[X] My Assistant

[fredk]

With the latest batch of pancams, I think the reason for the little move to the NW on sol 1820 is pretty clear, I'd say. There are many images similar to this:
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all...93P2421R2M1.JPG
It looks like they wanted to image a good long stretch of rover tracks, something that's easier to do from the "side".

[ngunn]

- and from a distance of one 'splat' radius.

[fredk]

Yikes. Some of the new pancams are showing more subtle details of the rim of Endeavour. This sol 1820 image, for example, shows the new piece of the west rim we've recently spotted (the obvious bit), and another piece almost burried in the haze (white arrows). Another less prominent hazy bit is further off to the right in the next frame. (2xPhil-o-vision)

These new bits are visible in other frames using a different filter (R1), so they're definitely real. Looking at James' inverse polar view, I'd say we're seeing here parts of the west rim further around to the SE from the most obvious bit.

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

What's the average daily driving distance since leaving Victoria ? I remember a quote of wanting to achieve 100m a day?

[Phil Stooke]

100 m per drive might have been an approximate target, rather than per day.

Phil

[centsworth_II]

My thinking on Meridiani is that the base rock is easily eroded once it is exposed to the surface. It's like it dissolves into a fine powder that the wind carries away. It leaves behind the blueberry's.

That's the conventional wisdom.

[Nirgal]

Any news on how the RF current is doing now with the new driving policy (backwards plus extra resting sols) ?

From the latest JPL update (March 4):

The team is considering resting the right-front drive actuator in coming sols as a way to further mitigate the elevated motor current.

How much extra resting sols does this mean in addition to those imposed by the usual "restricted Sols pattern" (i.e. only any other day can be used for driving anyway) ?

So 50 m per normal driving sol plus one extra resting sol would mean 50 meters any 4 days/sols, or more conservatively considering week-ends: about 50 Meters per week maximum expected cruising speed ?

(there is no such thing than an exact "x meters per sol" figure, but those considerations are only about very rough estimates of the average or expected number, integrated over longer period of times ...)

[jamescanvin]

These new bits are visible in other frames using a different filter (R1), so they're definitely real. Looking at James' inverse polar view, I'd say we're seeing here parts of the west rim further around to the SE from the most obvious bit.

Maybe, but is a lot more hazy than the other West rim feature and Cook on the far rim which imply it's considerably further away. Looking on Google Earth it possible we are seeing the crater beyond! Iazu crater according to Google, does appear to have a more pronounced rim than Endeavour.

[BrianL]

it possible we are seeing the crater beyond! Iazu crater according to Google, does appear to have a more pronounced rim than Endeavour.

Rui is charting the post-Endeavour course there as we speak.

[fredk]

Yeah, I had wondered about the haziness of the new peaks compared with the others too. How much farther away is this Iazu crater? Do the azimuths agree?

It would be spectacular to see beyond Endeavour, but I'm not convinced we are. There may be albedo or lighting differences that make some parts of the rim of Endeavour harder to see than others.

Still, it may be worth looking more closely at the horizon in all directions. Who knows what we may find...

[alan]

The team is considering resting the right-front drive actuator in coming sols as a way to further mitigate the elevated motor current.

does resting mean more days between drives or does it mean drag the wheel while driving?

[jamescanvin]

Parts of Iazu are only a little further than Cook on the far side of Endeavour, ~20% further off the top of my head (not at my machine ATM) certainly close enough to be visible if it is in our LOS - which is possible if it's rim is higher than Endeavour's as Google Earth suggests.

From the azimuth it could be either, it's in the direction of the extreme west edge of Endeavour and the centre(ish) of Iazu beyond.

[ustrax]

Rui is charting the post-Endeavour course there as we speak.

Not charting...but thinking that the damn thing already has a name...

[RoverDriver]

does resting mean more days between drives or does it mean drag the wheel while driving?

More days between drives.

Paolo

[tim53]

Parts of Iazu are only a little further than Cook on the far side of Endeavour, ~20% further off the top of my head (not at my machine ATM) certainly close enough to be visible if it is in our LOS - which is possible if it's rim is higher than Endeavour's as Google Earth suggests.

From the azimuth it could be either, it's in the direction of the extreme west edge of Endeavour and the centre(ish) of Iazu beyond.

Google just crashed on me, so I can't check the names, but we're seeing the North rim, East rim, and West rim mountains of Endeavour, plus at least one mountain rightward from the west rim mountain that lines up with the rampart crater south of Endeavour, about 38 kilometers away.

Things will only get better, as within a few kilometers (after we get past most of the purgatoids), we'll be looking down a long 70-80 meter high slope toward Endeavour, without so much foreground topography in the way.

-Tim.