although autostitch is IMHO the most advanced (semi-)automatic panorama tool
around, it is, unfortunately, still a lot of work to find the exact set of parameters
(especially wrt. camera 3D orientation), anti-vignetting issues and so on ...
so in the end it's still far from trivial to make such perfect "auto"-stitches like
the ones e.g. posted here by you (or also jvandriel and others) !

Sorry, ignore. I was being silly.

Some tips already posted on the Autostitch thread.

Now it is Sol 686 and have collected the commands sent to Oppy on sol 684 and 685:

Sol 679-683

679 p2631.01 0 0 0 0 2 2 pancam_sky_spot_L234567R34567
679 p2807.08 0 3 0 0 1 4 pancam_cal_target_R257
679 p2807.08 0 3 0 0 1 4 pancam_cal_target_R257
679 p2977.02 0 0 0 1 0 1 mi_open_min3_DN2000_LUT3_medium
679 p2977.02 0 0 0 1 0 1 mi_open_min3_DN2000_LUT3_medium
679 p2977.02 0 0 0 1 0 1 mi_open_min3_DN2000_LUT3_medium
679 p2977.02 0 0 0 1 0 1 mi_open_min3_DN2000_LUT3_medium
679 p2977.02 0 0 0 1 0 1 mi_open_min3_DN2000_LUT3_medium
679 p2977.02 0 0 0 1 0 1 mi_open_min3_DN2000_LUT3_medium
679 p2977.02 0 0 0 1 0 1 mi_open_min3_DN2000_LUT3_medium
679 p2977.02 0 0 0 1 0 1 mi_open_min3_DN2000_LUT3_medium
680 p2268.04 0 0 0 48 2 50 pancam_deck_pan_edges_plus_front_L27R257
680 p2631.01 0 0 0 0 2 2 pancam_sky_spot_L234567R34567
680 p2807.08 0 3 0 0 1 4 pancam_cal_target_R257
681 p2263.04 0 0 0 1 0 1 pancam_erebus_col_14_15_16_R257
681 p2631.01 0 0 0 0 2 2 pancam_sky_spot_L234567R34567
681 p2807.08 0 3 0 0 1 4 pancam_cal_target_R257
682 p2267.04 0 0 0 16 2 18 pancam_deck_pan_edges_R257
682 p2631.01 0 0 0 0 2 2 pancam_sky_spot_L234567R34567
682 p2659.06 0 5 0 0 1 6 pancam_dust_devil_hunter_L6
682 p2807.08 0 3 0 0 1 4 pancam_cal_target_R257
683 p2102.13 3 0 0 0 0 3 pancam_isc_voc_cal_L267
683 p2102.13 3 0 0 0 0 3 pancam_isc_voc_cal_L267
683 p2102.13 3 0 0 0 0 3 pancam_isc_voc_cal_L267
683 p2104.10 3 0 0 0 0 3 pancam_mtes_cal_target_L267
683 p2104.10 3 0 0 0 0 3 pancam_mtes_cal_target_L267
683 p2104.10 3 0 0 0 0 3 pancam_mtes_cal_target_L267
683 p2111.05 13 12 0 0 2 27 pancam_cal_targ_L234567Rall
683 p2124.03 3 3 0 0 1 7 pancam_cal_targ_L456
683 p2551.14 13 13 0 0 2 28 pancam_claypool_L234567Rall
683 p2552.14 13 11 0 0 2 26 pancam_paulden_L234567Rall
683 p2553.14 13 12 0 0 2 27 pancam_vernon_L234567Rall
683 p2600.07 2 2 0 0 2 6 pancam_tau
683 p2600.07 2 2 0 0 2 6 pancam_tau
683 p2626.02 35 0 0 0 0 35 pancam_sky_radiance_thumbs_L457R247
683 p2629.02 3 0 0 0 0 3 pancam_horizon_survey_L456
683 p2631.01 11 0 0 0 0 11 pancam_sky_spot_L234567R34567
Total 126 75 0 73 31 305

Conclusion:
Sol 679 has set of commands to move the arms and the sol 680-683 are for pictures.


