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SpaceNut

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From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,431

Re: Opportunity & Spirit **8** - ...More...

Rxke

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From: Belgium

Registered: 2003-11-03

Posts: 3,669

Re: Opportunity & Spirit **8** - ...More...

great pic. what does the grand award mean?

Shaun Barrett

Member

From: Cairns, Queensland, Australia

Registered: 2001-12-28

Posts: 2,843

Re: Opportunity & Spirit **8** - ...More...

Hi Cindy!
    I had a scout around and found the article with the reference to "mini-tornadoes" in it.
    http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.j … 6626]CLICK HERE.

    [It was this article which, when I informed my wife, inspired her explanation of the effect.]
                                           

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The word 'aerobics' came about when the gym instructors got together and said: If we're going to charge $10 an hour, we can't call it Jumping Up and Down.   - Rita Rudner

Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: Opportunity & Spirit **8** - ...More...

Hi Cindy!
   I had a scout around and found the article with the reference to "mini-tornadoes" in it.
   CLICK HERE.

*A million thanks, kind sir.   

The likeliest cause is mini-tornadoes, which are known to occur in the Meridiani Planum region. Yet no evidence of any has been seen, and the rover would have to have been directly in a whirlwind's narrow track at least three times in the last month.

*Cool.    (Meridiani Planum will be my address on Mars)

[It was this article which, when I informed my wife, inspired her explanation of the effect.]

*Your wife's theory has merit.  And I agree 100% with her sentiment that Marsians are finding Oppy cute...because it is.  (And Spirit too, of course)   :;):

--Cindy

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We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: Opportunity & Spirit **8** - ...More...

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=14492]Oppy in the news...

*They're planning on having Oppy try to exit Endurance Crater by a southward route; the way they'd initially planned for it to get out isn't going to work (issues with that slope).  Perhaps will retrace its inward path.

Will remain for a few days at Burns Cliff, however, studying that area a bit more, etc.

I just hope it can get out of Endurance Crater because I want that trek to Victoria Crater.

--Cindy

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We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

Shaun Barrett

Member

From: Cairns, Queensland, Australia

Registered: 2001-12-28

Posts: 2,843

Re: Opportunity & Spirit **8** - ...More...

Cindy:-

I just hope it can get out of Endurance Crater because I want that trek to Victoria Crater.

    I'll definitely drink to that!   :up:

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The word 'aerobics' came about when the gym instructors got together and said: If we're going to charge $10 an hour, we can't call it Jumping Up and Down.   - Rita Rudner

djellison

Member

From: Leicester,UK

Registered: 2004-08-31

Posts: 113

Re: Opportunity & Spirit **8** - ...More...

Over at my mer forum, we all KNEW they'd end up leaving the way they went in - it's the only logical, low risk strategy

I'd say another week at Burnsie cliff, a week to traverse back to the entry point, two sols to leave ( they wont want to finish a sol on the nasty away-sun-slope on the far side of the rim ) - then a long drive straight to the heatshield in about 3 sols.

Heatshield before December. Doug's brave prediction

Put it this way - my Birthday is Dec 23rd - and I want a nice 4 x 3 Pancam mosaic of the Heatshield to build before then

Doug

SpaceNut

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From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,431

Re: Opportunity & Spirit **8** - ...More...

The picture was from a Popular science page on oceans of mars.
http://www.popsci.com/popsci....00.html

Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: Opportunity & Spirit **8** - ...More...

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap041115.html]Burns Cliff

*A really terrific pic.

--Cindy

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We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: Opportunity & Spirit **8** - ...More...

*Hi all --

I just now checked the NASA/JPL homepage for both MERs.  Am a bit surprised to see the latest update of info for Spirit is dated Nov 3 and for Oppy is Nov 8.  Have also not seen much new info at various astronomy/space exploration web sites.  (Yes, I suppose that may be due to the MERs possibly being relatively inactive or there's not much new to report, but...)

Last I read, they're going to try and get Oppy out of Endurance Crater by backtracking the way it entered the Crater.

Does anyone else have a bit of news I may have somehow managed to overlook?  Of course I'll continue scouring resources myself, like usual. 

