant103]

"Gibraltar" in 3D turns out nicely.

And in colors too

Attached thumbnail(s)

 

[kenny]

I don't think I have ever said WOW on this forum before, but I am now, over that 3-D view of Gibraltar. I am especially wowed by the rivulet feature on the right. It has undercut sides and overhanging edges, which in places have been so undermined that they have broken off. A flat-topped piece of the "plain" above has tumbled down intact to rest on the bottom. It just looks SO like a small rivulet freshly carving out wet sand on a beach....

[Guest_Oersted_*]

To me it looks bone dry and not like a rivulet at all. I see no meander.

Thanks to the MER people for finally bringing us to a Mars worthy of Bonestell!

[neo56]

And in colors too

Beautiful picture Ant ! Particularly when only L6-L7 and R1 to R7 filters are available on the exploratorium

[kenny]

To me it looks bone dry and not like a rivulet at all. I see no meander.

It depends on the orientation of the scene. If it's tilted down towards the left and away from the viewer, then any fluid would presumably follow the edge of the hard rock, as the "rivulet" clearly does. I'm not saying it's a liquid, it might be wind or a heat effect off the rock. But a liquid rivulet could look like that, I think. Others will know better than I.

[centsworth_II]

To me, that feature along the right side of Gibraltar does not look like the result of flow. It looks like a mini-fault resulting from movement of the rock. There is a similar, smaller, feature on the left side and also indications of the result of movement along the top. It looks like the whole rock moved (mostly subsided) disturbing the sand all around its edge.

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

Most of the blueberries seem to have holes in them.

[ugordan]

Beautifu picture Ant ! Particularly when only L6-L7 and R1 to R7 filters are available on the exploratorium

Other filters are available, look at the upload directory for the 10th. My take on "Gibraltar":

[stewjack]

RE: Gibralter
Going just from casual memory, and not speaking as an expert, I think we have seen these 'depression' or "subsistence" outlines many times before - but not with such sharp edges! Maybe a crust covering the soil?