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Full Version: Cape York - Shoemaker Ridge and the NE traverse
Unmanned Spaceflight.com > Mars & Missions > Past and Future > MER > Opportunity
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Stu
Oppy's next destination - the Shoemaker Ridge...

Click to view attachment

(3D version here http://roadtoendeavour.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/sr-3d.jpg )

Some more height...surrounded by lots of gorgeous rocks...view right across Endeavour... our first view too, probably, of the Promised Land in the centre of Cape York where the phylosillicates are waiting to be found...

Go get 'em, Oppy! smile.gif

Edit: looks like Oppy's on the move... smile.gif

http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...84P1211L0M1.JPG
fredk
It looks like the 2735 move was towards the west, ie towards Odyssey crater, instead of directly towards Shoemaker ridge (north). Positioning for a drive north, or checking out Odyssey ejecta - we'll find out soon enough.

Edit: my guess is checking out Odyssey ejecta, since directly north looked totally drivable.
Bill Harris
QUOTE (Bill Harris @ Oct 2 2011, 08:41 AM) *
<snips>

The outcrop Skead Kirkland Lake is one we've drooled at before and is an interesting-looking exposure. Why is there an unusual purplish iridescent sheen to the rock? I'll guess it's a weathering phenomenon, which is the important step in turning silicate rocks into clays. Wouldn't hurt to have a closer look-- not necessarily a full IDD session, but a series of close-in Pancams would be peachy.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r91/wil...19P2398L2M1.jpg

Oppy moved today, and as suggested, the move is to outcrop Skead Kirkland Lake to the west, which is near Odyssey ejecta. A few sols drooling on that outcrop, then off to the Shoemaker Ridge site for looks at what I'm naming informally on my end "the Allen Formation". smile.gif

And some interesting imagery in the data pipeline today, so stay tuned...

--Bill
charborob
Navcam panorama of Oppy's position on sol 2735.
Click to view attachment
jvandriel
The Pancam L2 view from Sol 2735 and 2736
stitched together.

Jan van Driel

Click to view attachment
fredk
Looks like a good drive roughly to the north (away from Tribulation) on 2737:
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...0M1.JPG?sol2737
I guess they only wanted to do some quick imaging at the previous site close to Odyssey.
Bill Harris
It looks as though they're heading along the ridgetop upslope of "BostonCreek LarderLake". I was hoping to get a peek at the finely-bedded strata. Next area of interest may be that light-toned rectangular pattern on the way to the "summit crater" with the CRISM clays.

--Bill
Tesheiner
Looking north on this image, CY looks almost flat and featureless.
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...CVP1966L0M1.JPG
jvandriel
The Navcam L0 view in the drive direction on Sol 2737.
Jan van Driel

Click to view attachment
fredk
This looks like a precariously perched rock:
Click to view attachment
But my guess is the lower left side of the rock looks like background when it's really part of the rock.
ngunn
QUOTE (fredk @ Oct 6 2011, 08:51 PM) *
a precariously perched rock


Hey, let's go and give it a shove!
rolleyes.gif I know, I've got this irrational urge to look under rocks. I think it comes from playing on the beach as a child.
Matt Lenda
QUOTE (Bill Harris @ Oct 6 2011, 06:49 AM) *
It looks as though they're heading along the ridgetop upslope of "BostonCreek LarderLake". I was hoping to get a peek at the finely-bedded strata. Next area of interest may be that light-toned rectangular pattern on the way to the "summit crater" with the CRISM clays.

--Bill

Yeah, we're boogeying on out to Shoemaker Ridge as fast as we can. We need to do a detailed in-situ survey of north-facing slopes and plan out some lily-pads to take us through the Winter solstice (03/31/11).

Among other things.

-m
PDP8E
10x precariously perched rock (noise cancel on stretched jpg ... argg)

Click to view attachment
Bill Harris
Ah, I remember reading about the need to winter-over on a north-facing slope this year, so a boogie makes more sense than a mosey. Whatever we zip by now can be revisited on the return trip to Tribulation...