Sol 684
684 p1110.02 2 0 0 2 0 4 front_haz_mi_1024x1024x1bpp_pri56
684 p1131.04 2 0 2 0 0 4 f_haz_idd_mb_doc_512x512x1bpp_vhigh
684 p2102.13 3 0 0 0 0 3 pancam_isc_voc_cal_L267
684 p2104.10 3 0 0 0 0 3 pancam_mtes_cal_target_L267
684 p2111.05 13 0 0 0 0 13 pancam_cal_targ_L234567Rall
684 p2121.02 2 0 0 0 0 2 pancam_cal_targ_L7R1
684 p2429.06 6 0 0 0 0 6 pancam_3x1_iron_springs_L7R1
684 p2430.06 12 0 0 0 0 12 pancam_2x1_blue_ridge_L257R267
684 p2431.06 26 0 0 0 0 26 pancam_1x2_riordan_L234567Rall
684 p2432.06 4 0 0 0 0 4 pancam_2x1_blue_ridge_L7R1
684 p2554.14 2 0 0 0 0 2 pancam_skull_valley_L7R1
684 p2555.14 2 0 0 0 0 2 pancam_cornville_L7R1
684 p2600.07 2 0 0 0 0 2 pancam_tau
684 p2600.07 2 0 0 0 0 2 pancam_tau
684 p2631.01 11 0 0 0 0 11 pancam_sky_spot_L234567R34567
684 p2808.08 6 0 0 0 0 6 pancam_cal_targ_L257R267
684 p2936.02 1 0 0 1 0 2 mi_open_minloss2_LUT3_veryhigh
684 p2936.02 1 0 0 1 0 2 mi_open_minloss2_LUT3_veryhigh
684 p2936.02 1 0 0 1 0 2 mi_open_minloss2_LUT3_veryhigh
684 p2936.02 1 0 0 1 0 2 mi_open_minloss2_LUT3_veryhigh
684 p2956.02 1 0 0 1 0 2 mi_open_minloss2_LUT3_high_DNTH2000
684 p2956.02 1 0 0 1 0 2 mi_open_minloss2_LUT3_high_DNTH2000
684 p2956.02 1 0 0 1 0 2 mi_open_minloss2_LUT3_high_DNTH2000
684 p2956.02 1 0 0 1 0 2 mi_open_minloss2_LUT3_high_DNTH2000
684 p2957.01 1 0 0 1 0 2 mi_open_minloss3_LUT3_high
684 p2957.01 1 0 0 1 0 2 mi_open_minloss3_LUT3_high
684 p2957.01 1 0 0 1 0 2 mi_open_minloss3_LUT3_high
684 p2957.01 1 0 0 1 0 2 mi_open_minloss3_LUT3_high
684 p2957.01 1 0 0 1 0 2 mi_open_minloss3_LUT3_high
684 p2957.01 1 0 0 1 0 2 mi_open_minloss3_LUT3_high
684 p2957.01 1 0 0 1 0 2 mi_open_minloss3_LUT3_high
684 p2957.01 1 0 0 1 0 2 mi_open_minloss3_LUT3_high
684 p2977.02 1 0 0 0 0 1 mi_open_min3_DN2000_LUT3_medium
684 p2977.02 1 0 0 0 0 1 mi_open_min3_DN2000_LUT3_medium
684 p2977.02 1 0 0 0 0 1 mi_open_min3_DN2000_LUT3_medium
684 p2977.02 1 0 0 0 0 1 mi_open_min3_DN2000_LUT3_medium
684 p2977.02 1 0 0 0 0 1 mi_open_min3_DN2000_LUT3_medium
684 p2977.02 1 0 0 0 0 1 mi_open_min3_DN2000_LUT3_medium
684 p2977.02 1 0 0 0 0 1 mi_open_min3_DN2000_LUT3_medium
684 p2977.02 1 0 0 0 0 1 mi_open_min3_DN2000_LUT3_medium

Conclusion: The above sequence of commands looks like the JPL is testing the different arm positions.

Sol 685.

685 p2102.13 3 0 0 0 0 3 pancam_isc_voc_cal_L267
685 p2104.10 3 0 0 0 0 3 pancam_mtes_cal_target_L267
685 p2111.05 13 10 0 0 2 25 pancam_cal_targ_L234567Rall
685 p2127.01 1 1 0 0 1 3 pancam_cal_target_L1
685 p2127.01 1 1 0 0 1 3 pancam_cal_target_L1
685 p2269.04 27 0 0 0 0 27 pancam_erebus_albedo_col_1_9_L1
685 p2556.14 6 6 0 0 2 14 pancam_kendrick_L257R267
685 p2557.14 13 4 0 0 2 19 pancam_taylor_L234567Rall
685 p2558.14 13 2 0 0 1 16 pancam_shumway_L234567Rall
685 p2600.07 2 2 0 0 2 6 pancam_tau
685 p2600.07 2 2 0 0 2 6 pancam_tau
685 p2600.07 2 2 0 0 2 6 pancam_tau
685 p2600.07 2 2 0 0 2 6 pancam_tau
685 p2600.07 0 0 0 0 0 0 pancam_tau
685 p2626.02 36 0 0 0 0 36 pancam_sky_radiance_thumbs_L457R247
685 p2631.01 11 0 0 0 0 11 pancam_sky_spot_L234567R34567
685 p2809.08 6 6 0 0 1 13 pancam_cal_targ_L257R267

