Paolo's Plunge, First dip into Victoria Options

[Tesheiner]

Hi all,

Like every morning, I've just checked the latest info on the pancam web looking for the current and immediate future imaging plan and ...
Stay tuned and start Alt-F5'ing the exploratorium page at 19:35 UTC or so because today might be the day. Sol 1291 is a driving sol!

[jamescanvin]

I think your right Tesh.

This line is telling:

CODE

01291::p2360::12::16::0::0::16::2::34::pancam_mid_drive_4x1_L257R2

A colour pancam mosaic mid-drive, very unusual.

Looks like we are going to see a repeat of sol 133 at Endurance; get all six wheels in, take some pictures, then back right out again.

Hold on to your seats...

[Stu]

Not going to make a huge deal out of it... many moving and powerful words will be written elsewhere today about both the event itself and the anniversary... but I think it will be very fitting, in a way, if Oppy drives into VC today, carrying with her a small piece of one of the Twin Towers, as described in Steve's excellent book.



Hope no-one minds me pointing that out, but I thought we should mark the anniversary in some way.




Right, go get 'em Oppy! We're with you!

[OWW]

That's a picture from Spirit.

[Stu]

I know it is, thanks, but both rovers carry a piece, and that's the best view I've found of one of them so far.

[sattrackpro]

...I think it will be very fitting, in a way, if Oppy drives into VC today, carrying with her a small piece of one of the Twin Towers, as described in Steve's excellent book.

Wow... I did not know that, Stu - 'twould indeed be most fitting. Thanks for noting this little known (probably) fact.

[ElkGroveDan]

The WTC metal is the plate attached to the back of the RAT motor casing with the US flag on it.



EDIT just noticed Stu's image above.

[Stu]

Yep, that's the one, as labelled on the pic in my original posting.

The story of how those pieces of the WTC came to be on Mars is one of the most moving parts of the "Roving Mars" book, in my opinion, gives a very human dimension to the mission.

[Del Palmer]

Wow... I did not know that, Stu - 'twould indeed be most fitting. Thanks for noting this little known (probably) fact.

The RAT WTC memorial was discussed at length on NASA TV by the RAT team in 2004, so I'm not sure one could consider it a little-known fact.

The builder of the RAT was Honeybee Robotics -- their offices are just a few blocks from the WTC site.

[Tesheiner]

WOOHOO!

http://nasa.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportu...ISP1212L0M1.JPG

Given this fhazcam image and this other one from the rhazcam, I think we are actually on top of the drift.

Edited: In the same fhazcam we can see the tracks telling that Opportunity got at least its front wheels on the slope.

PS: I'm replying here on "Back to work" to keep this one as the active thread.

[BrianL]

Looks that way to me too, and makes sense to test the driveability of the ripple before contemplating any movement into the crater. See if there are traction issues that could affect backing out.

Brian

[mhoward]

It looks like the drift is not an issue. That's great news.

[Tman]

Yeah, though it seems Oppy got a bit slippage while driving back, but it's not a problem I think.

[Tesheiner]

A clean path right ahead!
May I call this mosaic "Paolo's plunge site"


> Yeah, but it seems Oppy got a bit slippage while driving back, though it's not a problem I think.

Think the same. The tracks reminds me of Purgatory, in that section where Opportunity was starting to slip.

[Indian3000]

and my version



and vertial projection