[X] My Assistant

[Stu]

Best I've been able to make so far...

[brellis]

Stu, according to your ~wonderful~ blog, it appears unlikely Oppy will dive in to SM. Just a few photo ops, let her take a couple deep breaths and off we go. I cringe thinking about the risks involved, but what if she finds something special inside?

[Stu]

Well, she'll only find something wonderful inside if she actually went in, and I get the impression there's not much chance of that. All eyes are on Endeavour now, and the possibility of finding and studying phylosillicates there is just too much to risk by taking detours into craters, or stopping too long to look at meteorites or other rocks, along the way. I think they'll take a good look at Santa Maria, driving at least part of the way around it to image it from different angles, but they won't actually go in. If you look at the images being posted here, by various people, there's a LOT of dust piled up in that crater, and quite a few blocks on the slopes too. With Endeavour now so close - relatively speaking - I very much doubt they'll risk taking Oppy into SM. But, of course, all this is just my own personal opinion, based on recent blog interviews with Scott. If Oppy gets to SM and finds something too good to pass by there, well, you never know! But my money is on a pretty thorough photo shoot of the crater, a chance for Oppy to rest her wheels and the MER team to take a breather from driving, and then off we go.

Update: new images in... Santa Maria not *hugely* bigger...

http://twitpic.com/3ayz2n/full

[peter59]

Another crater on the road to Santa Maria is behind us.
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...R4P1935L0M5.JPG

[jvandriel]

Tesheiner,

indeed it was a long time but there was a reason.
First I was retired for 4 years and then working
again for 3 years and buying and moving to a
new house and now I am retired again.

So more time to do stitches.

Jan van Driel

[centsworth_II]

I don't think there will be anything interesting enough inside the rim of Santa Maria to even consider sending the rover in. But that cluster of large rocks off the South rim is interesting. I can't wait for them to start showing up in the approach shots.

[NickF]

But that cluster of large rocks off the South rim is interesting.

This may be a naive question, but I don't remember seeing such ejecta around Victoria crater. Is that because Santa Maria is a more recent impact feature (i.e. less erosion)?

[centsworth_II]

...I don't remember seeing such ejecta around Victoria crater. Is that because Santa Maria is a more recent impact...?

Could be. It would be more interesting if they are of a different, more resistant composition than the typical sulfate layers.

[jvandriel]

Here is the view from Endeavour Crater taken on Sol 2427 with
the L0 navcam.

Jan van Driel

[jvandriel]

and again ( because the link did not work, my mistake )
the pancamview from Sol 2429 taken with
the L2 pancam.

Jan van Driel

[fredk]

Good to see your mosaics again, Jan.

Here's the latest view of Santa Maria, averaged over the L2 and R2 pancam frames to reduce noise:

We can see bits of the rim all the way across the crater now, and it's starting to actually look like a crater, to my eyes at least...

[jvandriel]

Sunset on Mars.

Taken with the L7 Pancam on Sol 2428

Jan van Driel

[PDP8E]

(Stu & Phil, I love your overhead shots of SM!)
Here is Santa Maria in the spirit of Phil-o-vision
source: 1P344180252EFFAXR4P2352R2M1

[climber]

Good to see your mosaics again, Jan.
and it's starting to actually look like a crater, to my eyes at least...

OK, yes NOW I can see it!

..and I join to welcome back Jan

[jvandriel]

The panoramic view from Endeavour Crater and Santa Maria.

Taken with the L2 Pancam on Sol 2433.

Jan van Driel