Everyone, say hi to a couple of newly-named features...

"Pedro de Villa"...

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... and "Rui Fernandez"...

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Mucho gusto!

As one of Earth's Ruis I welcome our Martian namesake...

There'll be a rock a *lot* bigger than that named after you one day, my friend!

You mean an abyss!

Maybe one of these.

Indeed. However, the core requirement will be that it be highly huggable..

Walk alongside Oppy as she heads uphill towards Luis de Torres...

http://twitpic.com/3r6r7b/full

(gif animation)

VERY cool!

7 years in, and only one word is required: WOW! thx for the treat

This image just appeared on the exploratorium - it's from sol 353!
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...EEP2867L5M2.JPG
I wonder if this was stuck somewhere on earth all this time or if it actually just came down from Mars? There's an M1 version of the image at the jpl site.

Looks like the RAT is in action (or at least its brush), from the Forward Hazcam images...

In reference to my earlier post about Santa Maria maybe being an impact in a rubble pile -- as better images came in, the horizontal layers below the old surface showed through the rubble, so it is NOT a crater in a rubble pile. There does seem to be something "funny" about the south/east side, though. And I like the dark friable debris dribbling out of cracks on the S/SE wall...

Partial panorama.

Taken on Sol 2484 with the L2 Pancam.

Jan van Driel

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I've just put up something new on my "astropoetry"blog, inspired by Oppy at Santa Maria, if anyone would like to take a look...

http://astropoetry.wordpress.com/2011/01/20/columbus-ghost

Brushing started...

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Not unexpected of course, but still
When will they finish the integration? March? April?

Update on Opportunity from NASA:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mer/news/mer20110120.html

A video I found on you tube regarding Opportunity & Santa Maria. Recorded December 2010

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

They talk about Santa Maria

I've put up an animation of two MI images of Luis de Torres on my blog which shows some interesting structure on the rock's surface. Too large to post here, so I hope you won't mind taking a look at it over there.

http://roadtoendeavour.wordpress.com/2011/...-luis-de-torres

Going to see if it will anaglyphalise*... is that a word? It is now.

Edit: why, yes, it does...

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Larger version on blog.

Unnecessary full quote removed - Mod


Wow!...that is fantastic...if it is not a word this gives reason for it to be so...

Added 2 images.

The Sol 2484 L2 panoramic view.

Jan van Driel

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Colourisation of brushed area of Luis de Torres...

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Just to be clear, is it only Luis De Torres studies for the conjunction period?

Whilst I don't think that's been stated officially everywhere, we can take it as fairly certain that the conjunction plan will not involve IDD work - and thus the Mossbauer will be taking data throughout conjunction (it'll really benefit from a solid two weeks of integration given that it's almost 10 half lives old now )

Added 4 images.

Sol 2484 L2

Jan van Driel

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In the lower right portion of Jan's latest image, there's a long, narrow path that's cleared of blueberries. There are a few more of these in the distance, including one that is "downwind" of a rock.

Any idea how this happens?

I think it's not really cleared of blueberries, but the blueberries are covered up by fine dust or sandy material. That might happen in some places where a gap in the underlying rock causes a shallow depression which becomes filled in with dust. But here, I think the dusty strips are actually just small 'ripples', the last remnants of the big drifts we saw so much of earlier.

Phil

Added 3 images.

Panoramic view on Sol 2484 taken with the L2 pancam.

Jan van Driel

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Sigh. I was so hoping it was tracks of blueberry harvesters.

Looking back towards Palos in 3D (admittedly not a lot of depth here):
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You can pretty clearly see some original horizontal layering showing through the rubble.

Poor battered, smattered little thing...

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Bizarre. Not only a compositionally distinct rock (probably, based on its appearance), but a possibly associated depression. Fused sand ejecta from Endeavour or elsewhere?

(Yeah, like I know.. )

Nice. I have been waiting for that view of Palos. It verifies a prediction about bedrock I made back in mid-December when Opportunity first peered into Santa Maria.

Impressive call, Rocker. I'm surprized the rim looks so different on opposite sides.

I can't make out any depression in the anaglyph - maybe a bit of a bump from eroding debris and dust:
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It'll be interesting to see whether we examine any other targets after conjunction, or whether the call onwards to Endeavour will take precedence...

Very interesting... it almost looks like the object in the middle landed on a more fragile structure, leaving behind a kind of broken rim...

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Added 2 images to the right side of this pano.
Sorry for missing the rest of the horizon.

Sol 2484 L2

Jan van Driel

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Got an idea and added 2 images
to the horizon.
Sol 2484 L2

Jan van Driel

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@ Fred and Stu, there is a wiggle gif of that rock at http://members.cox.net/rocketwrencher/Mars...AXP2568L2M1.gif, there does appear to be a depression centered at the right end of the rear, 'wall' section

Would the images suggest that Rodrigo de Jerez (featured above) split from Terreros before both finally coming to rest?
False color view of the scene is so intriguing, the CRISM "hot pixel" area looks fairly familiar to Oppy...(kudos MRO )
Can't wait for the details to come drifting in...

Probably you already noticed, anyway today's APOD image is Sol 2476 mosaic assembled/colored by me and Ken (already published on Universe Today):
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110129.html

ADMIN: Remember that we have a thread where this sort of stuff is more appropriately posted.

Congratulations on getting published on APOD!
Very nice panorama.

Mars as art...just a nice image

Couple more features been given names...

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Ciba

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Bosiba

The latest fact- and news-packed MER Update by The Planetary Society's AJS Rayl is now available for you to read...

http://www.planetary.org/news/2011/0131_Ma...te_Mission.html

I believe she meant to say "Endurance."

I do however love this paragraph. It belongs on a poster:

They climbed a Martian hill,
forged across ancient salty sea beds,
drove into craters,
picked through rocky landscapes,
cruised across plains,
and [have] taken the most glorious pictures
ever snapped on the surface of Mars.
Through it all, they seemed uncannily determined,
allowing neither dust storms,
or gnarly sand dunes,
or treacherous terrains
or anything else
to keep them from their mission.

Also mentioned in the report is :
"There, on the edge of what may – or may not – be a smaller impact crater along the side of Santa Maria,..."
Has anyone noticed this, at Yuma?

I read that to mean that Yuma itself might be a small crater, quite well disguised.

From the latest update, some good news for when Oppy gets going again:

That's a sizable jump from last week's power, 524 Whrs!

About that "unknown Tau of 1.07" - does that make it a known unknown?

After the new comet pictures, all it will take is for Opportunity to start rolling again and my happiness will be complete (until next time).

Phil

New pics are down! This is from yestersol, 2510:
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...1M1.JPG?sol2510

This probably means we will be moving soon