Time for a new topic, I think.
A bit of monkey business with the FHAZ from 2952 shows the nature of the latest drive.
Phil
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Full Version: Spring at Cape York
... and a map of recent activities. This is not geometrically precise (I'll leave that to Tim Parker), but it lets me organize information. Next step is to add some of the target names.
Phil
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EDIT - map has been replaced with a corrected version
Phil
Click to view attachment
EDIT - map has been replaced with a corrected version
My approximation of where she is on sol 2951. I'm sure it's somewhat off.
Oops - was that a 2951 drive? I'll update my map later.
Phil
Phil
Yes, 2952 is tosol/today.
I have now replaced the picture in my second post with a corrected version of the map.
Phil
Phil
On sol 2949 Opportunity's Pancams imaged the target North Pole, which is the patch of dust to be investigated next. Attached is an L2R2 anaglyph of the most interesting part of that panorama. One of the L2 images suffered a dropout which I patched with a barely noticeable piece from the L5 image.
In 3D it is easy to see how this local topography created a wind trap for fine particulates.
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In 3D it is easy to see how this local topography created a wind trap for fine particulates.
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Really nice anaglyph, CR! 
In another view, having finallty escaped exile on Greeley Haven, it looks like Oppy is having a fine old time playing in the sandpit again..
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In another view, having finallty escaped exile on Greeley Haven, it looks like Oppy is having a fine old time playing in the sandpit again..
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fhaz sol 2953
I'm sure many of you have noticed the change in the timing of Exploratorium updates after the recent outage. The old 0-6-12-18 update schedule is gone, and now the updates come a bit later each day (presumably corresponding to the timing of the downlinks). Some of the images are now timestamped on Exploratorium very soon after they were taken - for example this new image is timestamped 03:12 this morning, PDT. But the MER filename translator says it was taken at 02:15 PDT. Just think about that for a moment - less than an hour after the image was taken on Mars, it's publicly available! 
I did like the regularity of the old schedule, but getting the newest images in almost real-time is seriously cool.
I did like the regularity of the old schedule, but getting the newest images in almost real-time is seriously cool.
Agreed, Fred; this is about as good as it gets. Major thanks to the individuals at Exploratorium and NASA/JPL for getting the image pipeline working again. And ongoing thanks for the PANCAM database, without which several of us couldn't do much.
Our IDD target is to our left but also need to reach some targets in the tracks at the same time. That makes for a difficult precision driving. We thought we could do it in a Sol but apparently it will take some time. Sorry!
Paolo
Paolo
QUOTE (RoverDriver @ May 16 2012, 04:28 PM) 
Sorry!
No harm done, Paolo. It's not as if you're driving a robotic vehicle on another planet or anything!
I got the following question from Eduardo which I think it is interesting to others.
I know how to answer this question!
p1254, p1354 are 4bpp FHAZ and RHAZ respectively taken only when we have a drive that completes with a fault of some sort to analyze the terrain to possibly help in interpreting the fault. For IDD we take p1154 if the IDD sequence has a fault (p12xx p13xx are for drives, p11xx are for IDD). In this case (sol 2954 drive) it is not really a fault, we just did not make enough progress forward before turning to the left. Since we did not want to turn prematurely and stomp on potential science targets we just stopped the vehicle and precluded any further motion. Since we did the IDD salute (raising the IDD turret to take an unobstructed view of the IDD work volume with a p1214) we could have skipped the p1254 but we left it there to preserve our sequence structure. One of the good things about having a reserved sequence number for events like these is that sequence numbers are one of the first things we see, it gives us more time to deal with a potential anomaly. Also, in case of an anomaly you might have little data to work with, this is a simple trick to let us know what happened. Since what fault conditions are acceptable and which are not is determined on a sol by sol basis, a p1254/1354/1154 does not necessarily mean we have an anomaly.
If anyone has questions like these just ask, I might be able/allowed to answer.
Paolo
QUOTE
Ciao Paolo,
Sometimes we discussed at UMSF about what might be behind those FHAZ and RHAZ "fault" images which seems to be always sequenced on a driving sol but only executed from time to time. As far as I can see, some of them were taken thisol (seq-id 1354) and I presume (guess, actually ) they are triggered after a faulted drive. Excessive slip, currents, tilt? Which kind of events can trigger that sequence? Why Spirit (AFAIK) had no such thing? It's an interesting topic, at least to me and I guess to the others on the forum too, but I'm not sure if this is something which could be discussed / explained on the mainstream thread or is restricted to the mission people perhaps. That's the reason for this PM.
If you say it's no problem to talk about it on the open forum, great! In this case I would raise the same questions there.
If not, fine too.
