Opportunity Rover headed for clear sailing

[antoniseb]

Here's a recent image from the Opportunity Rover showing that there's half a mile of easy terrain ahead.
Opportunity Panoramic Camera - Sol 360

[antoniseb]

Opportunity has gone a long way in a few days. Here's a look back taken Yesterday.
Opportunity Panoramic Camera

You can see the heat-shield assemply and behind that the rim of the crater that was home for half a year.

[Spacemad]

I was pleased to see that Opportunity is moving off to look for "greener pastures " :P I´m so pleased that it has survived it´s first Earth year on Mars & is still going strong! I´m looking forward to seeing more great pics from both Rovers over the coming months.

[antoniseb]

Here's a shot from the rear hazcam yesterday. Note the very low distant crater, and the tiny white dot representing the gleaming sun from the heatshield.

Opportunity rear hazcam sol 365

It's great seeing Opportunity travelling so rapidly, compared to the VERY slow and deliberate travel that Spirit is doing these days.

[antoniseb]

Here's a large color composite of the Opportunity heatshield crash site:
Opportunity heatshield crash site. [7 megabytes]

It is interesting that the disturbed soil is much redder than the undisturbed soil.

[bossman20081]

Originally posted by antoniseb@Feb 7 2005, 04:52 PM
Here's a large color composite of the Opportunity heatshield crash site:
Opportunity heatshield crash site. [7 megabytes]

It is interesting that the disturbed soil is much redder than the undisturbed soil.

Maybe wind blew less rust-saturated soil over the landing? (does that make sense?)

Any bets at how long the rovers will be operational? (malfunction, budget cuts, etc.)

[Spacemad]

Originally posted by antoniseb@Feb 7 2005, 08:22 PM
Here's a large color composite of the Opportunity heatshield crash site:
Opportunity heatshield crash site. [7 megabytes]

It is interesting that the disturbed soil is much redder than the undisturbed soil.

It certainly was a LARGE composite image but also very interesting as you say!

Was the crater caused by the first impact, do you think, before it bounced away to its final resting place?

Why do you think the disturbered soil is redder?

It´s a stunning image!

[antoniseb]

Originally posted by Spacemad@Feb 8 2005, 11:21 AM
Was the crater caused by the first impact, do you think, before it bounced away to its final resting place?

That's the way I understood it. I also think the "crater" is more dramatic looking than it is. I'm thinking it's about two inches deep, simply from dust getting blown away by the impact.

[burmese]

Opportunity made 300+ meters in two days travel, but has stopped to scuff around in the dirt a bit.

[John L]

The next solar rovers, if there are ever any more, should add a solar panel cleaning brush to the tool kit to ensure that the panels are always producing maximum power. That will leave the limit to the rovers life to how many times the batteries can survive recharging. The fact that Spirit and Opportunity have lasted a year is amazing. I think Spirit will be the first to fail, though, having spent more time in the open rather than inside craters like Opportunity. I wouldn't be surprised if we still are getting images from Opportunity at the two year mark. As long as they can get DSN time they'll try to keep them moving and returning data.

[antoniseb]

Where is opportunity now?

Here's a recent rear facing navcam shot showing the large crater-rim and the glint of the heat-shield. You can see about how far South the rover's traveled since finishing looking at the heat shield.

Opportunity NavCam Sol 383

If you look at the other shots from this camera yesterday, you can see that the vehicle is currently next to a small crater similar in size the one it landed in, but without the convenient exposed rock.

[piersdad]

thanks for that site its like holiday snaps.
i feel the robot is saying look at my pictures i wish you were here.

[Decepticon]

Originally posted by antoniseb@Feb 20 2005, 01:20 PM
Where is opportunity now?

Here's a recent rear facing navcam shot showing the large crater-rim and the glint of the heat-shield. You can see about how far South the rover's traveled since finishing looking at the heat shield.

Opportunity NavCam Sol 383

If you look at the other shots from this camera yesterday, you can see that the vehicle is currently next to a small crater similar in size the one it landed in, but without the convenient exposed rock.

http://mer.rlproject.com/index.php?act=Att...pe=post&id=5675

[Spacemad]

Here's a self portrait taken a couple of days ago (of Spirit), Spirit self -portrait

Wonderful how the Rovers are holding up!!!

[antoniseb]

Originally posted by Spacemad@Feb 20 2005, 09:43 PM
Here's a self portrait taken a couple of days ago (of Spirit)

The brick colored solar panels tells you something!

