The Descent into Victoria, Possible and Actual Strategies Options

[djellison]

• Very confident of getting to the bright rocks.
• Another 'tens' of metres further in - fairly confident.
• Beyond that - all bets are off. We will not venture onto steep sandy slopes unless we know there is bedrock underneath.
• Not sure where this stuff lies compared to Burns cliff - need to do the science to match it up.
• Not going to attempt to get to bright band anywhere else other than Duck Bay. Wouldn't go close to Cape St Vinc. Cliffs are scarey things for little rovers.
• Regional dust storm - about a week old. Tracking it via MRO/MARCI with daily weather updates. It's regional extent - mainly south of Oppy. Don't have predicitive power for it - past experience suggests it may be starting to blow itself out.
• Dust storm blocks out sunlight, less power - but Opportunity is very clean. The storm is a risk- but well position to deal with it.
• Dust levels are the amoung the highest we've ever seen
• Mini-TES of bright band? Not really - from Mini TES it's all rich in sulphates. The differences in Sulphate chemistry we saw at Endurance were only evident in close detail. Primarily the APXS that pulls out the subtle differences. That + microscope. Rat+APXS+MI is what we need to unravel this problem.
• What would be the plan if the dust got worse for Oppportunity? We have experience with Spirit - we had a very dust rover, deep into winter, power levels dip to less than 300Whrs. Before the storm near Opportunity we were at nearly 800whrs, and off the showroom floor it was only around 900Whrs.
• Craig Covault : Anything you want to say about Spirit?
  • Steve mainly 'on' Opportunity but jealous of the Spirit stuff. 'Silica Valley'.
  • Identified another patch of bright soil but different from Gert.Wei, but right next to it.
  • Found rock with crazy nobbly texture ( difficult to IDD with ) - that's also high in Silica.
  • Tried to crunch some with the wheel - and nothing happened - but, right next to it, another piece of rock that did break. 'Innocent Bystander'
  • After studying that - time to get up onto Home Plate
• Total cost - ongoing cost?
  • To date from project inception to 4th extension - a little over $900m
  • Current annual rate is $20-24M
• Spirit hit by dust-devil?
  • No instruments on when cleaned (were using Mini-TES at the time)
  • Last few weeks - several cleaning events - two big ones - Spirit has more than Oppy
  • First jump at about 1320 local - possible direct hit from DD.
  • Imaged rover duck - pattern of removed dust very patchy. Some clean, some not - perhaps has something to do with DD.

And that's a wrap.

Doug

[Tom Tamlyn]

Interesting discussion by SS about the team's inability to distinguish, from a distance, between sandy slopes, which the rover cannot traverse if the slope is greater than 12 or so degrees, and rocky slopes with a thin layer of sand, which are almost as traversable as a rocky slope (good up to 32 degrees). In Endurance they didn't realize how good the traversability was until they got close views of the slopes.

TTT

This post has been edited by Tom Tamlyn: Jun 28 2007, 06:12 PM

[volcanopele]

I have been watching the press conference, but the images are up on the photojournal. This one in particular caught my eye:

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA09692

When I first saw that, I thought "that has got to be enhanced". But no, the tracks really do stand out that well Very cool.

[MarsIsImportant]

That was a lot of good information. They asked a lot of good questions, including most that I wanted asked. But one VERY major question was omitted. Nobody asked about the very recent changes in the rover tracks observed from So 1212, 1214, and 1216. These are clear and major changes that have not been observed before during any other time of the mission. The dark streaks appear to suggest the answer to the origin of the large dark streaks to the North of Victoria.

Back to the topic...So ingress will occur sometime around July 7th to the 9th. At least that is what is planned...after a few more tweaks and calibrations including the Rat tool.

[mars loon]

The press release for the teleconference states that "[s]upporting images and graphics for the teleconference will be posted at:
TTT

look here

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mer/070628/index.html

[remcook]

that's a pretty good route map!

[ToSeek]

Here I go, spitting into the wind again. I think it would be great if Oppy couldn't go into VC - off we'd go on another cross-country adventure, hopefully southeast towards Big Crater, wondering day by day what is over the next hill and exactly what route we'll follow. New vistas, new adventures, that's what I'd like to see. A full-color 360 degree panorama from the peak of the western rim of Big Crater - that would be incredible.

But of course there is little double that Oppy is going into VC, and there will undoubtedly be interesting things to see there as well - I'm looking forward to MI close-ups of a vertical cliff. But I anticipate a lot of boring sitting around in one spot for ages, like Spirit has been doing lately.

There is an unfortunate inverse correlation between what the geologists find interesting, and what I find interesting. I want to see new vistas, while they want to find something new and interesting that they can spend weeks analyzing to death.

[Stu]

I want new vistas too, but I have to admit I've been very, very spoiled this past few months... new vistas every day or so... time for the scientists to have their fun now!

Go get that bright band Oppy!

[ollopa]

Curious: they seem to have pulled the 20-second simulated rover animation that was posted on the briefing page before the teleconference. I wonder why.

[mars loon]

Curious: they seem to have pulled the 20-second simulated rover animation that was posted on the briefing page before the teleconference. I wonder why.

I just noticed that also. too bad .

anyway, some of you have wondered where these links can be found.

for that, check out the NASA Press release page
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/index.html

otherwise, that was a very informative press conference
and a news summary has appeared at space.com
http://www.space.com/news/070628_opp_victoria.html


ken

[lyford]

Mods - please let me know if this isn't kosher -

I shrank it from 30 MB to 540K using QuickTime Pro! Seemed like such a huge file for such a short movie...

Opportunity Movie (MP4)

[alan]

Curious: they seem to have pulled the 20-second simulated rover animation that was posted on the briefing page before the teleconference. I wonder why.

According to the those speaking at the conference
sand = bad

They couldn't have an animation of Oppy driving on sand, that would be putting the animated Oppy at unnecessary risk.

[CosmicRocker]

Thanks for the summaries and comments, people. Even though I couldn't listen to the briefing, with your help I was able to read the high points and still make it to my 1:30 meeting.

lyford: That amazed me. I downloaded the original 30 MB animation and your <1 MB version. I saw little difference. They now have a new version posted that is over 7 MB, but it's quality is quite inferior to your small file. It is also curious to me that they posted an animation of the rover entering the crater and cruising non-stop, straight down toward some of the most treacherous terrain, without even turning toward the bright transition between relatively intact bedrock and the pre-impact surface.

If they enter where we expect them to enter, they will need to only go down a short way and turn to the right to investigate the "bright band." That is the safest initial target of interest.

You guys want vistas? Just wait. The geologists and the photographers should be satisfied.

I'm not sure how to interpret the comments that the little rover is fearful of certain, far away cliffs. Do they intend to go there? I do like the potential, post Victoria plan. It's the most logical choice for an old robotic geologist. No matter where it goes on it's journey of exploration, skillful scientists will make useful observations, and talented photographers will find new vistas. That seems to be the way it works.

[Stu]

3D of "Bright Band"



I was amazed by your movie too lyford, especially after downloading the original mega-file on dialup last night...!! Thanks for that.

I'm not worried about a 'vista-drought' now at all... just one look over Oppy's shoulder as she scoots towards Bright Band will give us all a moment, I'm sure!

By the way, thanks from me too to everyone who posted during the teleconference. My audio was phasing in and out like some message from the Delta Quadrant while I was listening, so you all helped fill in the gaps.

[Tesheiner]

I'm still trying to understand the planned entry point based on what is written here and from the animation on the NASA web.

Is this the idea?


Or enter at a point between Sputnik and the sol 952 site?