Un saludo,
Eduardo Tesheiner
Sometimes we discussed at UMSF about what might be behind those FHAZ and RHAZ "fault" images which seems to be always sequenced on a driving sol but only executed from time to time. As far as I can see, some of them were taken thisol (seq-id 1354) and I presume (guess, actually
) they are triggered after a faulted drive. Excessive slip, currents, tilt? Which kind of events can trigger that sequence? Why Spirit (AFAIK) had no such thing? It's an interesting topic, at least to me and I guess to the others on the forum too, but I'm not sure if this is something which could be discussed / explained on the mainstream thread or is restricted to the mission people perhaps. That's the reason for this PM.If you say it's no problem to talk about it on the open forum, great! In this case I would raise the same questions there.
If not, fine too.
Un saludo,
Eduardo Tesheiner
I know how to answer this question!
p1254, p1354 are 4bpp FHAZ and RHAZ respectively taken only when we have a drive that completes with a fault of some sort to analyze the terrain to possibly help in interpreting the fault. For IDD we take p1154 if the IDD sequence has a fault (p12xx p13xx are for drives, p11xx are for IDD). In this case (sol 2954 drive) it is not really a fault, we just did not make enough progress forward before turning to the left. Since we did not want to turn prematurely and stomp on potential science targets we just stopped the vehicle and precluded any further motion. Since we did the IDD salute (raising the IDD turret to take an unobstructed view of the IDD work volume with a p1214) we could have skipped the p1254 but we left it there to preserve our sequence structure. One of the good things about having a reserved sequence number for events like these is that sequence numbers are one of the first things we see, it gives us more time to deal with a potential anomaly. Also, in case of an anomaly you might have little data to work with, this is a simple trick to let us know what happened. Since what fault conditions are acceptable and which are not is determined on a sol by sol basis, a p1254/1354/1154 does not necessarily mean we have an anomaly.
If anyone has questions like these just ask, I might be able/allowed to answer.
Paolo
"Why Spirit (AFAIK) had no such thing?"
For the record, Spirit had zillions of faulted drives as well. I am in the process of going through every single day of sol summaries for Spirit (2210 of them) at the PDS MER Analyst's Notebook. Zillions!
Phil
For the record, Spirit had zillions of faulted drives as well. I am in the process of going through every single day of sol summaries for Spirit (2210 of them) at the PDS MER Analyst's Notebook. Zillions!
Phil
Many thanks for the answers Paolo!
Sure! For "thing" I was referring to fault image sequences, not aborted drives.
QUOTE (Phil Stooke @ May 16 2012, 09:51 PM)
"Why Spirit (AFAIK) had no such thing?"
For the record, Spirit had zillions of faulted drives as well. I am in the process of going through every single day of sol summaries for Spirit (2210 of them) at the PDS MER Analyst's Notebook. Zillions!
Phil
For the record, Spirit had zillions of faulted drives as well. I am in the process of going through every single day of sol summaries for Spirit (2210 of them) at the PDS MER Analyst's Notebook. Zillions!
Phil
Sure! For "thing" I was referring to fault image sequences, not aborted drives.
Spirit had of course her share of p1254 and the like (see the infamous A 1899 drive :-( as an example). While there was much order in the sequence numbers for science and for some of the other activities, we only recently introduced these "fault" F/R HAZ sequences. OK, recently in geologic sense, for Oppy we started using them around sol 1791 and for Spirit around sol 1866 for drives. The origin of this practice came from IDD sequences tho. We began doing it on sol 879 for Oppy and sol 861 for for Spirit. We saw that this practice was useful and extended it to drives. So, digging in the archives it seems that the originator of this practice is Chris Leger. http://www-robotics.jpl.nasa.gov/people/Chris_Leger/
Paolo
Paolo
Nice drive on Sol 2955. I think they may be lined up with the target at "North Pole" now. (How does the song go? "I can't drive 2955?" Well the rover drivers have proven otherwise.)
I like the shadows alignment on this FHAZ image.
Click to view attachment
Original: http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...CQP1214L0M1.JPG
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Original: http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...CQP1214L0M1.JPG
The MTES has been unused because the lens is covered with dust. I wonder, though, if it could be used just to get an MTES spectrum of dust?
If so, that might provide some information that might be useful in conjunction with the APXS data on the dust.
If so, that might provide some information that might be useful in conjunction with the APXS data on the dust.
Those are bugs on the windshield. It happens when you resume 
At the next gas station we will clean it up. 
Seriously, it is possible that the dust particles were there already and the different lighting conditions are highlighting the dust specs more in the latter image. If not, they are in an area of the FHAZ that is less important (at least to me). The lower center (for IDD) and the lower sides (for soil/wheel interaction) are the areas I consider more essential.
Paolo
At the next gas station we will clean it up. Seriously, it is possible that the dust particles were there already and the different lighting conditions are highlighting the dust specs more in the latter image. If not, they are in an area of the FHAZ that is less important (at least to me). The lower center (for IDD) and the lower sides (for soil/wheel interaction) are the areas I consider more essential.
