Mars rover news

[ToSeek]

Yeah, it's in exactly the same spot in this left-hand image.

[SG-1 Fan]

Well, there goes the "Secret Space Base Orbiting Mars" theory!

But thanks for finding the answer anyway

[Fr. Wayne]

I think it is one of the most picturesque views that we have encountered in either mission thus far," said Jim Rice,

http://www.space.com/missionlaunches...ome_plate.html

Spirit rounds the bags!

[ToSeek]

http://www.space.com/missionlaunches...ome_plate.html

Spirit rounds the bags!

ToSeeked on this very thread.

[Fr. Wayne]

reduced to incoherent babble

A Defense of your wonderful forum too.

[suntrack2]

well, is there any live story of the rover moving on the mars, can general people like me see that film of moving rover on the mars, doing exploration there, please give me the info to enjoy the rovers on the mars. infact sending rovers on the mars is a great achievement and we know any try if a man do then in the next try he would become more successful, this is what we are calling the "upgradation of the earth technologies" which can be best suit to explore the universe.

after moon, the mars has came in the light in the world, there are huge expectations of the people of this world, they are just waiting, that on mars anything will be found which so beautiful and beyond our imaginations. Toseek, what you think?

sunil

[ToSeek]

There's no live film of the rovers on Mars as the rovers only take still photos. (However, the next rover is supposed to have the photographic and memory capacity to take movies - should be interesting.)

However, you can compose videos from the still images in some cases. See the "All Videos" link at the NASA website for the rovers:

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html

The absolute best place for keeping up with the rovers is on the Unmanned Spaceflight forum at:

http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/

See the MER section. Some people with official standing as well as a lot of talented amateurs post here with processed photos and movies.

[EFossa]

No data coming down from either rover for the past few days, obviousely somethings gone wrong.

[Dragon Star]

Uhh ohh...wonder what it is? ToSeek, see if you can dig up anything with your super human searching.

[suntrack2]

thanks toseek for the information. and the links.


sunil

[Launch window]

There's no live film of the rovers on Mars as the rovers only take still photos. (However, the next rover is supposed to have the photographic and memory capacity to take movies - should be interesting.)

However, you can compose videos from the still images in some cases. See the "All Videos" link at the NASA website for the rovers:

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html

The absolute best place for keeping up with the rovers is on the Unmanned Spaceflight forum at:

http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/

See the MER section. Some people with official standing as well as a lot of talented amateurs post here with processed photos and movies.

Thanks for the links !

[ToSeek]

Uhh ohh...wonder what it is? ToSeek, see if you can dig up anything with your super human searching.

The folks at unmannedspaceflight.com think it's just a server problem getting the images out for display, nothing to do with the rovers or the downlink.

[harlequin]

No data coming down from either rover for the past few days, obviousely somethings gone wrong.

ToSeek has replied to this, but will just note that it is both rovers is a dead give away. They have lasted two years: they odds that they would go down at the same time is very remote: less than one percent. That would obviously suggest a non-rover problem. ToSeek says people think it is a server problem which would certainly do it.

Besides when those rovers do die, I am sure the word would spread in science circles very quickly.

[Dragon Star]

The folks at unmannedspaceflight.com think it's just a server problem getting the images out for display, nothing to do with the rovers or the downlink.

Ok, thank you!

[suntrack2]

well Toseek i have observed the image (in upper link), which shows that there were rains ever before on the mars for a long time, since the stones are showing that sort of "great irrosion by water", is it correct !


sunil

[Nicolas]

Mind there's also wind erosion, and it takes quite some experience and knowledge to recognize the differences in erosion traces between these two mechanisms.

[ToSeek]

ToSeek has replied to this, but will just note that it is both rovers is a dead give away. They have lasted two years: they odds that they would go down at the same time is very remote: less than one percent. That would obviously suggest a non-rover problem. ToSeek says people think it is a server problem which would certainly do it.

Besides when those rovers do die, I am sure the word would spread in science circles very quickly.

The other possibility would be a problem with Mars Odyssey, which would hinder the downlinks from both rovers (and which has happened before).

[ToSeek]

Roving the Red Planet

NASA's Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have been working overtime to help scientists better understand ancient environmental conditions on the red planet. NASA's third mission extension for the rovers lasts through September 2006, if they remain usable that long.

[suntrack2]

very nice photos there, i have enjoyed it, Toseek,
the people of the world are optimist in respect of finding life on the mars in the different shape, or unknown size etc !

thanks

sunil

[Disinfo Agent]

well, is there any live story of the rover moving on the mars, can general people like me see that film of moving rover on the mars, doing exploration there, please give me the info to enjoy the rovers on the mars. infact sending rovers on the mars is a great achievement and we know any try if a man do then in the next try he would become more successful, this is what we are calling the "upgradation of the earth technologies" which can be best suit to explore the universe.

after moon, the mars has came in the light in the world, there are huge expectations of the people of this world, they are just waiting, that on mars anything will be found which so beautiful and beyond our imaginations.

