IPB

Welcome Guest ( Log In | Register )

104 Pages V  « < 15 16 17 18 19 > »   
Reply to this topicStart new topic
Post Conjunction: Santa Maria to Cape York, The Journey to 'Spirit Point'
fredk
post Apr 26 2011, 03:33 AM
Post #241


Senior Member
****

Group: Members
Posts: 4246
Joined: 17-January 05
Member No.: 152



The latest Oppy map update includes a route to Cape York (of course the route has to be tentative). The route basically consists of several straight segments connecting up at craters, starting with the "double crater" we can see in pancam about 400 metres ahead, and ending near the south end of CY. Most of the connecting vertices are obvious craters, although one is labelled "young blocky" but there's no obvious candidate that matches that description exactly at that vertex, to my eye at least.
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
eoincampbell
post Apr 26 2011, 05:20 AM
Post #242


Member
***

Group: Members
Posts: 399
Joined: 28-August 07
From: San Francisco
Member No.: 3511



Oh, Great to hear of the insights to the journey like this, thanks Fred.
I dedicate my working week to Oppy's goals, let's see where we are Saturday smile.gif


--------------------
'She drove until the wheels fell off...'
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
centsworth_II
post Apr 26 2011, 07:49 AM
Post #243


Senior Member
****

Group: Members
Posts: 2173
Joined: 28-December 04
From: Florida, USA
Member No.: 132



QUOTE (fredk @ Apr 25 2011, 10:33 PM) *
...Most of the connecting vertices are obvious craters, although one is labelled "young blocky" but there's no obvious candidate that matches that description exactly at that vertex, to my eye at least.

I wonder if that last label refers not to a vertex but to the prospective route's endpoint. It certainly would be a good description of the prominent crater at the South tip of Cape York, in the direction the route is headed.

From Stu's view of Cape York, complete with scattered little orange-highlighted Opportunitys:
Attached Image
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
centsworth_II
post Apr 26 2011, 09:17 AM
Post #244


Senior Member
****

Group: Members
Posts: 2173
Joined: 28-December 04
From: Florida, USA
Member No.: 132



Actually, near the end of the January 31, 2010 Mars Exploration Rovers Update By A.J.S. Rayl. Steve Squyres refers to another crater visited by Opportunity as "young" and "blocky".

Concepcion.... is estimated to be about 1,000 years old, making it the youngest crater explored on the mission. Being young, it’s “very blocky, very rugged,” said Squyres. “And we're going to tiptoe around this thing pretty very carefully because it is a real rubble pile.”

If anything, the crater on the South end of Cape York looks even younger and blockier than Concepcion (on the left, below). Of course Concepcion being formed in soft sulfate rock would presumably weather at a faster rate than the Cape York crater, which I estimate is about 18m diameter to Concepcion's 10m (based on the 100m grid in Tesheiner's route map)
Attached Image
.
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
ElkGroveDan
post Apr 26 2011, 01:25 PM
Post #245


Senior Member
****

Group: Admin
Posts: 4763
Joined: 15-March 05
From: Glendale, AZ
Member No.: 197



I've been waiting for someone to comment on this different looking texture we will be approaching in the next week. But no one has, so I will. It almost looks "inverted" the way some of the ancient craters have been filled and then their structure eroded away on other parts of Mars. I know the term "etched" has already been used to described the Meridiani Planum on a larger scale. But when you get right down to it, this really looks "etched" in the truest sense of the word. It's difficult to tell from Google Mars, but there doesn't appear to be any relief to the region, or at least not enough to present a navigational obstacle.

Do your speculating quickly. We're almost on top of it.
Attached thumbnail(s)
Attached Image
 


--------------------
If Occam had heard my theory, things would be very different now.
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
ElkGroveDan
post Apr 26 2011, 01:43 PM
Post #246


Senior Member
****

Group: Admin
Posts: 4763
Joined: 15-March 05
From: Glendale, AZ
Member No.: 197



I suspect THIS is Young Blocky.
Attached thumbnail(s)
Attached Image
 


--------------------
If Occam had heard my theory, things would be very different now.
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
mhoward
post Apr 26 2011, 02:07 PM
Post #247


Senior Member
****

Group: Moderator
Posts: 3431
Joined: 11-August 04
From: USA
Member No.: 98



QUOTE (ElkGroveDan @ Apr 26 2011, 06:25 AM) *
I've been waiting for someone to comment on this different looking texture we will be approaching in the next week. But no one has, so I will.


Looks like just another instance of the 'dark terrain' type which we've already passed over and found surprisingly unsurprising.
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
Phil Stooke
post Apr 26 2011, 02:10 PM
Post #248


Solar System Cartographer
****

Group: Members
Posts: 10128
Joined: 5-April 05
From: Canada
Member No.: 227



Agreed - EGD, check out the posts around #130 in this thread. It looks a lot more interesting from orbit than it does on the ground... although it must have something to tell us that is not immediately apparent.

Phil



--------------------
... because the Solar System ain't gonna map itself.

