[X] My Assistant

[dot.dk]

Looks like Spirit is ready to attack Jibsheet



When I saw this picture I thought I had seen it somewhere else before. Some place at Meridiani

http://marsrover.nasa.gov/gallery/all/1/f/...54P1214L0M1.JPG

[DEChengst]

Another Jibsheet panorama taken on Sol 482:

http://paranoid.dechengst.nl/mars/Jibsheet.jpg

[Nix]

Very nice!

[Nirgal]

Here is a color version of Tman's navcam panorama:

full resolution link (1.4 MB)

[dvandorn]

Here is a color version of Tman's navcam panorama:

full resolution link (1.4 MB)

Your work should be hanging in a gallery somewhere, Nirgal!

I truly think you have captured Mars, here. At least the Gusev slice of it. Now I feel like I truly know what it would look like if I could stand in those hills and look out over the plains.

-the other Doug

[Tman]

Here is a color version of Tman's navcam panorama:

full resolution link (1.4 MB)

Thanks Nirgal, btw. your sky coloring resembles these images: http://astrosurf.com/planete-mars/goursac/marineris.html

[Guest_Edward Schmitz_*]

Jeez... How do you get the color? No, no, don't tell me. I'll just enjoy them. Thanks for those.

[dilo]

Thanks Nirgal, btw. your sky coloring resembles these images: http://astrosurf.com/planete-mars/goursac/marineris.html   

Great site, Tman!

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

Over at Gusev, life is good. We've finished our work on Jibsheet, the composition and texture of which both fit nicely into an evolving story that we have on all the rocks here on Cumberland Ridge. With Jibsheet done, we're now planning a drive back toward Larry's Lookout. This will be a long one, at least by Columbia Hills standards, but since it's mostly downhill we expect it to go pretty quickly. The plan is to drive to a point that's on safe ground a few meters shy of the east side of the Lookout. There are some rocks there that lie stratigraphically older than anything we have seen yet... in fact, they may be the oldest rocks that we have yet seen at Gusev. We'll look at them from a safe distance first, and see what we see. After that, we've got some decisions to make. Back when we had lots of dust on the solar arrays, we had to get around to the south side of Husband Hill quickly or the rover would die. With clean arrays now, though, it's a different world, and we've got a lot of options. We're going to be making some very interesting strategic decisions with Spirit over the next couple of weeks.

http://athena1.cornell.edu/news/mubss/

I wonder if they are plannning on abandoning the drive to the summit of Husband Hill? If so, where else could they go?

[TheChemist]

Maybe revive the original plan and go have a look at the home plate area to the south of the hills ?
That's an interesting spin

[Tman]

You may take a look at the 3D map: http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA07851

What's about "East Basin" and eastward of Husband Hill over the "pass" toward "Inner Basin"? I guess geological speaking, the summit of Husband Hill isn't that interesting object. What could argue for the summit region, unless we would get there a hell of a view ?

[Nirgal]

What could argue for the summit region, unless we would get there a hell of a view

we shouldn't underestimate the "marketing value" of beautiful photos to raise
more public/media awareness and thus more interest and support for future missions

Sure would be worth to sacrifice a couple of the 900 additional sols to "sightseeing" driving...
It would be a worth investment in the "public image" of Mars and the fundrising for future missions

(in addition to the "marketing value" there sould be also a value from
the engineering point of view to gather valuable experiences with difficult driving
situations (hill-climbing, sand-dune-crossing *carefully* exploring the limits of the technology that can be very useful for the design of future rover generations ...)

[Tman]

It was somewhat mysterious that they drove first straight toward the summit. If Spirit got no slippage maybe we would stand already on the first summit. I guess this plan included the research of the whole composite of the Hill - at one side going from bottom to the summit and at the other side reverse down the Hill.

Hey Sunspot we are in the wrong thread for this discussion. Maybe you should open a new thread with your post above - and Doug can it remove again

[odave]

we shouldn't underestimate the "marketing value" of beautiful photos to raise
more public/media awareness and thus more interest and support for future missions

Public awareness is something the MER team has considered all along - note the "public engagement" section at the bottom of the landing site rankings table

So a continued climb to the summit of Husband hill may not be out of the question, but it will probably be a lower priority than science goals.

Me, I'd like to see Sprit drive up to the mouth of Ma'adim Vallis for another hell of a view - but I know it's too far away

[Nix]

Imagine the view driving in between the mesas on the way, let alone the view of the walls emerging when passing the last mesa blocking the view...
Hmmm...I could take a pencil and draw it but the real thing would be awesome!
Nico

[Bill Harris]

It might be that, stratigraphically, the top of Husband Hill is no higher than we are at the Lookout area. After she's done here, I'd vote to travel along the contour towards the Inner Basin-- the Ultreya feature and the Homeplate unit have potential.

--Bill