Run For The Hills!, The flight to Winter Quarters... |
Run For The Hills!, The flight to Winter Quarters... |
Mar 3 2006, 12:12 PM
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#46
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2488 Joined: 17-April 05 From: Glasgow, Scotland, UK Member No.: 239 |
Bob: This kind of fracturing appears to be fairly common in exposed, flat-lying beds. It is even visible at a larger scale in some of the Mars orbiter images. Do you think think thermal activity (contraction- expansion could have anything to do with it?? neb Neb: Well, there has to be *some* common(ish) process, and that would certainly be a planet-wide phenomenon. I don't remember seeing any numbers for temperatures at or just under the surface of Mars - you tend to see air temperatures quoted and figures for depths where water might exist, but not much inbetween. And I'm sure somebody will prove me wrong! Certainly, Lunar sub-surface temperatures are pretty static near the surface, barely seeing diurnal change - Mars, though? Maybe there's some THEMIS data out there... Bob Shaw -------------------- Remember: Time Flies like the wind - but Fruit Flies like bananas!
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Mar 3 2006, 01:52 PM
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#47
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2998 Joined: 30-October 04 Member No.: 105 |
I'd suspect that the diurnal thermal processes result more in exfoliation than the formation of the "paving slabs". This type of fracturing has a polygonal aspect and my first and continuing impression is that it is like mudcracks or frost polygons. There may not be a 1:1 analogue with these terrestrial processes, but the appearance is similar. Once a minute fracture forms, I'd suspect that the aeolian sandblasting over eons chips away at the fracture and significantly widens it.
OTOH, at Meridiani, I have noticed some apparent recent movement in the slabs so it lookss as though these are complex processes with many causes. Our Earthly experiences do not include rock that can lay on the surface for a billion years and be slowly weathered and eroded, so the timeframes are quite different. I did a "google heatflow mars" and came up a lot of relevant topics to Bob's subsurface temperature question. A bit OT but still useful was http://www.mantleplumes.org/index.html . --Bill -------------------- |
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Mar 3 2006, 02:58 PM
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#48
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Member Group: Members Posts: 648 Joined: 9-May 05 From: Subotica Member No.: 384 |
This is a surprise to me...take a look...
Spirit Discovers "New" Highest Peak in "Columbia Hills" -------------------- The scientist does not study nature because it is useful; he studies it because he delights in it, and he delights in it because it is beautiful.
Jules H. Poincare My "Astrophotos" gallery on flickr... |
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Mar 3 2006, 03:20 PM
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#49
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Member Group: Members Posts: 531 Joined: 24-August 05 Member No.: 471 |
Holy ...
-------------------- - blue_scape / Nico -
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Mar 3 2006, 03:29 PM
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#50
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Founder Group: Chairman Posts: 14432 Joined: 8-February 04 Member No.: 1 |
That's this winter's holiday trip sorted then....we're going climbing again
Actually - I wonder if they will go for the summit again, with the aim to roll to the top by next summer - would there be any benefit, or would it make more sense to head to different terrain. Doug |
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Mar 3 2006, 03:35 PM
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#51
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1636 Joined: 9-May 05 From: Lima, Peru Member No.: 385 |
At the top of Mc Cool Hill would have a 23 meters higher than Husband Hill. Climbing during the winter until reaching the top would be very tough! I don't know if it is worth to effort to climb up to there again. Let see !
Rodolfo |
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Mar 3 2006, 03:46 PM
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#52
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Member Group: Members Posts: 562 Joined: 29-March 05 Member No.: 221 |
They have to go for the summit.
as for it being higher, i'm actually several kinds of supprised nobody here spotted it first |
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Mar 3 2006, 04:29 PM
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#53
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Member Group: Members Posts: 510 Joined: 17-March 05 From: Southeast Michigan Member No.: 209 |
I suppose the decision to get to McCool's summit might be driven by what comes out of the home plate analysis. If they do want to return to HP in the spring, would it be worth the time & effort for Spirit to top another peak? ISTR Steve saying that he and several team members are climbers, so there may be an emotional factor there too...
