[X] My Assistant

[dilo]

Wow, take a look!!!!!!
there is also a magnificent DD!

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[edstrick]

They *CANT*... As Squyres points out.. every day is maybe the last... They're gonna do a rock survey on top of the hill to be sure they aren't different from anything so far.... they very well could be..

The view to the northeast will be as good as this one.. and very different terrain we'll almost certainly never visit.

We can get a first look over the shoulder to the south on the way over to Summit 2.... and I'd strongly prefer an east-then-south route down into the basin.. the layered looking ridges and shelfs of rock they'll pass on the route down may be very important geologically.. and it will give a far better view and approach to the "ultreya" sand sheet than an approach from the west.

The whole east route gives more interesting and more likely different geology than we've seen than a climb down the hill to the west and a loop around the south side into the southern hollow.

I agree with the goal.. I don't think the sand sheet is that important, but it's a fundamental surficial unit type we should look at, if only for future engineering knowledge.. we're gonna have to be able to cross them... My goal is home plate.. I keep thinking that thing is a playa type salt deposit in a hollow that's now partly eroded away from around it.. .... maybe...

Beyond Home plate.. if we get there....... It's either the summit of the next hill to the south, or extensive exploration of the hollow.. there's oodles of weird geology I can half see in the MOC images.... all depends on rover condition and seasonal power availibility.

[ustrax]

They *CANT*... As Squyres points out.. every day is maybe the last... They're gonna do a rock survey on top of the hill to be sure they aren't different from anything so far.... they very well could be..

The view to the northeast will be as good as this one.. and very different terrain we'll almost certainly never visit. 

We can get a first look over the shoulder to the south on the way over to Summit 2.... and I'd strongly prefer an east-then-south route down into the basin.. the layered looking ridges and shelfs of rock they'll pass on the route down  may be very important geologically.. and it will give a far better view and approach to the "ultreya" sand sheet than an approach from the west. 

The whole east route gives more interesting and more likely different geology than we've seen than a climb down the hill to the west and a loop around the south side into the southern hollow.

I agree with the goal.. I don't think the sand sheet is that important, but it's a fundamental surficial unit type we should look at, if only for future engineering knowledge.. we're gonna have to be able to cross them... My goal is home plate.. I keep thinking that thing is a playa type salt deposit in a hollow that's now partly eroded away from around it.. .... maybe...

Beyond Home plate..  if we get there....... It's either the summit of the next hill to the south, or extensive exploration of the hollow.. there's oodles of weird geology I can half see in the MOC images.... all depends on rover condition and seasonal power availibility.

Sorry edstrick...My english betrayed me, I thought you were suggesting ignoring COMPLETELY the south and take the east the only priority...

[MahFL]

Wow !, its like Spirit just landed and started a new mission. The view is breathtaking.