Distant vistas, Endeavour, Iazu, and beyond Options

[fredk]

To answer Ustrax's querries from the other thread, I think we can now see more of the south west rim of Endeavour and Iazu. In this image I've lined up the views from 1987 pancam (colour on bottom, from Astro in this post) and 2136 navcam (top, from Ant's navcam mosiac):

The leftmost (Endeavour north rim) and middle (far rim) features look similar. But it looks like we can see more stuff on the right, which is Endeavour south rim and Iazu. The view we had a few sols ago (2133) of Iazu was still partly obscured by dunes, so it makes sense that we can see more now.

I can't see Bopolu in the navcams, though it could be there and buried in the jpeg noise...

[Phil Stooke]

The great thing about this is that the view is just going to get better all the time. Apart from the possibility of losing it very briefly behind local drifts in the next one or two km, we'll always have it, and it will get closer and the middle distance will open up more all the time. Exploration at its greatest, as some guy once said.

Phil

[ngunn]

The great thing about this is that the view is just going to get better all the time.

From the 'vistas' point of view the proposed route is perfect. The next short trek SW and S should open up the distant horizon in those directions also before we turn E.

[NW71]

Like many previous posts I am just in awe of both the views we are beginning to experience and the expertise of those UMSF members who take the time and trouble to allow us to see these vistas in such a quick, easy and beautiful manner. A big thank you to you all.

I am trying to keep my excitement down to bearable levels (I have already learnt how tiring the emotional rollercoaster highs and lows associated with these two rovers can be!) so i'll simply ask these two questions;

1 - Are the current power levels on Opportunity any cause for concern re reaching Endeavour? (I just have this nightmare of us running out of juice 5 metres from the rim!)

2 - From the photos above it appears that whilst Endeavour is the larger crater and is our target, i think it would be fair to say it looks as though Lazu has an amazing rim. Would there be anything to be gained from trying to get there as well? (I do appreciate it is a long way away but is there anything to suggest it is significantly different from endeavour?)

Finally, I agree with Teshiner, we are definitely in HOAV area! However, I think that bar might be raised in the upcoming months...

Neil

[Tesheiner]

1 - Are the current power levels on Opportunity any cause for concern re reaching Endeavour? (I just have this nightmare of us running out of juice 5 metres from the rim!)

Two things. First of all, just say to everyone that AJS Rayl monthly report on the rovers is already online.
Second, an extract from the named report:

"Opportunity is also a little bit energy-limited for its mission", said Matijevic. “Its power levels dropped from a high of 336 watt-hours earlier this month to "about 290 watt-hours" as the weekend began. The team expects this rover’s power production to remain "in the 250 regimes” for most of the next couple of months," he added. "It will drive as far as it can on any given day, basically drive down the batteries and recharge them the next day, so you should see a pattern of where we drive every other day at best.”