[X] My Assistant

[Tman]

What may you estimate? Which direction have they decided for Spirit?

http://www.greuti.ch/spirit/which_route.jpg

Thanks Phil for this map!

I put my money on 3.

This post has been edited by Tman: Jun 2 2005, 07:59 PM

[edstrick]

At high obliquity, the poles actually get MORE sunlight than the equator. For example, at 90 degrees obliquity (the extreme example), the equator gets no sunlight at midsummer and midwinter, but only gets a "normal" day/night cycle at spring and fall equinoxes. Granted, there's a big winter polar cap at each winter pole, but the equator effectively has spring winter fall winter cycles.

[tty]

Something else strikes me about this rock even more strongly.

Those are zap pits!

Since "backstay" apparently is mineralogically different from anything else around it is quite likely a piece of impact ejecta. These features may well be related to this, either through collisions between ejecta or (more likely) erosion during re-entry.

tty

[abalone]

There seem to be as many bumps as there are pits on the the rock surface and the pits do not seem to be any more common as the surface is more horizontal as might be expected if they were caused by micrometeorites.

I believe that micrometeorites burn up in the Earth's atmosphere at an altitude of about 100-120 km. In an artical by Japan Association of Remote Sensing at http://www.profc.udec.cl/~gabriel/tutorial...e/cp5/cp5-2.htm a graph gives an atmospheric density of about 10 E-7 kgm-3 at that altitude. You have to compare atmospheric density rather than pressure I think, since the same atmospheric density on Mars would give a lower pressure due to the lower gravity there.

The current Atm density on Mars as given by Matthew Buynoski, Senior Member Technical Staff,Advanced Micro Devices at http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/may98...35313.As.r.html is give as 0.04kgm-3. If the 95% that is CO2 freezes out it would leave 1/20th, about 0.002kgm-3. This is still 3,000 times as much is on Earth at 120 km or to put it another way equal to the Earth's atm at about 50km. I don't think any micrometeorites would survive that far. I recall that when the Russian Mir Station reentered some years ago it was toasted and broke up at about 80km.

I don't think it is quite as simple as this of course since the lower temp would allow the atm to contract closer to the surface, its only to give some kind approximation

[Tesheiner]

Sol 513:

Spirit has left "Backstay" behind and is at a new position, probably the last before starting to climb the hill again.

Quick navcam panorama (left-eye):

If this is the place Squyres was talking about on June, 9th we should expect nice color pancams from here.

Tesheiner

[Phil Stooke]

Here is Tesheiner's pan in polar projection. Spirit is a few meters west of its earlier location on Methuselah.



Phil

[Nix]

Great views! Here's another one, sol 510, what a view..



Spirit sol 510 panorama
Nico

[tedstryk]

Great views! Here's another one, sol 510, what a view..



Spirit sol 510 panorama
Nico

Wow Nix, ever since I have started viewing your site, JPL's pans have seemed, well, poorly done. Great work!

[Tman]

Hey, I guess Spirit is looking for path No. 3!

http://www.greuti.ch/spirit/spirit_navcam_sol513b.jpg

http://www.greuti.ch/spirit/which_route.jpg

[Nix]

Thanks Ed! There's some room for improvement still but perfecting that might take until the .rads come out for this sol I sometimes wonder about other people's routine for color matching frames. I find I have a pretty straightforward workflow for most of the sequences yet sometimes I'm still surprised at the difficulties some pans introduce.
Looking at this one I was thinking it must be a hard decision not entering the valley and look at some features up close. On the other hand the safe route is FINE by me. Take us to the summit JPL!
Nico

[djellison]

Holy CRAP Nix - that one's a STUNNER

Doug

[tedstryk]

Thanks Ed!  There's some room for improvement still but perfecting that might take until the .rads come out for this sol   I sometimes wonder about other people's routine for color matching frames. I find I have a pretty straightforward workflow for most of the sequences yet sometimes I'm still surprised at the difficulties some pans introduce.
Looking at this one I was thinking it must be a hard decision not entering the valley and look at some features up close. On the other hand the safe route is FINE by me. Take us to the summit JPL!
Nico

I'm Ted Even in JPL pans, there are some frames that are not perfect. I look forward to seeing the site continue to grow!

[Tman]

Slowly JPL should buy the panoramas out or if they already do, change the maker!

[Nix]

Gee thanks! I have been trying to perfect my sol 508 (was it 508?) pan of the trenches left behind at the slide feature but it's driven me a few times. Maybe better luck next time.
I hope to keep up a steady rate for letting the site grow. There's many ideas, and many images but er... life's too short!
Nico

[ustrax]

Great views! Here's another one, sol 510, what a view..



Spirit sol 510 panorama
Nico

NIX, that is so...close to perfection...

About routes...I've changed my betdue to the latest update...
from:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v352/ustrax/ramp5.jpg
to:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v352/ustrax/ramp6.jpg

[ustrax]

I managed to get a small place to accomodate all the Ultreya issues.
A visit will be warmly saluted...

ultreymars.blogspot.com