Conclusion Now there is no more sequence of arms positions testing but just more pictures.

Final conclusion: I think that the JPL team is testing the arm every two or three soles. It is the probably time to send, run the test and receive the results.

Rodolfo

Clouds returning to Merdiani.

http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...KCP2731L1M1.JPG

I think this is Jupiter:

http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...KCP2731L1M1.JPG

Why Jupiter?

687 04:24:59 p2731.01. 1 0 0 23 0 0 32 pancam_jupiter_L1RNAV

link, please?

http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...KCP2731L1M1.JPG

as he said....

Doug

Cool! Thanks for the links.

I had argued that clouds would be seen over the rover sites during the southern Summer as they had been seen over Meridiani during the southern Winter:

More on "Frost on the rover solar panels".
http://bautforum.com/showpost.php?p=323577&postcount=6

Note that thin, high altitude clouds are also visible near the equator in this opposition photo from Hubble:

Mars Images — MarsWatch 2005
Images taken by James F. Bell and the Hubble Heritage Team
Monday, 07th of November 2005
http://elvis.rowan.edu/marswatch/images/marswatch.php?n=JFB

However, I can't tell what is the location of these equatorial clouds in this image if anyone knows that.

Since the winter clouds over Meridiani corresponded to frost deposition they should also correspond to water/ice deposition during this warmer period.
I had also argued that these clouds could result in precipitation over the landing sites. However, these are actually thin cirrus-type clouds, not precipitation bearing clouds, so snow/rain would not be expected.


Bob Clark

So where are the clouds? I only see the night sky...

Bob: Regarding the location of the clouds...They were imaging Jupiter with Opportunity's pancam. So, if you can determine the direction to Jupiter from Opportunity's location at the time those images were made, you would have a vector to those clouds. I seem to have lost the URL, but I think NASA has a virtual observatory page where one can model the sky from most anywhere in the soalr system. Perhaps you are familiar with it, or maybe someone else can mention it.

MaxSt: They may not be as obvious in that image as billowing cumulus clouds on earth in a Kodak print from your 35 mm camera, but clouds are there. If they weren't, the sky background in that image would be more uniformly dark.

Thanks for the response. For the rover images, I assume the clouds are somewhere in the vicinity of Meridiani.
I was actually referring to the Hubble image:



The clouds appear somewhat west of the Hesperia region on Mars. So if you know where this is in relation to Meridiani you can tell if these are over the rover site.


- Bob

Where was that post recently that claimed frost on one of the rovers?


- Bob

Well - Opportunity did catch a pic of frost on the Sundial back at the turn of the year '04-'05

Doug

Someone posted it recently but I can't remember if it was Spirit or Opportunity.


- Bob

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/pre.../20041213a.html



Doug

Ooops! It was actually on the Markcarey.com/mars forum. The pictures weren't very convincing:

Water droplets on the calibration post.
Posted: October 9, 2005 10:50 AM
http://www.markcarey.com/mars/discuss-2979...ation-post.html


Bob

Oh that - quite clearly dirt deposition, particularly when you compare to actual frost.

Doug

Rat-o-rama

Very smooth hole, and little berryage.

Doug

Here is the result.

A MI mosaic taken on Sol 691.

jvandriel

Here is the result.

A MI mosaic taken on Sol 691.

jvandriel

any word on when they plan to get moving again? Nice spot but I've seen enough lol

No kidding... Enough of 64KC already! Any spot where I know the site/drive number by heart is a spot where we've stayed too long. Do the wheels even work anymore?

I don't even know Purgatory's site/drive by heart...

Nice. Lots of dark 'inclusions', but nothing remotely spherical. Would anyone care to speculate on whether these are 'blueberry' embryos, abortions or some other mineral entirely? Have we been seeing a nice North-South gradient of progressively 'younger' stages of diagenesis?