--Bill
CosmicRocker
QUOTE (PDP8E @ Oct 6 2011, 09:01 PM) *
10x precariously perched rock (noise cancel on stretched jpg ... argg)

It looks like Nessie to me.
mhoward
Here's the Sol 2737 Pancam mosaic anaglyph. Watch out for that shallow crater, Oppy.
Explorer1
At the far north-east corner is that odd straight 'cut' or 'slash' in the side of CY, right? Would be nice to look at while wintering over (assuming I didn't miss a consensus on it being something completely ordinary).
vikingmars
QUOTE (Explorer1 @ Oct 7 2011, 08:45 AM) *
At the far north-east corner is that odd straight 'cut' or 'slash' in the side of CY, right? Would be nice to look at while wintering over (assuming I didn't miss a consensus on it being something completely ordinary).

==> Are you speaking of "Dagger Valley" ?
Click to view attachment Click to view attachment
fredk
It looks like another substantial drive northish on 2738:
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...0M1.JPG?sol2738
This should put us in a good spot to image the north-facing slopes of Shoemaker ridge.
mhoward
This isn't precisely accurate (unless the rover is hovering), but sort of pretty:
Stu
Wow... every time you do that I get a real slap-across-the-face reality check... looking at the pictures on their own, with no rover for scale, it's easy to fool yourself into thinking Oppy is much, much smaller, or the landscape is much more, I don't know... epic? You plonk her down amidst the dunes and dust and suddenly everything seems smaller. Anyone else feel that?

blink.gif
climber
I agree Stu...but mind...it's gona be "worse" with Curiosity!
mhoward
QUOTE (Stu @ Oct 7 2011, 11:00 AM) *
Anyone else feel that?


I've always found it incredibly difficult to judge the scale of things the rovers are seeing, which, thinking back, is why I put Doug's model in my program to begin with. But if one extends the view to the right, I think it's epic enough smile.gif
fredk
Shoemaker Ridge looks pretty subtle from this side:
Click to view attachment
ngunn
Really beautiful (and obviously well constructed) 3D view. Never mind the ridge, look at the vista. smile.gif
Explorer1
Yes vikingmars, that's what I meant.
Does it have an official name yet? It certainly stands out enough.
vikingmars
QUOTE (Explorer1 @ Oct 8 2011, 02:16 AM) *
Yes vikingmars, that's what I meant. Does it have an official name yet? It certainly stands out enough.

No official name yet : this is the name we gave this feature at Societe Astronomique de France, because it looks like a dagger made out of hard rock by cavemen as seen oftenly in our paleontology museums... smile.gif
mhoward
Sol 2738 Pancam mosaic right anaglyph

I recommend the anaglyph. According to the data Opportunity has already driven well into this mosaic and I can't wait to see what she's seeing now.
Stu
Love these low Sun angle views...

Click to view attachment
fredk
My estimate of our location after the 2739 drive:
Click to view attachment
It looks like a long drive (over 70 metres!). We should be able to map out the next group of north-facing slopes from around here. And judging from the rear hazcam view, we should now have a direct view of the putative clay-bearing region. Can't wait for the nav/pancams...
Stu
QUOTE (fredk @ Oct 8 2011, 11:25 PM) *
And judging from the rear hazcam view, we should now have a direct view of the putative clay-bearing region. Can't wait for the nav/pancams...


I think you're right... two new pancams down so far, one (L) shows, I think, those 'rectangular markings'. Little clearer when stretched...

Click to view attachment

So Oppy sailed right past the Shoemaker Ridge and is going after the Good Stuff, eh?
mhoward
QUOTE (Stu @ Oct 8 2011, 10:55 PM) *
two new pancams down so far


That's still before the drive. Opportunity is now supposed to be on the left side of that image, with what might be a pretty interesting view.

Looks like she's moving right along, yes.
Stu
They were *before* the drive? Sorry, should have checked the image reg. Anyway, even better, we should get a really good view of The Promised Land in the next batch...
jvandriel
The Navcam L0 view on Sol 2738.