Well, there's Disney's IMAX animation based on the real pictures, Roving Mars.

[suntrack2]

thanks disinfo agent, for the link, but i was unable to see in the window media. but its a nice place.

[Disinfo Agent]

That's a shame.
It's the trailer for a movie. Perhaps you'll get the chance to watch it in the cinema.

[ToSeek]

Spirit Slides into Home Plate as Opportunity Finishes Work at Erebus

As early autumn descends on the southern hemisphere of the Red Planet, the Mars Exploration Rovers are on the move and picking up the pace as they rove toward their next major destinations.

Spirit slid into Home Plate earlier this month and is finishing its study of the unusual geologic feature in the Inner Basin of Gusev Crater before heading on to McCool Hill, the next peak in the Columbia Hills that this rover will check out.

On the other side of the planet, Opportunity is nearing Payson, “the tasty promontory,” as rover principal investigator Steve Squyres, of Cornell University, has described it, located on the Mogollon Rim at the western end of Erebus crater. Soon, this rover will head back onto the plains and begin driving as quickly as possible toward Victoria crater, which lies 2.5 kilometers (about 1.5 miles) to the south.

[Swift]

Just in time for spring training.

[Launch window]

wonderful images from these Rovers

[RGClark]

Spirit Slides into Home Plate as Opportunity Finishes Work at Erebus

Maars and tuff cones are the leading explanations for the Home Plate and Pitcher's Mound formations seen by Spirit on Mars given in this latest update. Maars and tuff cones arise from volcano/water interaction. Some examples here:

Volcanic Features of Victoria's Western District.
http://members.iinet.net.au/~boxer/WesternDistrict.htm

What might be key are the "bomb sag" features given on this page:

Volcanic bomb sag in tuffs at the Lake Purdiguluc maar.
http://members.iinet.net.au/~boxer/i...9-BombSag1.jpg

Volcanic bomb sags in tuffs at the Tower Hill maar complex.
http://members.iinet.net.au/~boxer/i..._Bomb_Sag1.jpg

Another example of a bomb sag is given on this page:

HYDROVOLCANIC ERUPTIONS
http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/how_volc...ovolcanic.html

Here:

Bomb sag.
http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/how_volc...ock_sag2_l.jpg

There was a discussion on Uplink.space.com about some Spirit images
that might show a bomb sag, referred to as a "drop stone" on that
forum:

Uncalibrated color image at Home Plate.
http://uplink.space.com/attachments/...32947EL5M1.jpg

Taken from these Pancam images:

Panoramic Camera :: Sol 751.
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...irit_p751.html


Bob Clark

[01101001]

Planetary Society Weblog: LPSC: Wednesday and Thursday: A few Mars Exploration Rover-related talks

[Squyres] said he'd talk about four areas: (1) what they call "the Land of Olivine" up to (2) the sand dunes of El Dorado and then (3) Arad, a crazy soil location,, and finally, (4) Home Plate.
[...]
"Spirit has just completed a drive in the direction of Oberth and Korolev, we hope in a week or so to be on one of those nice toasty slopes that will allow us to survive another winter at Mars."

From the Matt Golombek presentation:

The first point is that there is no evidence at all in Gusev crater for the paleolake deposits they had hoped to find there. "The cratered plains of Gusev are dominated by aeolian processes. THe rock distributions can be related directly to the impacts that occurred here. Liquid water has not shown its face ANYwhere except in alteration rinds; this has been dry and dessicated since the lava flows formed in the Hesperian. If you go to any place on Mars where the rock crystallization age is equal to the crater age, this is what it will look like."
[...]
The shallowness [of craters], Matt argued, strongly suggested that every crater that Spirit has seen to date is a secondary. [...] What he's implying is that people may be significantly over-counting craters on Martian surfaces similar to the one that Spirit's sitting on.

Much more there.

[01101001]

Nature News: Mars rovers win an upgrade -- Spirit and Opportunity learn to single out good images.

The rovers Spirit and Opportunity will soon be able to spot interesting features of the martian weather automatically. Their new software, due to be installed in June, will help the rovers to identify swirling dust devils and thin clouds in the sky.
[...]
This is the rovers' second upgrade; the first was in 2004. The latest changes will fix bugs in the navigation software. They will also help the rovers plan their path to get round obstacles more quickly, and extend their arms towards interesting rocks before they reach them.

[ToSeek]

Spirit Mars Rover In 'Drive Or Die' Situation

NASA’s Spirit Mars rover has wrapped up exploration of a baffling feature called "Home Plate" but now faces the onset of martian winter while dealing with dropping power levels and fighting a balky right front wheel.

"Our current focus is to drive like hell … and try to get [Spirit] to safe winter havens before the power situation gets really bad," said Steve Squyres, lead Mars Rover Exploration scientist at Cornell University.

[JESMKS]

Spirits panoramic camera shows some rounded boulders on Sol 783. They look like wave rounded boulders to me.