Post Conjunction: Santa Maria to Cape York, The Journey to 'Spirit Point' Options

[fredk]

Yes, but the sequences planned for 2543 make me wonder if this is just a small bump before taking the second part of the LBS mosaic.

This post from Maxwell may clear things up a bit:

Today, we drove Opportunity to second eye of long-baseline stereo position. Drive time was very tight, so we might need a short bump Monday.

[Phil Stooke]

Regarding the destination on Endeavour's rim... at LPSC two different posters showed the same graphic, of routes at the south end of Cape York which might offer access to the Noachian materials in the Cape itself. One climbed onto the top of the Cape near the south end, one skirted the Cape's south end to examine older rocks at the southeast corner. That graphic is not shown in the abstract accompanying one of the posters:

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2011/pdf/2199.pdf

But it is clear they expect interesting materials at Cape York and Botany Bay. No need to head south right away.

Phil

[Drkskywxlt]

Phil...if I remember correctly from a couple weeks ago, Ray Arvidson said that the engineers had told them that the proposed path straight up Cape York was a "suicide mission". Basically, Opportunity could get up there, but might not make it back down. So I think the southern path was/is preferred right now.

[fredk]

How could Oppy climb up somewhere that she couldn't get back down? Slippage would be a problem going up, not down.

[Phil Stooke]

"Phil...if I remember correctly"

Yes, you're right, he did say that.

"How could Oppy climb up somewhere that she couldn't get back down"

Dunno - except I think he might have meant the end part of the route. The interesting material seemed to be on the inner (eastern) slope of Cape York. The drive might be easy up to the top, as we've been saying in this discussion, but then tricky at the end as the targets on the steeper eastern slope were approached from above. For that reason they preferred the southern route, crossing the broad terrace at the base of the hill to taste the yummy stuff above it.

Phil

[algorimancer]

Strictly in terms of topography, my target of choice is that wedge feature on the northeast corner. It looks to me like a water-eroded ravine, with hints of source channel and "deltaic" deposits spread on the plain to the northeast of the "mouth". This is the single most anomalous feature that I've seen since Home Plate. If I were driving, this would be the first target -- do a quick imaging survey, then go off and look at the spots with neat chemistry elsewhere while we digest the imaging results.

[Tesheiner]

This is music to my ears.
Scott Maxwell tweeted:

We expect to drive away Wednesday after all. Back on the road to Endeavour at last!

[ElkGroveDan]

Buckle up kids. Has everyone used the restroom? Let's go!

[jvandriel]

Next stop seen on Sol 2543 with the L2 Pancam.

Jan van Driel

[djellison]

I have this catastrophically unhealthy urge to shout 'POWERRRRR' in a Jeremy Clarkson Top-Gear kind of way.

But with < 500whrs, it seems a bit rude.

[BrianL]

Shotgun!

[climber]

Next stop

You mean way point, don't you?

[volcanopele]

As a generally passive observer of Opportunity's travels, I am glad to hear that it is getting on with it.

Now, full speed ahead!

[Astro0]

As another well known backseat driver would always say: "Engage"

[eoincampbell]

I back the wind too, c'mon wind, g'luck Oppy...