[X] My Assistant

[akuo]

I decided to add a new topic since we are all following it closely and something is bound to happen soon. Jim Erickson said that earliest Oppy would be making her move would be on Friday, but Steve's update might be read that it isn't happening so soon. I doubt they will be doing anything during the weekend, so Monday maybe?

Anyway the Planetary Photojournal (http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/snt) has some images from sandbox testing at JPL.

[akuo]

JPL now has a news release about the testing. Jim Erickson says "We choose to proceed cautiously, so we don't expect to begin actually driving out of the dune before next week, possibly later". There is some waiting for us still.

One sort of worrying item in the release is how they say:
Opportunity had driven about 40 meters (131 feet) of a planned 90-meter (295-foot) drive on the rover's 446th martian day when its wheels began slipping. [...] The wheels kept rotating enough times to have covered the rest of the distance if they hadn't been slipping, but the rover eventually barely inched forward.

I wonder if they really mean that Oppy slipped for what was supposed to be 50 metre driving distance?

[dvandorn]

JPL now has a news release about the testing. Jim Erickson says "We choose to proceed cautiously, so we don't expect to begin actually driving out of the dune before next week, possibly later". There is some waiting for us still.

One sort of worrying item in the release is how they say:
Opportunity had driven about 40 meters (131 feet) of a planned 90-meter (295-foot) drive on the rover's 446th martian day when its wheels began slipping. [...] The wheels kept rotating enough times to have covered the rest of the distance if they hadn't been slipping, but the rover eventually barely inched forward.

I wonder if they really mean that Oppy slipped for what was supposed to be 50 metre driving distance?

That's exactly what it sounds like. No wonder she dug in so deep.

If we get out of here, it sounds like we're going to be going a lot slower and with a lot less "blind drive" action...

-the other Doug