[X] My Assistant

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...00P1907L0M1.JPG

[David]

Why is the upper rim of the large crater in the distance so bright? And is that more bedrock around smaller craters in the foreground?

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

I believe the whitish patches, including the one near the rock are bounce marks left by the airbags

There are some incredibly beautiful dune features too:

[slinted]

Here's 'the look back'
JPL/MIPL does it better than I, thats for sure, here's their version instead:

[MizarKey]

Sunspot wrote: I believe the whitish patches, including the one near the rock are bounce marks left by the airbags

I don't think those white spots are bounce marks, the bounce marks actually change the texture of the surface...flattens it out due to the 'bonding' agents in the soil whatever they may be (what was it? saline slush?)

Anyway, those just look like areas that have exposed bedrock, probably a 'dip' in the plain where mini-dust devils clear away the material.

I'm sooooo happy it finally got out of the crater...not that I'm unhappy about the science they've done there, and I'm awaiting the announcement on Tuesday. But I can't wait for it to go rovin'.

Eric P / MizarKey

[lars_J]

Sunspot wrote: I believe the whitish patches, including the one near the rock are bounce marks left by the airbags

I don't think those white spots are bounce marks, the bounce marks actually change the texture of the surface...flattens it out due to the 'bonding' agents in the soil whatever they may be (what was it? saline slush?)

Anyway, those just look like areas that have exposed bedrock, probably a 'dip' in the plain where mini-dust devils clear away the material.

Nope, they are indeed bounce-marks. Compare the image with the rock and white (not really white, just brighter) spots with this panorama, taken from inside the crater:
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/pre...-B041R1_br2.jpg
Those are indeed bounce-marks, and we are just seeing them from a different angle.

The reason the bounce-marks look brighter is that they push the darker larger objects down into the brighter sand. No saline solution or water needed to explain that one.

[remcook]

It seems the heatshield is right onroute to the crater
Nice place to stop to take a rest

[djellison]

It seems the heatshield is right onroute to the crater
Nice place to stop to take a rest

It's on route all right - but not till after the crater when they start heading south

Doug

[lars_J]

NASA just released their official Navcam panorama: http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/pre.../20040323a.html

Here is the thumbnail version:

[remcook]

It seems the heatshield is right onroute to the crater
Nice place to stop to take a rest

It's on route all right - but not till after the crater when they start heading south

Doug

sorry...I took that single rock (the only one in the surrounding, which Opportunity hit while bouncing) to be the heatshield. Anyway...that rock is right in the middle of the path to the crater.

[MizarKey]

Sunspot wrote: I believe the whitish patches, including the one near the rock are bounce marks left by the airbags

MizarKey wrote: I don't think those white spots are bounce marks, the bounce marks actually change the texture of the surface...flattens it out due to the 'bonding' agents in the soil whatever they may be (what was it? saline slush?)

Anyway, those just look like areas that have exposed bedrock, probably a 'dip' in the plain where mini-dust devils clear away the material.

lars_J wrote: Nope, they are indeed bounce-marks. Compare the image with the rock and white (not really white, just brighter) spots with this panorama, taken from inside the crater:
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/pre...-B041R1_br2.jpg
Those are indeed bounce-marks, and we are just seeing them from a different angle.

Never mind...I misread Sunspots post, he posted the image of the 'lovely dunes' which included the white spots and I thought he was asking if they were bounce marks. My bad.

Eric P / MizarKey

[Guest_paulanderson_*]

I'm not sure if those two depressions with the "white spots" in them are airbag marks (what I thought at first too). They are referenced here by JPL, nicknamed "homeplate" and "first base". They are not referred to as airbag marks though, just interesting depressions, with possible bits of bedrock exposed in them. See "Twin Dimples Intrigue Scientists" at end of this page:

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/pre.../20040323a.html

[slinted]

I believe that the airbag marks form a trail heading out the right side of the crater, as viewed in the navcam panorama (the opposite side as the "depressions"). The MOC image of the lander LINK: 2004 MOC ROTO image shows the 'first bounce' and effects of rocket firing (visible lightening of the ground) as being about 150-160 degrees south of Opportunity's landing crater. There is a large, visibily lighter area in the Navcam pano (bracketed below) and the bounce marks I think I can see from that area to the crater:


It matches up with the angles given in the NASA large panorama of the site (150-160 degrees).[U]

[lars_J]

Yep, "homeplate" and "first base" are not bouncemarks, I was mistaken earlier. The bounce marks (and the small rock) are on the opposite side of the rover relative to the exposed flat areas.

I thought the plain would be pretty boring until Endurance crater is reached, but there seems to be yet more things to look at. Spirit must be getting pretty jealus of its sister rover.

[remcook]

Yeah, it looks like Spirit does all the work and Opportunity gets the credit