To the Cape! (part 2), For real this time! Options

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

Another turn in place to the left today. Seems that they may be orientating for a drive up slope and possibly out of the crater?

Yes that's what I think they're doing. Lots and Lots of images looking up the crater to the rim lately.

[Stu]

I dunno... are they really going to give up on driving closer to the rockface when they're so close now? I was wondering myself if they were having second thoughts when I saw the most recent navcam shots, which seemed to be Oppy taking a good long look at the ground and rocks at her feet and around her, almost as if she was reaching out with a toe and testing the rocks on the edge of a pool... but there seem to be no huge obstacles in her path, and to come this close and not try to get closer still would be frustrating for the team, wouldn't it? Maybe they're just checking out an exit strategy and route before edging closer to Cape Verde... thinking "Well, if we really can't get any farther we can always come back here and head out in that direction..."?

[Tesheiner]

IMO. they are just turning the rover to try climbing on a different angle. We might get the answer in two sols, after the next drive attempt.
If they were giving up and leaving the crater, the way out would be (again IMO) by exactly the same path as they got to the current position.

[BrianL]

I agree, those recent pancams of the rim have the look of "longing glances of intent". However, I'm sure this is just a re-orientation to try a different approach to the wall, or perhaps something in that direction has caught their eye.

[Tesheiner]

AFAIK, the pancams from sol 1594 or later, rim or not, are shots on all filters of selected science targets.

[Tesheiner]

Fresh pics of the latest drive, during sol 1600 (!!!) , on the exploratorium.
This one was smooth, no slip (?), with all wheels on "solid" ground. I think we are back on the way to the rockface.

Looking at the rear hazcam images from tosol (1600) and the previous ones (1598) I have the impression that the little rock at the center of the fov was blocking the rear right wheel on the earlier drive attempts. The illumination is quite bad on the pictures so I had to enhance them a bit; here below is the one from sol 1600.

[Stu]

Now that's a luvverly chunk of layered rock...

[fredk]

Some wheel movement on sol 1602, but no distance driven:
sol 1600 hazcam: http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...C7P1212L0M3.JPG
sol 1602 hazcam: http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...CIP1214L0M1.JPG
Wheel closeups always make me nervous: http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...CHP2149R1M1.JPG

[BrianL]

What was the planned movement on these last few drives? Have the drives been aborting from slippage?

[Tesheiner]

Can't tell.
Data stopped flowing into the pancam web on the 24th. Hiccup?

[BrianL]

New update today: http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/spotlight/2...pportunity.html

Hmm, maybe a reference in there to some recent comments here? Nah...

[CosmicRocker]

Yeah, Tesheiner pointed out that troublesome rock to us a few days ago.

After more than 7 miles and 4 years of exploration, this rover doesn't cut and run!

I was getting a little concerned about Opportunity's recent predicament. This is music to my ears.

[Tesheiner]

Good news!
I was a bit nervous after the last move uphill when she got free of the "potato". I said to myself: "if the next move is to the left, bad, they are giving up; if to the right, good, they are taking another path to the wall". Now the approach is clear.

[Aussie]

Upslope. Sideways. Are we any closer to figuring out where Nevada is?

[Tesheiner]

It's here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada

Now seriously. Ilbasso correctly identified it some time ago (post: http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.p...st&p=120312)


There was a pancam shot on sol 1591 named after it.
01591::p2543::21::8::8::0::0::4::20::pancam_nevada_dusty_L257R1
And here's the page with the images taken on that sol: http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all...nity_p1591.html

And to put it in context, here's a navcam mosaic of images taken on sols 1600 and 1602. Nevada is to the right of the picture.