[Spacemad]

I quite agree with you, Anton, but I thought that others would perhaps see something that I didn't. I saw the image was dark but others have posted images that have seemed very dark to me & it seems they can see them better than I can.

(Something to do with screen brightness perhaps?)

[3rdvogon]

Originally posted by antoniseb+Feb 20 2005, 10:08 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (antoniseb @ Feb 20 2005, 10:08 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Spacemad@Feb 20 2005, 09:43 PM
Here&#39;s a self portrait taken a couple of days ago (of Spirit)

The brick colored solar panels tells you something&#33; [/b][/quote]
Yes they do.

Maybe future rovers will need a brush attachment for whatever sampling arm/manipulator they are equiped with.

[antoniseb]

Opportunity visits a filled in impact crater?
NavCam

I don&#39;t know what this feature is, but it looks like a ring of exposed broken rocks buriied in sand.

[John L]

Originally posted by antoniseb@Mar 10 2005, 06:18 AM
Opportunity visits a filled in impact crater?
NavCam

I don&#39;t know what this feature is, but it looks like a ring of exposed broken rocks buriied in sand.

That is a ring of stones used to hold the heat from a camp fire, as we faked the Rover landings and they&#39;ve been operating in the Arizona desert for the last year.

[antoniseb]

Originally posted by John L@Mar 10 2005, 04:16 PM
we faked the Rover landings and they&#39;ve been operating in the Arizona desert for the last year.

Note to new readers: John L is making fun of the recent thread discussing whether Smart 1 will be able to prove the moon landings were&#39;t fake.

[astromark]

. . . and I thought I had an origanal Idea,
If just one person baleives this we are in trouble.
and Casinies Hygens prob is in Australias outback.
and if any of this is true, Where is all the money they havent needed ?
and I am jokeing. . . Mark.
PS...ignorr this nonsence and double NASA&#39;s budget. Build that Lunar base.

[Spacemad]

Originally posted by John L@Mar 10 2005, 04:16 PM

I don&#39;t know what this feature is, but it looks like a ring of exposed broken rocks buriied in sand.

That is a ring of stones used to hold the heat from a camp fire, as we faked the Rover landings and they&#39;ve been operating in the Arizona desert for the last year.
[/quote]

Must have been a mighty big campfire then&#33;&#33;&#33; :P

[3rdvogon]

Originally posted by astromark@Mar 10 2005, 08:35 PM

and Casinies Hygens prob is in Australias outback.

No not Australia - I&#39;d recognise those pebbles anywhere, the Hygens landing site is Brighton Beach you only get mist and drizzle like that during a UK winter.

[vet]

Originally posted by antoniseb@Feb 7 2005, 08:22 PM
Here&#39;s a large color composite of the Opportunity heatshield crash site:
Opportunity heatshield crash site. [7 megabytes]

It is interesting that the disturbed soil is much redder than the undisturbed soil.

as for the color dif? what would you expect? curious.

[antoniseb]

Originally posted by vet22@Mar 11 2005, 03:59 AM
as for the color dif? what would you expect? curious.

I had no expectaions, but would have guessed the that the dirt underneath would have been the same as the surface, or perhaps less red [thinking that the dust was the reddest stuff around].

I&#39;m guessing now that the top layer is a little bit sun bleached.

[antoniseb]

So after stopping to examine rocks at the seeming crater, Opportunity is rolling again. There are no real landmarks in these images to tell just how far it has travelled in the last few days, but it is clearly putting on the milage. It shouldn&#39;t be too long before we see some variety in the terrain. Right now, it looks like the flattest dry salt-lake bed you&#39;ve ever seen.

[antoniseb]

Opportunity is on a long lonely road.
Opportunity rear hazcam Sol 406

Note that the craters it had been in and near a few weeks ago are not in sight at all in this fish-eye image. I&#39;m guessing this thing has been going close to 150 meters every day.

In a week or two, at this pace, it should get to some new terrain.

[Spacemad]

According to this article NASA probes Mars rover instrument malfunction

We will need to keep an eye on this piece of news&#33;

[antoniseb]

Nice catch. Hopefully rebooting that subsystem will straighten everything out. If not, there&#39;s still plenty for Opportunity to do.

[antoniseb]

Something new is appearing on the horizon for Opportunity.
Sol 409 Panoramic Camera

The surface seems to be looking a little different now. For a long time it looked absoultely flat with little undulating two inch tall sand dunes snaking across it, and hematite blueberries everywhere. Now it looks like it might be undulating a little more.