Not mentioned since the last press conf - but it would seem the jam on the RAT is cleared

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all...GP2138L7M1.HTML

Doug

Cool, I hope so.

These are from the most recent batch at the exploratorium, do you think they are the work of the RAT or have they been brushed:

http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...BGP2906M2M1.JPG

http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...BGP2906M2M1.JPG

NOTE: Edited post to correct dead links.

Dead links (hmph - what are you doing forum) - but yeah - I know the ones you mean - looks like half a rat and half a brush

I THINK it's a brush - not flat enough to be a rat

They often brush - APXS/MB/MI - RAT - APXS/MB/MI - back off - remote sensing, and leave.

Doug

Does the second image show a "blueberry" in it? Or am I just not seeing it right? (Is it a hole) If it is a blueberry and the rat had been used I think it would have been ground away or fallen out.

If you have a tabbed web browser (I'm using Firefox), load the images in the links below and switch between the two. You can clearly see the patch thats been changed. Looks brushed to me.

http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...BGP2906M2M1.JPG
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...BGP1214R0M1.JPG

Exceedingly clever, attractive, creative and succesfull people always do



(been using it since it first came on the scene, and Mozilla before it Couldnt use IE if you made me )

Doug

Good god it's the scarey RAT MONSTER



Not seen them use Hazcam to take images of the IDD that close up

Doug

Latest press release confirms that the pebble fell out on its own, with the first test of the RAT scheduled for August 29 (but the results not yet reported):

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/sta...tml#opportunity

This looks like a RAT hole:

Confirmation that MER-B's RAT has now recovered: http://www.spaceflightnow.com/mars/mera/040901status.html