C'mon! Go out on a limb! Steve can't, but YOU can.

Hehe. I'd say that anyone who can toss around words like diagenesis and recognize festoon crossbedding in plan view is totally capable of going out on their own limb.

I guess you are, by suggesting a "North-South gradient of progressively 'younger' stages of diagenesis." Are you suggesting that based on the southward reduction in blueberry size, or have you seen something else? I could imagine a N-S gradient, but I could also imagine it could be a vertical gradient, with the alteration being controlled by a water table. I speculate that we are farther up-section than the rocks observed at Endurance. Others have suggested it is down-section, but either way it is probably vertically displaced from the Endurance section.

Yes, but if there is festoon crossbedding in Eagle, and here at Erebus, does that matter?

Thanks for the MI. Does it look mushy in there to you?
The page Doug linked above from Opportunity last year showed the frost forming in early morning. The image with the frost was taken 11 minutes after sunrise, and the frost had burned off 3 hours later.
Perhaps the clouds in the recent images appear at night because it is colder during this current Summer period. Then we might expect the greatest water/ice deposition to occur at night.
Can the mini-TES detect H2O on the rover at night? Could they for example compare the spectra at night to the morning spectra?
Another experiment they might try would be to press down with RAT at night and keep the area covered till early morning. Then uncover the area soon after sunrise to see if there are any remaining signs of moisture.


- Bob Clark

So you are thinking that the strata here are flat-lying, and since we are topographically higher, we are up-section. I've assumed that we've been running up-dip and we've stayed at the same level in section; no particular reason, except someone speculated that a couple of years ago. Your view makes more sense.

We need some sort of marker bed(s) here, I honestly have no idea exactly where we are in the section. I'll suspect that we'll end up using "trace elements" such as Na or Ca.

--Bill

Given that these rocks (well, the ones we looked at when we first got to Erebus) have this very salt-rich rind on them, something not seen in the sections at Eagle or Endurance afaik, then they should be higher in the pile shouldnt they?

This very fine Xbedding indicitive of flowing water in the rocks here at Olympia would suggest being at the top end of the story at the very least. Go much down the stack and you hit the wind blown deposits that we saw in Burns cliff.

Doug

Looks like some small pieces of "pavement" in the side of that dune (i.e. above "ground" level). I wonder what the story is there?

http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...KCP2278L6M1.JPG

Airbag

I think that big drift formed around a ridge of evaporite left over from the jumble of ejecta around Erebus Crater. That would argue for that particular drift being *very* old...

-the other Doug

Minor quibble - Steve Squyres suggested that what we see now is the eroded rim itself, and not ejecta - but that doesn't really change your suggestion.

Interesting - assuming the paving seen in the dune is physically part of the rim, then did the dune protect the rim from eroding or did the dune form around the protruding formation - or both?

Airbag

the post picture done by airbag: the flat stones lying on sides of ripples has made me more attention. I don't think that these flat stones are the base because of the consistent forms of ripples. So I am tinking it as same as the other doug, the fallen stones from an ejecta, perhaps from any crater. Around Erebus is supposed to have many small craters that forms one big Erebus rim, perhaps older than Endurance or Victoria because it is somewhat buried by sands.

Rodolfo

It's interesting to see how dificult this is to discuss this with only delayed text. I had to read several messages multiple times before I convinced myself I understood what everyone was talking about. I'm still not sure I see where everyone is coming from, but I think I'm ready to try to jump into the fray.


Actually, we have seen a number of examples of rocks poking out of the sides of some of the drifts as Opportunity approached this area. It would be difficult for me to imagine that these are loose pieces of debris embedded in the drift. (If I am getting the drift. )

The simplest explanation of such observations seems to be ledges of bedrock, over which drifts later formed. Yes, they could be pieces of ejecta in a concealed breccia pile beneath the drift, but we haven't seen any unconcealed piles of ejecta. I think there is ejecta here, but not piles of it. I think the original impact site was largely eroded before the drifts moved in, and eroded since, as the previously moving drifts have migrated through the region.

I have got to imagine that the drifts are later than the ancient impact that created Erebus. I must guess that they are much younger, since the drift material contains so much erosion-resistant detritus in the drifts, left over from the erosion of overlying layers of the Burns Formation.

