[X] My Assistant

[rapidtransit]

Hi, first time poster, long time lurker.

Though visible from previous orbital shots of the crater, the wind streaks in the north east portion of the crater are much more apparent and striking in the MRO image. Are these the signs of an erosional process or a depositional one? If the former, would it be worthwhile travelling to this area for the purpose of increasing the chances of a cleaning event similar to the sort that Spirit commonly experiences? If we do enter the crater, we may not always be in the best position to gather power. Thus, any actions that may lead to an increase in power should be considered even if it may require a considerable journey around the rim.

On the other hand, if this is a depositional feature Opportunity should treat it like the Van Allen Belts and fly through as quickly as possible.

[Jeff7]

As for depositional concerns (which would hypothetically take place on the South rim) I wouldn't worry about Opportunity's solar panels on this time scale. The processes we are looking at are an accumulation of processes taking place over thousands or millions of years. Think of a hundred particles being deposited each year and 99 particles being moved forward. In fact due to the very fine nature of the dust on Opportunity's panels, which sit a meter above the surface, it's highly likely that net particle removal could occur for Opportunity in these nominal "depositional" zones.

I don't know...Spirit picked up dust pretty quickly once it moved into the valley, and the region near El Dorado was a prime spot for dust deposition.

I'd think that getting on one of the slopes of the near rim would be best. The wind would have come off the plains, dumped most of its dust into the center of the crater, and then be on its way to exit the crater. Note the gentle slopes on the far side, where the wind approaches the crater and flows into it, while the near rim has must steeper dropoffs.

The other option - stay on the side of Victoria that is the same as that which Opportunity was on in Endurance. Though, I think in that case, that'd mean going to the far rim.
So who knows, maybe just getting on any rim that sees a good stiff breeze would be a good idea.