Jan van Driel

Click to view attachment
jvandriel
and the Pancam L2 view on Sol 2738.

Jan van Driel

Click to view attachment

Oersted
The slopes up ahead look promising for opportunities to tilt the rover before the impending winter. When is it more or less that we need to do that, btw?

Thx for the stitches!
MoreInput
Funny, instead of slowly driving north to search for the clays they rush in highspeed over Cape York. Cool, and that will give every day new views of this place.
I'm really interested how the clays and phyllosilicates look from the bottom! Will they have a distinct visible structure or are they just as rocks as we all have seen the last years?
fredk
Yeah, my impression is they want to map out any north-facing slopes now, while they still have plenty of power to drive, in case they need them this winter. And the closer to the clays the better. So it looks like science is on hold for now. But that may change as soon as they decide they've found good slopes.

QUOTE (Oersted @ Oct 9 2011, 03:56 PM) *
When is it more or less that we need to do that, btw?

They don't know yet if they'll need to park at all. It depends on the dust. Check out the latest PS update for some comments about this.
Of counsel
By my estimate, we're now on the southern edge of the phyllosilicates. Compare Tesheiner's map for 2739 (today) and the phyllosilicate signatures (red) in CRISM:

Click to view attachmentClick to view attachment
mhoward
A single Navcam image has made it to the web - one which isn't particularly illuminating, LOL. If it helps (probably not), the right side of that image is facing North.

Here's where the tracking data says the rover is:

climber
I'm a bit confused not to stay "lost". On Eduardo's map, I have no doubt North is "UP". So, I see East facing slopes on pictures and no North facing slopes unless Oppy is decending at this time. Can somebody tell me what's wrong with this?
fredk
I'm not sure if this will help, but generally the slopes are east facing here, although there are some "knobs" that might have north-facing slopes of varying degrees, that I've circled here:
Click to view attachment
I'm thinking those are the areas they want to map carefully.
Bill Harris
Interesting place, this Ridge of Shoemaker. FIrst loook, a different particle size and shape distribution in the soil, and look st the rounded cobbles.

http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...00P0600L0M1.JPG

--Bill
mhoward
Quite a view.

Sol 2740 360x80 degree Navcam left right anaglyph

Edit: tweaked the anaglyph a bit
CosmicRocker
QUOTE (Bill Harris @ Oct 9 2011, 08:23 PM) *
... and look at the rounded cobbles. ...
Those are curious, aren't they?
fredk
Yep - I don't recall a group of globby cobbles quite like that.

This frame's looking farther up CY towards the main clay signature area:
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...0M1.JPG?sol2740
mhoward
Where do you even start with a place like this? Will be interesting to see what happens next.

Edit: Well, start with some Pancam, hopefully smile.gif
mhoward
Here's a version of the 360x80 degree Navcam anaglyph with image sharpened and focal point a bit farther out. (I'm fascinated by the topography to the north-northeast.)
Bill Harris
Curious, yes. Note that the cobbles all have a light area on one end. First thought was "ah, a specular reflection", but in an L0 Navcam, light=reddish so it's an "ocher" spot. Given the orientation, they seem to be in the "downwind" direction so it's in a wind-dead zone and light particles tend to collect and adhere or beind downwind, there is less aeolian abrasion and erosion. And in fredk's Navcam view, look at the ripple-forming sand plus the rounded cobbles, with a mix of particles like that, this is a area of active weathering and erosion. Unique area, and we've just now gotten here.

I'm hoping for a sidetrip to the spot with those rectangular lineations (which I'm informally calling "Secular City" til we get an official name) for a quick peek and close-in color views.

That fascinating topography is in the direction of the dark-filled crater, "summit crater", informally.

--Bill
Tesheiner
QUOTE (mhoward @ Oct 10 2011, 04:35 AM) *
Quite a view.

Sol 2740 360x80 degree Navcam left right anaglyph

Edit: tweaked the anaglyph a bit

The left navcam mosaic in polar form.
Click to view attachment
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