-------------------- --O'Dave
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Mar 3 2006, 04:37 PM
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#54
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2488 Joined: 17-April 05 From: Glasgow, Scotland, UK Member No.: 239 |
Bill: Interesting site! Bob Shaw -------------------- Remember: Time Flies like the wind - but Fruit Flies like bananas!
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Mar 3 2006, 05:21 PM
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#55
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1636 Joined: 9-May 05 From: Lima, Peru Member No.: 385 |
Now Spirit has stopped close to Mitcheltree Ridge and is currently spending three sols studying a rock target called "Fuzzy Smith" using three instruments on the robotic arm: the microscopic imager, Mössbauer spectrometer, and alpha particle X-ray spectrometer.
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all...BCP1131L0M1.JPG During the coming week, Spirit will communicate with Earth in UHF-only mode while NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter arrives at the red planet. Does anyone know about the speed (bit/sec) and reliability of UHF communication between MER and Earth (Stanford University Radatelescope in California). It will be much lower than 128 bps? It is probably that the transfer rate of image will be slowed down since UHF is much slower than the X-band communication which is perfomed by Odyssey and MGS. How long will last with this protocol of comunication, UHF? Rodolfo |
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Mar 3 2006, 05:38 PM
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#56
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Member Group: Members Posts: 198 Joined: 2-March 05 From: Richmond, VA USA Member No.: 181 |
as for it being higher, i'm actually several kinds of supprised nobody here spotted it first I can't exactly say that I nailed it (I didn't trust my 'gut', my experience, enough), but I wondered about it: http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.p...indpost&p=17789 Higher or not it would be nice to view from the surface the south slopes of McCool Hill. I would question the value of doing so however with so many tasy things to explore in the inner basin yet. -- Pertinax |
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Mar 3 2006, 05:42 PM
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#57
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Martian Photographer Group: Members Posts: 352 Joined: 3-March 05 Member No.: 183 |
During the coming week, Spirit will communicate with Earth in UHF-only mode while NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter arrives at the red planet. Does anyone know about the speed (bit/sec) and reliability of UHF communication between MER and Earth (Stanford University Radatelescope in California). It will be much lower than 128 bps? It is probably that the transfer rate of image will be slowed down since UHF is much slower than the X-band communication which is perfomed by Odyssey and MGS. How long will last with this protocol of comunication, UHF? I'm pretty sure the MER-Stanford communication is at best 1 bit. Not per second, just signal/no signal. Normally Spirit is commanded via X-band from Earth and downlinks via UHF through ODY; occasionally Spirit downlinks via X-band to Earth. Spirit will still talk to Odyssey via UHF, but the DSN stations aimed at Mars during the time Spirit would be commanded from Earth will be occupied by MRO. So, UHF only: uplink and downlink. That changes the timing of the uplink communication so as not to conflict with MRO (the Earth-ODY communications would have to occur when MRO doesn't need the DSN). So, Spirit will be in restricted sols (driving every other day at best) since there will be less time to write commands, but the data will continue to flow. |
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Mar 3 2006, 05:51 PM
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#58
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2173 Joined: 28-December 04 From: Florida, USA Member No.: 132 |
The rover drivers took a lot of time learning how to climb Husband Hill, also, a lot of time was spent examining new types of rock outcrop. They may surprise us with how quick McCool Hill can be climbed with a combination of previously learned climbing techniques and less time spent examining already seen rock types. If that's the goal.
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Mar 3 2006, 06:14 PM
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#59
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Member Group: Members Posts: 123 Joined: 21-February 05 Member No.: 175 |
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Mar 3 2006, 06:24 PM
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#60
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2173 Joined: 28-December 04 From: Florida, USA Member No.: 132 |
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