Also to be found posting similar content on https://mastodon.social/@PhilStooke
NOTE: everything created by me which I post on UMSF is considered to be in the public domain (NOT CC, public domain)
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
ElkGroveDan
post Apr 26 2011, 02:20 PM
Post #249


Senior Member
****

Group: Admin
Posts: 4763
Joined: 15-March 05
From: Glendale, AZ
Member No.: 197



It makes wonder if these aren't the remnants of once-large dunes that have since been scoured away from a regional change in prevailing winds. Is it possible there is some kind of weak cementation that occurred from the pressure and eons of a time under the formerly larger dunes, leaving a "footing" that is just a tad bit more resistant than all the other sand out there on the planum? Might it be worth a brief wheel scuff and MI peek into one of these zig-zagging shapes?


--------------------
If Occam had heard my theory, things would be very different now.
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
Poolio
post Apr 26 2011, 02:53 PM
Post #250


Member
***

Group: Members
Posts: 128
Joined: 28-October 08
From: Boston, MA
Member No.: 4469



Wouldn't you expect to see more alignment and less crisscrossing if these were the remnants of ancient dunes?
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
marsophile
post Apr 26 2011, 03:19 PM
Post #251


Member
***

Group: Members
Posts: 507
Joined: 10-September 08
Member No.: 4338



Looks to me like the trenches we have already seen have become more numerous until they have merged together to form a general collapsed area with remnants of the old terrain forming the criss-crossing ridges.
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
Stu
post Apr 26 2011, 03:30 PM
Post #252


The Poet Dude
****

Group: Moderator
Posts: 5551
Joined: 15-March 04
From: Kendal, Cumbria, UK
Member No.: 60



QUOTE (ElkGroveDan @ Apr 26 2011, 02:43 PM) *
I suspect THIS is Young Blocky.


I think you're spot on there, Dan.


--------------------
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
Stu
post Apr 26 2011, 04:18 PM
Post #253


The Poet Dude
****

Group: Moderator
Posts: 5551
Joined: 15-March 04
From: Kendal, Cumbria, UK
Member No.: 60



Very quick Best Guesstimate Rough Guide to the major landmarks that MIGHT ahead based on what I take to be the route shown on the recent traverse map release... bit hard to pick them out tho, because it's quite a low resolution pic... and the nnames are *obviously* a million percent made up by myself, they're just there to give a flavour of the trip, ok? rolleyes.gif

Attached Image


You'll see a little virtual Oppy next to each crater, at the correct scale. I'm going to put some better versions of these omages up on my blog later, rather than put them all up on here and gorge myself on UMSF's bandwidth, so I hope some of you will take a look at those.

Note: I'm not absolutely sure about these crater IDs, so this really is just a bestguesstimate laugh.gif


--------------------
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
Tesheiner
post Apr 26 2011, 05:49 PM
Post #254


Senior Member
****

Group: Moderator
Posts: 4279
Joined: 19-April 05
From: .br at .es
Member No.: 253



QUOTE (ElkGroveDan @ Apr 26 2011, 03:43 PM) *
I suspect THIS is Young Blocky.

I think it's a slightly bigger one 200m NNW of your identification.
One reason --but perhaps we are trying to extract too much information from the image posted by Tim Parker-- is that the feature on the official map seems to be located on a rocky patch more consistent with the crater I'm pointing at. The other reason --and this is perhaps more relevant on this "game"-- is that this whole "route path" makes a small detour north of a straight path. Why? IMHO, it's not to visit some craters on the way but to avoid crossing a ripple field on a more direct path. This northward route crosses a more benign terrain and the little double-crater on Dan's picture is right on the ripple field. wink.gif
My 2c.
Attached thumbnail(s)
Attached Image
 
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post
ngunn
post Apr 26 2011, 06:13 PM
Post #255


Senior Member
****

Group: Members
Posts: 3516
Joined: 4-November 05
From: North Wales
Member No.: 542



I think 'Young Blocky' could even be the rayed crater at the top right corner there. OK it's not on the proposed route line but it's sufficiently close to have been considered as a possible waypoint at some stage.
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post

104 Pages V  « < 15 16 17 18 19 > » 
Reply to this topicStart new topic

 



RSS Lo-Fi Version Time is now: 29th March 2024 - 01:17 PM
RULES AND GUIDELINES
Please read the Forum Rules and Guidelines before posting.

IMAGE COPYRIGHT
Images posted on UnmannedSpaceflight.com may be copyrighted. Do not reproduce without permission. Read here for further information on space images and copyright.

OPINIONS AND MODERATION
Opinions expressed on UnmannedSpaceflight.com are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of UnmannedSpaceflight.com or The Planetary Society. The all-volunteer UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderation team is wholly independent of The Planetary Society. The Planetary Society has no influence over decisions made by the UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderators.
SUPPORT THE FORUM
Unmannedspaceflight.com is funded by the Planetary Society. Please consider supporting our work and many other projects by donating to the Society or becoming a member.