How about this 'route map'

http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/mro/galler...89_1780_sub.jpg

If we'd had HiRISE in real time, how many "Tesh-hours" of work would have been saved?

In the first HiRISE image of Victoria/Oppy, I don't remember the tracks leading up to the crater being as clear as that.

And where would have been the fun in that? Navigation is fun Also a big time sink. I hope that, someday, a few places in the solar system are designated as something like wilderness reserves where overhead imagery is restricted to some low level (perhaps 100 km per pixel at best) so that rovers or people on the ground can have the joy of finding their way around and being the first to see whatever is over the next ridge. On the other hand, I really enjoy the high resolution overhead pics as a means of virtual exploration, so I'm a bit conflicted

You took the words of my mouth, algorimancer.

Right, the route prognostications have been fun. But OTOH, it is fulfulling to see how close we have gotten to the correct path.

--Bill

Excellent job Tesheiner! The circle pattern made at the end of drives and at some turns really show up nicely in the HiRISE. Great for checking reference points.

I'm with you on that thought. I enjoy nothing as much as exploring a wilderness with a compass, or even exploring a wilderness with the stars, or the moss on trees as my compass.

I guess we'll have to wait for the map-projected Hi-Rise image as proof, but it seems pretty clear that our companion, Tesh, did a remarkable job of navigating for us.

Many thanks to him for the effort.

There may be a couple of factors here. The tracks are most visible over the dark eastern part of the rim due to contrast.

Another factor may be illumination angle. In this recent hazcam, the most recent set of tracks are quite a bit brighter on the left side of the image than the right. There's much less difference with the old tracks. We're getting (partial) specular reflection from the new, smooth tracks. Maybe this new MRO image caught the tracks at a favourable angle.

BTW, as others have said, stunning job mapping our route, Tesheiner!

For sure, Freddo. The left track is up-sun. Look at the shadows.

The histograms for both of those HiRise images were very different. I think different processing is more likely the reason the tracks were more visible in the later image.

I think, but I'm not sure (just edu-guessing, really), that the new image is from the blue-green channel. The upturned soil is bluer (less unblue?) than the surface stuff, making the contrast much greater than in the red channel.

That could be another factor, in addition to illumination angle as I wrote above. Judging from the lengths of the cliff shadows, this latest image is under much more vertical solar illumination than the previous MRO Victoria images, which could enhance the brightness of the smooth tracks through partial specular reflection. It's definitely more than just image processing/stretching, since the tracks appear darker than the annulus on the earlier MRO images, but lighter than the annulus in the new image.

I can imagine it might very well be a different filter. It might be interesting to look at the PDS-released data for differently filtered images. If the difference is due to processing, it probably isn't something as simple as contrast stretching. The histogram for this new image shows a smoothly bimodal distribution, which is distinctly different from the spiky, polymodal distributions displayed by the previous two images of Victoria.

It cannot be related to the solar incidence angle, since that seems to be essentially constant for any particular latitude. I assume that is a characteristic of MRO's orbit. The only thing that can change about the illumination angle is the compass direction the sunlight is coming from as it changes from season to season. But if that was the reason for more visible tracks, then tracks running in different directions would be expected to have a greater range of visibility than they do.

The more I think about it, the more likely it seems that um3k is correct. The tracks in this new image are lighter than the annulus surface. In the previous, red-filtered images, the tracks were darker than the surface.

I concoure. Even if Big Brother is looking over your shoulder it'll never see the berries YOU're able to use as references!

Hello Tesh! Kinda forced "holidays" I guess

Well, I was on a business travel last week while Opportunity was/is on a sort of driving "holidays".
Now I'm trying to catch the latest news and update the map with the latest info, in this case from sol 1232.

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My updated route map (sol 1271).

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(The smile in this smiley isn't big enough to express how I'm felling)

It seems like that Opportunity will descend in front. That land would be the compactest part
but it would be the most steep part of the Duck bay. Any thought about the success?

An updated route map (sol 1273).
It looks like the descent into Duck Bay is about to start. Ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seat belts.

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...and return your seats to the upright position! Thanks yet again, Tesh; beautiful work!

Go, girl; get in & get out!

I wonder if they may be considering a pause at the top of the incline where the tilt and wind are both high to try and get rid of some of this settling dust.
Once we get into the crater, cleaning events may be a thing of the past.

A further drive sol 1273 to the rim. I think this move has been for science, rather than wind: that's one tasty looking rock.

Polished, rounded and with layers of sediments. Interesting rock.

Also interesting to note that the "blueberries" indicate that the prevailing wind seems to be into the crater at this point of the rim

An updated route map (sol 1278).
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On the way to VC's entry point.
The route map for sol 1285.
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Paolo's not a F1 pilot ! Still amazing trajectories = no risks entering VC by mistake
Pressure's bulding up guys, we're on our way to new territories.

Route map, updated to sol 1286 and including a reference to "Paolo's plunge site".

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Anyway, I seem that the most risky part of Duck Bay is overcoming the crest. However the new Opportunity position entry has the lower height of crest than the rest. To go down, it must not be a problem but for returning, maybe yes. Otherwise, the next possible exit would be the northern part of the Duck Bay.

Route map, updated to sol 1289.
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Route map, updated to sol 1291, corresponding to the dip into VC.
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Route map, updated to sol 1293.
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Route map, updated to sol 1298.
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Route map, updated to sol 1302.
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Route map, updated to sol 1305.
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New update to the route map, after moving on sol 1321.
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Here is the latest update (sol 1327).
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The route map, updated to sol 1329.
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Congratulations Eduardo for these excellent updates!!!

It's time to update the map again.
Up to sol 1382.
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Another update after the drive on sol 1418.
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That can't be better Eduardo! Thanks.
This is a real added value to know where we are untill we hit the flat terrain again.
I'm sure "others" (not me) will ask for the same thing at HP.

Alan is already doing that work at HP.

Thanks for the updates, Tesheiner. I just wanted to check - do the ends of the red cross (at the current rover position) indicate the positions of the wheels?

> do the ends of the red cross (at the current rover position) indicate the positions of the wheels?

Yep.

Another update after the drive on sol 1438.
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Great effort Eduardo !!!
154 pages & counting...

The route map, updated to sol 1441.
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Opportunity is back at the Gilbert layer.
Here're the latest maps updated to sol 1450.
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