Nice credit for Emily in JPL article today covering that Moment In Time image.
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2010-152a

Emily's suggestion for this image has continued to spread to a worldwide audience. That's outreach at its best!

Big thanks also go to Jim Bell and the MER Team for thinking it was a great idea and for making it possible.

And a pat on the back for JPL and the DSN for transmitting the commands and receiving the data of course (I could hardly leave them out now, could I!?)

So I originally thought Scott's Tweet indicated the drive would be delayed one day. We aren't parked until after winter solstice are we?? Anyone know Opportunity's mobility status?

Floyd, you know that the winter solstice is today, right?

The latest official update says a drive was planned for sol 2240.

Thanks Poolio, I had missed today's update. Emily, I didn't know it was today, thought solstice was a week or so off I keep looking for snow in the images to let me know it is the dead of winter--I'm from New England

According to the latest update they're using the "lily pad" driving technique used by Spirit in the past.

A drive to celebrate the solstice, again parking on a bit of a northerly slope:
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...0M1.JPG?sol2240

Another larger-than-average dark cobble up ahead. Could be regular Meridiani rock, way too early to tell:
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...2M1.JPG?sol2240

Updated my "Road to Endeavour" blog with some new 3D images, and a close-up of that rather cute spiral-patterned dune slope up ahead...

http://roadtoendeavour.wordpress.com/2010/...rough-the-dunes

This last move was some 20m due south. Map update soon.

And on the winter solstice!

We've hit the road again. And it looks like a cobble up ahead:
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...0M1.JPG?sol2245

There's something I really like about this Navcam image
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...00P1607R0M1.JPG

Just like rolling waves...beautiful.

Sail on, Oppy, sail on...

This drive was not a "small" bump to a close northward facing ripple but more like a normal 50+ meters move. Actually, 55m SSE according to the rover's own mobility info.

As far as I can see, Oppy has now claimed the top position in number of (confirmed) operational sols on the surface of Mars. Viking 1 functioned for 2245 sols. Spirit will in all likelihood take the top position again in a couple of months, but at the moment we cannot be sure that she is OK.

Another milestone claimed by the MER team, and one I definitely didn't think was going to be broken by the rovers.

Does this signify the start of the straight(ish) run towards Endeavour crater or is that a little premature?

Neil

I'd say a bit premature. It's not uncommon for Opportunity to head SSE over the past few weeks.

I'll say that Oppy will soon resume the 70m drive once Solstice will be behind her a bit more. Next issue will be Opposition that'll occur sometimes next January (correct me if I'm wrong).
There's no means to know whether she'll drove steadily till then since a one (or more) month stop at an interesting target could happen anytime but I wonder if planners already forecast any target of interest for a 3 weeks study without moving when this will occur.

I'm really tempted to give the glib answer and say there's a really large crater SE of Oppy which should keep it busy for 3 weeks or so!

Seriously though, I'm interested in the problems associated with Opposition next January. Does the new software on the Rovers negate this issue or will it still affect travel during this period?

Neil

It looks like just a slab of ordinary Meridiani bedrock:
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...1M1.JPG?sol2246
Nothing here. Move along...

New software is great - but a big fat radio source getting in the way of a spacecraft can't be avoided with a software feature. Typically, the rovers park up for about 10 days, and conduct a pre-programmed schedule of in-situ science and/or remote observations. To plan a drive, you need data. With the sun in the way, you can't get it reliably.

If I was driving this patch of pavement would be where I turned left to begin the eastward trek.

I thought exactly the same thing when I saw Tesh's map yesterday Alan. We must be very close to the turning point and this pavement looks ideal.

Well, I was also thinking it's high time we turned east. We're 19 pages into this thread entitled "Eastward" and it's still inappropriately named, as we continue going south...

I've been thinking the same thing. This looks like the start of a Yellow Brick road.

And the near horizon continues to clear...

--Bill

Usually, the "post-drive" mosaics (both pancam and navcam) give a hint about the heading of the next move.
But in this case, although the navcam is centered at 162º indicating a potential east turn, the pancam mosaic is pointing (almost) due south. 50 / 50 chances.

BTW, I'm updating the thread title...done.

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/tm-...B_Sol2243_1.jpg

This map by Tim Parker shows very clearly, in the upper right corner, the patch of large drifts that was the final obstacle to be avoided on this long trek. We have finally passed it, so a turn must be happening in the very near future. Then just watch that horizon change!

Phil

Sol 2246 drive direction pan

Now we have the eastward track ahead on sol 2249's drive direction pics:

Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

That's a good indication the eastward trek will start soon.

Scott just tweeted, "Good: driving Opportunity today".
Perhaps soon time for a new thread to mark the turn east?

The latest drive (2252) looks like a substantial move east:
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...0M1.JPG?sol2252
Maybe it's too early to be sure after just one drive east, but this may be the start of the next leg in our journey.

Around 55m ESE. We'll better wait for a few additional moves to confirm this trend but I think (or wish) they'll move east whenever possible from now on.

We're seeing interesting surfaces to the bedrock along with interesting erratics laying around. I suspect that we are seeing an old paleo-surface being exhumed, with the sand being eroded and making a thinner cover.

L257 Pancam from Sol 2247. Note the brownish color of the pebbles as well as the wind-tails.

--Bill

backseat drivers y'all

If this really the turn final east, could we call the waypoint 'Albuquerque'
As in "I knew I shoulda taken that left turn at..." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8TUwHTfOOU

Or "Niagara Falls"...

As in "Niagara Falls! Slowly I turned ... step by step ... inch by inch ..."


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slowly_I_Turned

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nr6VBg1SiYI

--Bill

Seems to me that continuing on the same track is almost certain at this point. Directly to the south of the current track there is an area of sand where there is no exposed bedrock at all. It looks like there could be an old crater under there, and if the sand is a little deeper as a result, then there really is little option but to continue ESE for another 100m or more.

Fascinating new leg of the journey coming up. I hope Exploratorium gets back up to speed soon; it's really been struggling the past few days.

From the Exploratorium:

Somebody’s going to have a long Memorial Day weekend.

Ok, since the images server is down we will have to live with the mobility data provided by the tracking web.
Last drive, which was yesterday during sol 2254, covered some 25m heading southeast.

Sol 2251 color view :

Thanks for that colour view Ant103.

When you look at the picture in detail the differing terrain between the left and right hand side of the image is really noticeable. I know a great deal of posts in this forum have discussed the future route but just to be clear, I would assume we will be taking the left hand route as it looks considerably smoother?

Neil

We should be going to the left in that view, but most of the difference in texture in the image is caused by lighting angles. On the right you see lots of shadows, on the left the shadows are hidden behind the drifts. There isn't really much difference in texture between the two sides of the image.

Phil

couple of tweets from Scott today



Energy levels not spectacular; drive truncated to 30min or so; will go 15-25m. Shooting for a spot where we'll recharge well over weekend.



On the plus side, we had a cleaning event this week, so energy levels are maybe 10% (or more) higher than they would be otherwise.

Exploratorium is back up.

I still can't get on...

Hmmm. I can get to the front page, but clicking on the individual camera links brings everything to a stop.

Sigh.

Stuart try (http instead of https) http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportunity/pancam/?C=N;O=D

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-differ...p-and-https.htm