Post Conjunction: Santa Maria to Cape York, The Journey to 'Spirit Point' |
Post Conjunction: Santa Maria to Cape York, The Journey to 'Spirit Point' |
Feb 8 2011, 03:35 PM
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#1
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Senior Member Group: Admin Posts: 4763 Joined: 15-March 05 From: Glendale, AZ Member No.: 197 |
Starting a new topic to include Eduardo's Google overlay for the rest of the journey to Cape York:
http://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/gmars_ma...41_1775_RED.kml Follow the link above and it should load right in to your Google Mars features. I took a low crow's flight along the final 6km this morning. Below in green is what I think the final route will look like. Also an interesting feature along the way that appears to be a cluster of rocks, possibly Santa Maria ejecta, or large meteorite fragments. Note how the dune has evolved around the three (or more) objects. Object is at -2.199395°, -5.396676° -- roughly 3km down range from Santa Maria. EDIT: bad link replaced, wider context image added for three rocks. -------------------- If Occam had heard my theory, things would be very different now.
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Feb 8 2011, 11:53 PM
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#2
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1089 Joined: 19-February 05 From: Close to Meudon Observatory in France Member No.: 172 |
...Below in green is what I think the final route will look like. The Green path is interesting indeed. On my side, I bet for a "directissime" (as we say in French) route to Cape York (RED path on ElkGroveDan's good map), because Oppy is now on a very flat terrain with just small dust ripples. I think the Navigators will just race (straight route) on the smoothier terrain available in front of them (maybe with short stops at small craters), not only to gain time, but speed also, while saving some energy by avoiding wheel friction on "pavements"... We'll see |
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Feb 9 2011, 01:35 AM
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#3
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Member Group: Members Posts: 813 Joined: 8-February 04 From: Arabia Terra Member No.: 12 |
I can see them making a beeline. I think the path from here to Cape York will be one of straightest they've ever made.
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Feb 9 2011, 06:53 AM
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#4
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The Poet Dude Group: Moderator Posts: 5551 Joined: 15-March 04 From: Kendal, Cumbria, UK Member No.: 60 |
Members who can't access HiRISE images via the IAS Viewer, or who haven't got Google Mars, might find this zoomed-in view of the "final approach" to Cape York interesting... I think Oppy will be driving over/through/round some *fascinating* ground features as she rolls up towards CY...
I'll add a "scale Oppy" later, have to head out to work now... -------------------- |
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Feb 9 2011, 05:08 PM
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#5
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Senior Member Group: Admin Posts: 4763 Joined: 15-March 05 From: Glendale, AZ Member No.: 197 |
-------------------- If Occam had heard my theory, things would be very different now.
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Guest_Oersted_* |
Feb 9 2011, 11:55 PM
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#6
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Guests |
No big scientific musings here, I just have to say that I'm non-plussed by the thought that Opportunity - after all these years - is actually heading for large-scale morphology. It might be just another crater, but it feels like Landfall.
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Feb 10 2011, 01:02 AM
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#7
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2173 Joined: 28-December 04 From: Florida, USA Member No.: 132 |
...It might be just another crater... Endeavour is not just another crater. It is the one and only crater that Opportunity will visit that presents material from another - more ancient - age of Mars. The rim of Endeavour was there before the layers of sulfates, before the hematite 'blueberries', before anything else that opportunity has seen.
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Guest_Oersted_* |
Feb 10 2011, 09:12 AM
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#8
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Guests |
We agree. It is totally different from what we have seen so far, that was more or less the gist of my posting.
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Feb 10 2011, 05:20 PM
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#9
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Member Group: Members Posts: 507 Joined: 10-September 08 Member No.: 4338 |
I would guess the MER team would want to get to Endeavour well before the next winter. Who knows what the next Martian season will bring?
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Feb 11 2011, 02:31 AM
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#10
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Founder Group: Chairman Posts: 14448 Joined: 8-February 04 Member No.: 1 |
Opportunity, being more equatorial than Spirit, has never needed a tilt during winter.
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Feb 11 2011, 03:55 AM
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#11
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Member Group: Members Posts: 507 Joined: 10-September 08 Member No.: 4338 |
A late summer or fall dust storm could always make the winter hazardous, even for Opportunity.
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Feb 11 2011, 06:51 AM
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#12
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Founder Group: Chairman Posts: 14448 Joined: 8-February 04 Member No.: 1 |
Indeed - such an event occurred just before ingress to Victoria...with Whr's down to <100. And then once the skies cleared it just carried on.
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Feb 19 2011, 06:42 PM
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#13
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Member Group: Members Posts: 399 Joined: 28-August 07 From: San Francisco Member No.: 3511 |
Might the rover drivers forego the climb of "Ledge York" and instead study the surrounding hydrated bedrock before heading straight for the clays at Tribulation ?
http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA13708 Saving precious time and beating MSL Or will Oppy now be headed for a specific location targeted by CRISM ? Best of luck and W/Hrs to the team! -------------------- 'She drove until the wheels fell off...'
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Mar 9 2011, 08:31 PM
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#14
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Member Group: Members Posts: 293 Joined: 29-August 06 From: Columbia, MD Member No.: 1083 |
Per Ray Arvidson at LPSC, Opportunity will start driving toward Cape York between Monday and Wednesday next week.
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Mar 16 2011, 02:02 PM
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#15
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The Poet Dude Group: Moderator Posts: 5551 Joined: 15-March 04 From: Kendal, Cumbria, UK Member No.: 60 |
Some musings on the road ahead for Oppy...
http://roadtoendeavour.wordpress.com/2011/...aring-to-depart -------------------- |
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