Tesheiner, I read about the 10K mark, and was hoping that you had updated the route map to show the excursion that put us over the mark -- and you didn't disappoint!

By the way, I'm thinking that Oppy's getting ready to head back to Duck Bay, which looks like the past entry path, plus nice vertical cliffs to examine on the way in . . .

Of course I meant best entry path . . .

I don't know about that. I think from what Squyres has said, they're more likely to enter the crater in the next three or four bays.

I'm thinking that this last drive, up and away from the rim, is a set-up for a short sprint straight east into the dark streaks. Oppy can then work south towards the rim through the major dark streak, characterizing the soils outside the streak, inside the streak, and along the boundaries.

-the other Doug

They're going a funny way about it....and why would you pick an entry point after seing less than 1/4 of the rim, especially when we've been told they plan to cover something like 120 degrees of crater rim.

Doug

Maybe they're heading for that crater on the annulus with the pale east rim, then on to the first dark streak? Clealry, they are mssing out Cabo Corrientes. From the area where the first streak meets the rim of Victoria, they'd get a good view of the boulder field inside the crater, the biggest and best collection of tumbled-down rock anywhere inside Victoria. They come from the beds of the layered cape above it (Cape D 1). My guess is they'd like to use those boulders to sample different layers of the strata in the crater wall.

Kenny

Mmm, I would guess they are still planning to drive onto Cabo Corrientes.
Here is the rationale: The "post-drive" mosaics taken on sol 1080 were headed at 144º, meaning that the rover driver's primary interest for the next move is centered on that heading. In other words, it might be possible that the next move is on heading 144º i.e. towards Cabo Corrientes.
Now, the next move is already planned; it's on sol 1082 (today). Among the planned imaging sequences is, again, the "post-drive" navcam mosaic this time centered at 162º. Based on the previous assumption that today's move will be headed at 144º and (another assumption) the post-drive navcam mosaic is centered on the cape tip, I did the following picture with Opportunity's possible (?) location after today's move.
My two cents.

Click to view attachment

OT: FWIW, sol 1082 activities include one more Phobos transit imaging session.

Tesheiner, I'm sure you're right about the clues given by the imaging instructions. But I can't understand why they went so far away from the rim to the 1080 position, only to turn around and double back in again, when there's nothing that requires such a big avoidance maneuver. The route from 1078 to 1080 is at an azimuth of about 50 degrees, whereas something about 80 degrees would have taken Oppy much more quickly and efficiently towards Cabo Corrientes.... unless they've gone out there to look at something.
K

Because they had better drive-direction visibilty that way and could be sure of zero hazards over a longer drive that way? Because they wanted to get some navcam terrain model wedges to augment the ones they will get closer to the rim and build a better model of this area? Because they wanted to test some long distance autonomous driving far from the rim? Loads of reasons why they'd do it. How close to the edge of a jagged cliff do you walk.....blind fold

Doug

If you look at the point reached on sol 1066, you can see that it is also further than apparently necessary away from the crater. They are likely searching for a vector to the cape tip that minimizes the chance of falling off an edge. It may be because they are testing auto-navigation and want to give the computer a margin of safety.

Whether the rover goes 20, 30 or 40m on a drive, it can still easily complete it in the time required by the plan so it probably doesn't matter a whole lot (unless you are counting wheel revs) how far they drive.
.

I love how you've got your projected path taking us right onto Hoy, Tesheiner!

> I love how you've got your projected path taking us right onto Hoy, Tesheiner!

We can dream, can't we?

Imaging info from yestersol move (1082) already made their way to the PCDT web, but the exploratorium have no new pics yet. A minor hiccup I would say.
Assuming the mobility data is accurate (and it usually is), this is Opportunity's new position:

Click to view attachment

I will update the route map once we have some pics.

Edit: Doug, would you mind to rename this thread "Past Bahia Blanca, onto Cabo Corrientes" or similar?

Looking at the 1082 position, we couldn't really fault Tesh's prediction, could we !!??

Done!

-- not Doug

No need to explain Eduardo : we just can't get to "Hoy" after "manana". We've got to go to "ayer" first

A look in the drive direction on Sol 1080.

Taken with the L2 Pancam.

jvandriel

On sol 1082 Oppy took a curious looking Phobos eclipse sequence - the movement of Phobos looks odd, almost as if it changes direction! I think what happened was the sun was slightly overexposed (notice also how the sun is slightly elongated), and somehow that caused the weird apparent motion. Local time was around 14:25, frames are 3 seconds apart.
Click to view attachment

The view in the drive direction ( crater rim ) on Sol 1082.