This shouldn't be painted in black-and-white: the ancient cratering, erosion, dunes and recent cratering are elements of a evolving process. Remember that this region is at the overlapping intersection of at least three old craters (see "Erebus Complex") so overlapping ejecta blankets are likely. A large ejecta skirt would have been a wind shadow and by forming the large "north Erebus dune complex" would tend to protect the ejecta from some aeolian erosion. In this dune complex observed during the route across the "Four Lane" area and the across the "Northwest Detour" in late 2005, there were images that suggested light-toned evaporite blocks high in the dunes.

I'm speculating about the history of the "north Erebus dune complex", but IMO it is a significant landscape feature.

--Bill

Is there any reason to deny that the present ground level is significantly lower than it was when the Erebus impact(s) took place - 1...10...even 50 meters lower. Can counting blueberries put any constraints on it? (How long does a blueberry last and how far does it travel from the time it falls out of the evaporite? Are we seeing only the 'underparts' of these craters? How long has the ejecta been missing?

[Educated guesses, shrewd inferences, ballpark estimates, gut feelings and pie-in-the-sky stabs all graciously accepted.]

I guess I am confused. I was talking about the diagenetic gradient that you proposed. I don't see what the crossbedding has to do with that.

According to my opinion:
When you pick up a big picture around Meridiani Planum, you can see that zone lots of craters, many are much bigger than Victoria as an example. The biggest ones are at higher altitude and these high sites would have flown sand, land to lower parts. The biggest craters is supposed to be located in higher altitude. More acumulation material and higher rims after the impact.

I don't know really about the variation of density of blueburries. It is confirmed that around Erebus has less density of Blueberries than the north parts, close to Eagle and Endurance craters. I think the density of blueberries is related to the permanence time of water. I suppose that around Eagle and Endurance craters had undergone longer time with water than the higher parts such as Erebus Crater.

If you refers to Erebus crater. I think it is so. See the Bill Harris posts in the Complex Erebus pictures. His picture show rather evident about the others minipacts. It lead me to think that the asteroid was fragmented into many pieces before striking on Mars. Now that zone is highly buried by the aeolian erosion after zillons years....

Rodolfo

I'm not sure about changes in ground level, since we really don't know how long it has been since the Erebus impact, let alone, the rate of erosion here. I assume you mean the stratigraphic level, since I don't know how to guess how much the structural elevation may have changed.

Obviously, the impact itself lowered the surface inside the crater, but it probably didn't have a great effect on the level outside. I guess I have been inherently assuming that Erebus is extremely old, but I can't fully defend that. On second thought, I don't think counting berries can tell us much about the age of Erebus. But it might suggest something about the amount of erosion that has taken place regionally. I think we have seen variations in the blueberry population in the drifts that may correlate with the population in the bedrock. That's a tough call, but I am currently guessing they don't move great distances after they gain their freedom from the bedrock.

I am basing my hypothesis that Erebus has been significantly eroded since formation on the fact that we haven't seen evidence of an upturned rim, and we have only seen a few areas where the rocks are jumbled up. And those few jumbled areas have been planed down to the same elevation as nearby, mostly intact rock.

Yes, we may only be seeing the 'underparts' of this crater. It's just so darn hard to tell with all the obscuring drifts. Having the rover sitting still for so long hasn't helped, either. If it weren't for the mechanical problem, we would have already seen much more of the rim, it's relationship to the large dune complex Bill mentioned, more of the stratigraphy, and without a doubt...a bunch of other really cool stuff.

What Tom said!

In the meantime, read the thread "Erebus Complex" for a discussion of the semi-BigPicture. Google 'peneplain'. Think about the attached image.

I'm getting ready to go to work, but I'll edit and expand this message later today.

--Bill

Bill:

Bar the central peak, that seems quite likely! Erebus, IMHO, would always have been a bowl.

Bob Shaw

Just a note to thank all the geologists types on this board for contributing such great discussion ideas, while still leaving enough Google crumbs for us terminology challenged folks to follow.

694 p2281.04 0 0 0 48 0 48 pancam_Erebus_col_24_25_26_27_L346R346
Well thats finished. If they don't start doing the same for the deckpan can we assume Oppy's nearly ready to leave?

Latest grindhole, not much evidence of layers here.

Or just run out of things to do

Doug

Nice pano from some bedrock.

Taken with the L7 pancam on Sol 695.

jvandriel

and this one.

Also taken on Sol 695 with the L7 pancam.

jvandriel