Paolo
Some OT posts about observing the Transit of Venus moved here.
(Don't remember when was the last time I posted a mosaic here...)
This one was taken yesterday, sol 2958, with the navcam.
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This one was taken yesterday, sol 2958, with the navcam.
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Sigh, I was on shift today and no driving! On the other hand the IDD target that was picked was quite difficult to get to. I heard about the possibility of sequencing a drive on Wednesday. We'll see.
Paolo
Paolo
Some rather nice new MI's came down... "artistic" mosaic...
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Love the cracks in the dusty surface at the bottom there...
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Love the cracks in the dusty surface at the bottom there...
QUOTE (Stu @ May 22 2012, 02:32 PM)
Some rather nice new MI's came down... "artistic" mosaic...
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Love the cracks in the dusty surface at the bottom there...
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Love the cracks in the dusty surface at the bottom there...
Nice mosaic Stu. What software do you use?
Paolo
Thanks Paolo. Well, I could tell you, but then I'd have to...
Software:
"Autostitch" to, well, stitch the frames together into a mosaic.
"Registax" to sharpen it up with the software's wavelet sharpening tool, and change the gamma, contrast and brightness.
"PS Elements" to change lighting effects and basically tweak and mess about with it until something that makes me smile comes out the other end.
Software:
"Autostitch" to, well, stitch the frames together into a mosaic.
"Registax" to sharpen it up with the software's wavelet sharpening tool, and change the gamma, contrast and brightness.
"PS Elements" to change lighting effects and basically tweak and mess about with it until something that makes me smile comes out the other end.
Those new spots on the left front hazcam are gone as of sol 2960.
QUOTE (mhoward @ May 22 2012, 07:12 PM)
Those new spots on the left front hazcam are gone as of sol 2960.
It was the guy with the squeegee that cleaned them up
Likely the spots are still there but teh lighting conditions are different.
Paolo
Regarding Stu's Post #29 "Farewell" pic, that looks like a treacherous perch! I did have the good fortune to get run over by a MER rover at one of the JPL open houses several years ago, so I know Oppy's up to the task, but still -- after 8 years she's still quite a rock climber!
QUOTE (brellis @ May 22 2012, 08:53 PM)
Regarding Stu's Post #29 "Farewell" pic, that looks like a treacherous perch! I did have the good fortune to get run over by a MER rover at one of the JPL open houses several years ago, so I know Oppy's up to the task, but still -- after 8 years she's still quite a rock climber!
While the area was not that big, turning around proved difficult (we failed twice!). This is because the RF wheel steering actuator is no longer operational (we lost it around sol 300) so whenever we turn around we sort of drag the RF wheel. On rock so rough the rim of the wheel gets caught and turning around proves quite difficult. The slopes were not that high but the terrain surface we quite messy.
Paolo
Very nice new micros of the sandy patch. Or is it more like wind-blown dust that caked together? In any case, they render superbly in 3D!
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Last one for today. Are those wheel tracks (the straight mini-trenches that nearly reach across the image, two of which are parallel)?
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Great anaglyphs, Walfy, love those!
Very special "thank you" to Paolo for providing me with some really useful (and detailed!) info about the story behind those MI images, which I've written a blog post around over on "Road to Endeavour" if anyone would like a look...
http://roadtoendeavour.wordpress.com/2012/...-sense-of-scale
Very special "thank you" to Paolo for providing me with some really useful (and detailed!) info about the story behind those MI images, which I've written a blog post around over on "Road to Endeavour" if anyone would like a look...
http://roadtoendeavour.wordpress.com/2012/...-sense-of-scale
3D mosaic... just download it, put your glasses on, and scroll around it, imagining you're an ant on Mars...
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Nice anaglyphs. The mosaic is impressive. Here's a Navcam view from today (sol 2961).
The sol 2949 look back at Greeley Haven, false color anaglyph.
If I read the data from today's drive correctly, Opportunity is currently 25m north of North Pole (is that possible? ).
FHAZ from sol 2963.
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).FHAZ from sol 2963.
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Yeeha! What a day for a drive!
...and will continue to by the look of the drive-direction pancams.
Stu, are the hills in the distance to the left in your Post #48 image part of the North Rim of Endeavour Crater?
QUOTE (brellis @ May 25 2012, 12:39 PM)
Stu, are the hills in the distance to the left in your Post #48 image part of the North Rim of Endeavour Crater?
If I understand what you are asking, the answer is no. Endeavour has a small hill in the middle (actually a bit to the West of center). What you see is that hill. If you use Google Earth and switch to Mars, type in Endeavour you'll see that hill. In the center of this panorama you see Cape Tribulation (yeah!!) then moving to its right is what I believe could be Knobby's Head and finally Cape York. The 7x1 Navcam panorama was centered around 198deg.
Paolo
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