Taken with th L2 Pancam.

jvandriel

There are lots of rocks scattered around on the surface--more rocks from space?

Courtesy of JB....

1082B

Hard to say, but I wouldn't be a bit surprised...Meridiani seems more & more like the "Allan Hills" of Mars, but I bet the ice caps are even more fun!

Doug, thanks to you & JB for the enhancement of the eclipse sequence...makes sense now.

Another mini martian "strewn field" of fallen star stones for meteorite collectors here on Earth to drool over...

Click to view attachment

Sol1084, colorized stitch of 3 NavCam frames...
Click to view attachment
Lot of work to do this, I think was worth to do because this view is so beautiful!

I agree. Vicky is even more photogenic seen from here than it was originaly from Duck's Bay.

Have we driven onto a "ray" or a streak? The ground seems very dark suddenly...

Click to view attachment

Not that I'm aware of. Perhaps this image was taken late in the evening?

On another topic, 1087 is a driving sol.


Curiously, the imaging plan includes a sequence (front_hazcam_wheel_sub_256x256_4_bpp_pri_19) which was *only* used before in three events: stuck at Purgatory, stuck at northern Erebus, and stuck at Jammerbugt.
No, I'm not saying the rover is stuck. It might be related to the new driving technics.

They've found a way for Oppy to turn in place.
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...K9F0006L0M1.JPG

Dangerous games to play next to a cliff! Fortunately Oppy doesn't have a sense of balance or direction like us petty humans

Have the JPL seen Richard Long walks in the desert? Richard Long is a Land-Art artist who draw geometrical figure in deserts with his feets, rocks or many material found in the desert. Details : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Long_%28artist%29

Just making sure they can get back off the top of 'Hoy'?

Oh man!
If a drive some days ago was called the "drunken sailor walk", how would you call this?

I think it's just our old friend auto-stretch. Those atmosphere shots tend to give a very dark foreground. Local time of shot about 10:30am.

How about the "battlebot spin"

Compared to the drunken wobbling, I call this ballet. I'm wondering, might this be a method to create a large, distinguishable track feature that could be recognized by the software for a greater distance? That might allow sober walking for some distance afterward.

Whatever purpose it has, they did it again.
Sol 1087 which is almost finished was another driving day and the "post-drive" hazcam pics show that same zig-zag pattern.

Edited: Short drive; less then 4m. At this pace we won't be at Hoy neither "hoy" nor "mañana" (that's for you Climber).

Must be a big heart for Valentine...

Ok, I think I have the right name for that funny manouver.


"Dog tail chasing".

Considering that the feature is captured in the downsampled Navcam navigation images, I'd say it's an extra good guess it's used for navigation.

Possible Wheel Problem with OPPY? I hope not

http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...MWP1244L0M1.JPG

Whoa! back up he truck. this is what, as kids, we would call "doing donuts" after a rain, we'd go out on a grass soccer field and vandaliciously spin the car around with the accelerator gunned and the steering wheel pegged (no, we never got caught, darn kids!).
click attached thumbnail to see the animation

Good to hear that you had a normal childhood, atomoid. I didn't learn to cut donuts until I "grew up." But I think they are more fun to do on dusty ground.

Maybe they're messing up the dirt to create a spot for HiRise to observe over time as the winds cause it to evolve?

The pancam L2 view from Sol 1087.

jvandriel

Sounds like a good side effect, but I'd bet this is just another attempt to give Visidom something to look at.

-the other Doug

The panoramic view on Sol 1089.

Taken with the L0 Navcam.

jvandriel

And this is Opportunity's approximate position as viewed from Cape Desire.

Click to view attachment

Where did I put that swear box??!?!?!?!

Click to view attachment

One of the most striking views yet don't you think?

LOVE this planet!!!

Clink, clink, clink (clinkber )
I agree Stu. There are more : http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...cam/2007-02-18/
Can't believe how thin last cape looks like.
Nice Oppy's tracks near The Dock :
Click to view attachment
Lot of dark sand too, with some tiny dark "rays" that seams to feed it from above.

The panoramic view looking back on Sol 1091.

Taken with the L2 Pancam.

jvandriel

It looks like the puzzling driving as seen around Sol 1078 - 1082 may have been due to the live testing of the Field D* autonav software:

http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2007/Febru...13_rovers.shtml

Just added 1 image.

The L0 Navcam view on Sol 1089 and Sol 1092.

jvandriel