Looking at the shadows cast by the rover, I think there might be another big dust storm in progess..would explain why they've stayed in one spot for so long.

It was taken a 4.29pm local - so the sun would have either set, or just about to set, thus the lack of shadows.

Doug

The science required them to stay here for several sols, to complete MI/APXS/MB measurements on four different areas (trench floor, dune ripple crest, scuff mark, and undisturbed soil). So I don't think there's really been a delay. And it looks like they are ready to move on now.

I enjoyed the self-portrait taken today by the left hazcam:

opps....forgot to to include the picture link. here's the image i was referring to

http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...DNP1315R0M1.JPG

Sun quite low, the shadow is quite weaky defined.

....I just looked at the picture mars_armer posted again...you can se the silhouette of a "figure" - head and shoulders, in that picture LOL

Look at the right hazcam image: I swear at first the reflection looks like the picture was taken in the lab. I almost became a conspiracy theorist! But I guess we're just seeing the underside of the solar panels?

http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...DIP1144R0M1.JPG" target="_blank">
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...DIP1144R0M1.JPG

Also wanted to announce this, especially for you Exploratorium browsers:

Midnight Mars Browser 1.0

I'll start a thread in the Imaging section on this if anybody has any questions/comments/feedback.

v.cool self portrait pics - hadnt thought of doing that

What looks like the outline of a person in a lab is infact a dark coloured hinge bracket that connects the rover WEB to the left solar array and can be seen in this image

http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/images/large/03pd0955.jpg
(big JPG)


Also remember - the radioactice sources in the spectrometers are decaying (quite a lot at this stage ) - so integrations take much much longer than before.

Looks like they might be done now though - possibly a sol of remote-obs of the mess they've made, then set off

Doug

(tried to find out half-lives of the radioactive sources in the APXS and Mossbauer - CM244 in the APXS had a half life of 18.1 years - and the Mossbauers Fe57 doesnt decay at all - but I specifically read that decay of the radioactice sources was a problem for the spectrometers )

Lovely bit of work. Thank you very much for making this available.

Chris

Well, not exactly the dramatic self reflection that I was hoping for in the heat shield, but it's pretty neat!

You would figure that Opportunity would pull a vain stunt like this since Spirit is starting to get more headlines with its ascent.

ps - thanks mhoward for the midnight browser - will play with it soon!

They are uploading new flight software for both rovers today. That will take about 2 days plus another one for rebooting. There will be minimal science done (if any) during that time. So for Oppy looks like Sol 377 it will be on the move again to investigate a possible meteorite nearby before heading off to Vostok.

That is a most amazing and useful application! I am eternally in your debt. Now I can quickly download all the images at work, where I have broadband; then bring them home on a thumbdrive for browsing in the evening.

Thank you, very much.

any idea what the new flight software will do?

Thanks

John

Any idea what improvements the new firmware will have ?

Hopefully the ability to drive even longer per SOL

Atleast Opportunity could use that

I wouldn't be surprised if nearly all the rocks lying on the surface of Meridiani, including the little cobbles, are infact meteorites.

A couple of pancam shots of the possible meteorite:

http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...DIP2375L7M1.JPG

http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...DIP2375L7M1.JPG

CosmicRocker, chris, lyford,

You're quite welcome. CR, I hadn't even thought about storing the images on removable media, let me know how that works out for you. Keep me posted!

Mike

Wow, what an awesome program mhoward!

Any chance you could have it auto generate cross-eyed stereo images rather than anaglyphs?

Keep up the good work!

Y

mhoward
quick! start a new topic over in imagery about your downloader - many awesome things to say and I don't want to go off topic here....

Though I know this is part of the conspiracy to make me buy a bigger hard drive!

Doug -

If you haven't found it already, the radioactive source for the Mossbauer is Cobalt-57, which has a half life of 271 days.

Ok, I started a new thread under Imagery & Tech Issues. Thanks.

So - if we take it that the samples were installed a few months before launch - we're probably getting on for 2 years - so we're down to about 17 odd % of the initial source strength - and about 35% of the strength on landing.

So an 8 hr integration from Sol 1 will now take 24hrs

Doug

"Self portrait" images are really amazing. Do you think JPL's engineers may orient IDD to shoot a complete MER image with martian landscape, from NAVCAM and/or PANCAM? It will be very nice...
PS: MHoward, thank you very much!

They could certainly do something a bit like this when they do IDD work on the magnet targets at the front of the rover - have pancam look down, snap an image of itself

If Spirit's stuck potato had been a front wheel - it could have given them an interesting extra p.o.v

Doug

Another subtle feature visible near the horizon here:

http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...D9P2370L7M1.JPG

Could that be Vostok?

I'm not sure if we're looking south in that shot. Opportunity is looking perpendicular to the dunes - straight across them. If you look at this nav cam IMAGE looking back at Endurance to the north the dunes are almost parallel, which would suggest were looking east or west in that image.

I think there is one image that I've seen that shows Vostok with a reasonable certainty. It's on another mars blog here. Note that this view is toward South/South-East, in parallel with the dunes.

Are they planning on starting driving again today? The flight directors update said "next week" referring to this week. I think it's been about two and a half weeks since they made any progress south.

Looking at the latest forward hazcam pictures
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...cam/2005-02-15/
it looks like Oppy is on the move again, but we can't see where we are (again) and no rear haz pictures at the moment.

Looks like about a 30 meter drive to Pando's meteorites.