18m/pixel imagery from THEMIS is the best I could find of Victoria crater - and I've REALLY hunted for it at MSSS - but nothing.

I wonder when the next data release of MOC imagery will occur -i t'll include a LOT of MER targetted obs - some of which will surely include Victoria?

Doug

Etched Terrrain to the south of Endurance crater, unfortunately it seems to have just missed Victoria Crater :

http://www.msss.com/moc_gallery/r10_r15/im...5/R1502302.html

The disturbance caused by the rocket firing is clearly visible in the image.


EDIT: Just found this:

The edge of Victoria Crater at the bottom right?

http://www.msss.com/moc_gallery/r10_r15/im...5/R1500822.html

Yup - I was looking at the new releases yesterday - that first CProto image gives me, what, 3 more km to the south - so quite a bit of the way. - And you can see that theres a dark 'point' in the etched material pointing up in the first image - and it's also at the top of the second image. Also - a pair of eagle sized craters match up well as well.

My Victoria route map's getting upgraded to 1.5m res


So yes - I'd say that IS victoria at the end of it - and OH MY - what a hell of a messy bugger it looks like

Makes Oppy's Hole ( Endurance Crater ) look like a small puddle




Doug

The thing is that before the Victoria crater there is this "etched terrain" which seems to be bedrock outcrops blown clear of most of the soil. When Oppy gets to that point there are probably so many interesting rocks to see, brush, and RAT that the JPL nerds will feel like kids in the candy store.

Whether Oppy makes it to the Victoria crater is anyone's guess since there's probably lots of interesting stuff on the way.

If Opportunity eventually gets to rove around the "etched terrain", it's going to be a truely amazing landscape.

From what I've read - the Haemetite conc. drops off towards the ethched terrain - so no more blueberries

Doug

I think this is what you've been looking for:

http://www.msss.com/moc_gallery/r10_r15/im...4/R1400021.html

I agree with Pando that MER-B will probably spend the rest of its life in the etched terrain. It seems pretty rough though. Unfortunately I don't have the skills to make a red/blue stereo-pic of the various MOC-images.

Oh well. We probably won't see that terrain anytime soon. First things first: Remember what still has to be done:

- Inspect the lumpy rock in Endurance
- Burns cliff
- Exit Endurance
- Heatshield
- Trench made by heatshield
- grey pebbles
- Wind ripples/dunes
- a Very Long Trek across the plains

Can't wait.

How did you find that little bastard I've been clicking and clicking and clicking!!!

I even shrank my machine to 800 x 600 so I'd have more chance of clicking each and every pixel

Nice find - I can now do a proper job on the route map!!

Doug

Eagle Crater and Endurance Crater have revealed a tremendous amount of new data about Mars - but at the same time there must be an almost irresistable urge to just head out across that plain and see comes into view

The dune field in Victoria Crater is about the same size as Endurance Crater itself, It also has a very unusual shaped rim.

My image at http://mer.rlproject.com/end_vic_4m.jpg has been updated to include any and all MOC imagery I can find.

This covers an area of 2.6 x 7.3 km

Doug

Some the latest news items on Opportunity mention them driving over to burns cliff to get a closer look at it and then leaving the crater on the "south side" Where in this part of the crater looks the safest for eventually driving out?

I cant imagine where they could exit apart from the western edge where they 'sampled' the inside of the crater - and then drove down into it.

I hope they dont make as much of a mess of this as they did of exiting Eagle crater

Doug

Sorry to dredge up an old post but there is no sticky for Oppy travel maps...

Possible travel path (long term) for Oppy after the heat shield:

Actually - I kid not - that's the route I sort of had in my head - towards one of the small fram/eagle sized craters, then on to that 'ghost' crater at the beginning of the etched terrain and thru it to Viccy

Doug

It appears that the 'etched terrain'
is part of the debris apron of the
much larger crater seen in the
context image from MGS.

Personally, I'd like to see them
get a good look at some of the
terrain off to the right edge of
Pando and Doug's traverse image.
There's some interesting 'clumps'
there. Also, to the right edge across
from where the path back tracks near
the 'ghost crater'. Appears to be a
dark little crater that with a 'yardang'
type white terrain near it.

Eric P / MizarKey

Is anyone else drulling after seeing Pando's route map for Opportunity ?

Happy New Year everyone !
And plenty of health to everyone on Earth and on
(and Saturn too )

Are you making a really bad hint for new Huygens, Cassini, Titan and Saturn emoticons

Doug

Not really, Doug ... You have already done too much by just giving us this forum.
Just keep it up and running
Enjoy the last 10 minutes of 2004