[X] My Assistant

[PDP8E]

Astro naught,

When I hit the expand (+) button on your image I noticed you had actually placed light sabers as 100m markers - well done!

[Poolio]

Huh. I can't believe I never noticed that "Astro0" could be read "Astro naught" before. And here I've been saying "Astro zero" all along.

And just so this post isn't completely irrelevant, I'll just point out for those that haven't seen it that we should be another 103m closer to Santa Maria, according to Scott. At least that's a planned 103m. We should have confirmation soon.

[djellison]

I read it as Astro-Zero for years

[fredk]

Another great read covering November:
http://www.planetary.org/news/2010/1130_Ma...te_Mission.html

One quote from this is about the risks of getting bogged down while crossing old eroded craters, something that we discussed here not too long ago. Here's the quote:

“We're always on the lookout for odd things,” said Arvidson. “The craters we can see we know where they are down to 2 meters across. Now there are a lot of buried craters in this area of Meridiani Planum and we can see them too, because they're circular, kind of palimpsest, eroded down and filled with basaltic sand and hematite concretions. At Meridiani Planum, we're driving across this eroded down bedrock with eroded down craters that are probably buried with the sand. I have paid careful attention when we've driven across some of these buried craters and have seen no change in terms of sinkage or the slip.”

[climber]

Hence the recent detour to avoid any "suspect" depresssion?

Re Astro, this is strange you didn't notice, he explained the meaning a few time.

[Astro0]

Yes, Astro0 (naught). I've been known by that nickname for years and of course it's appropriate due to all the Outreach work I do.
Plus my father-in-law calls me by no other name

That's me - an astronaut - totally off the planet.

[ElkGroveDan]

I read it as Astro-Zero for years

With a California dialect it's Astro-oh.

(I wonder if now is the time to confess that I haven't lived in Elk Grove for 2 1/2 years...)

[ngunn]

(I wonder if now is the time to confess that I haven't lived in Elk Grove for 2 1/2 years...)

Gosh! Where are you? I'm shocked. (I'm still living in Bethesda, not Maryland). I've only just stopped pronouncing djellison with a G.

[Astro0]

100m markers (lightsabers) are gone! Revised post here.

[peter59]

Today's drive: ~ 80 m ???

[ngunn]

Santa Maria has been skulking at the edges of the images for a while. It's nice to see it almost centre frame: http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...00P2355R2M1.JPG

[Tesheiner]

Curiously, there's a crater 150m due east from here which is still invisible; check the map.
BTW, today's drive was 100m.

[jvandriel]

Added 1 image.

Panoramic pancam view taken on Sol 2436

Jan van Driel

[fredk]

Latest average of L2/R2 frames of Santa Maria:

I think we can see the 15-metre crater 150 metres away, but it's very subtle - see white arrow. It looks like it has a smooth rim, without any visible rocky outcrops. Looking back at my Santa Maria view from 2436, I think we can just barely see it there as well.

[mhoward]

Sol 2438


Now I'm starting to think we won't have a "scenic overlook" moment until we actually get there.