--Cindy

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We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

Shaun Barrett

Member

From: Cairns, Queensland, Australia

Registered: 2001-12-28

Posts: 2,843

Re: Opportunity & Spirit **8** - ...More...

Wish I could help. 
    But I can't find much on the MERs lately either. I'm very disappointed over the Burns Cliff thing - I'd love to chip away at that layered rock with a hammer!
                                                       :bars:

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The word 'aerobics' came about when the gym instructors got together and said: If we're going to charge $10 an hour, we can't call it Jumping Up and Down.   - Rita Rudner

slinted

Member

From: San Francisco, CA

Registered: 2004-05-21

Posts: 8

Re: Opportunity & Spirit **8** - ...More...

*

Does anyone else have a bit of news I may have somehow managed to overlook?  Of course I'll continue scouring resources myself, like usual. 

They do seem to be slowing down with the updates, both the video Flight director reports and written accounts of the rovers.  But, they are still having press conferences on a fairly regular basis, but they've moved off video / NASATV and on to tele-conferences.  There are audio streams of the most recent pair are available on the JPL website ( http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/]htt … ultimedia/ ) from November 11th and October 8th.

SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,431

Re: Opportunity & Spirit **8** - ...More...

Yup the last article release was on the rovers back tracking out of the Endurance Crater. Here is what I have found so far.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...._rovers

Also prior to that was the anouncement that the control over the rovers had begun the process of being driven by those at Cornell University.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tm....rnell_1

http://www.athena.cornell.edu/

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

   Thermal Data Assists Volcanic Sleuths In Search of Eruption Clues

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/

Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: Opportunity & Spirit **8** - ...More...

They do seem to be slowing down with the updates, both the video Flight director reports and written accounts of the rovers.  But, they are still having press conferences on a fairly regular basis, but they've moved off video / NASATV and on to tele-conferences.  There are audio streams of the most recent pair are available on the JPL website ( http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/]htt … ultimedia/ ) from November 11th and October 8th.

*Okay, thanks slinted!

Also prior to that was the anouncement that the control over the rovers had begun the process of being driven by those at Cornell University.

*Yep.  Carl Sagan's old stomping grounds.  (And -no-, I'm not a "Sagan-aut.")

Wow...what a view, SpaceNut.  Great image.

--Cindy

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We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,431

Re: Opportunity & Spirit **8** - ...More...

My question for the experts was if the colored area indicates thermal energy from or though solar obsorbtion or actual under ground venting. But still spectacular...

Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: Opportunity & Spirit **8** - ...More...

*A rock named Lutefisk  :laugh:

Still problems with braking and steering; otherwise, Spirit has passed the 300-sol mark.

Between sols 292 and 298, Spirit completed its studies of the rock called "Uchben" and drove west about 2 meters (almost 7 feet) to a rock called "Lutefisk."

Between sols 299-303, Spirit finished its investigation of Lutefisk. Lutefisk, a rock with some interesting nodules, lies a site roughly 40 meters (131 feet) above and 2700 meters (1.67 miles) away from Spirit's landing site on the Gusev plain.

Team members should know more about the chemistry of Lutefisk and its nodules when they receive results from the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer and Moessbauer spectrometer.

For coming sols, Spirit is in an exploration and discovery mode, continuing the rover's ascent towards "Machu Picchu" in the Columbia Hills. Spirit will stop at interesting rocks along the way.

--Cindy

P.S.:  I nearly forgot what lutefisk is; had to Google to be sure.  Guess I've been out of Gringo Land for a while.

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/mars-mer … ml]Article in its entirety

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We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

Shaun Barrett

Member

From: Cairns, Queensland, Australia

Registered: 2001-12-28

Posts: 2,843

Re: Opportunity & Spirit **8** - ...More...

If I ever heard of 'Lutefisk', I certainly don't remember it; I had to look it up.
    It is dried cod, isn't it?
    I hope it's more appetising than it sounds!   

::Edit::  I'm still waiting for that elusive macroscopic fossil to turn up in Spirit or Oppy's viewfinder!  :;):

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The word 'aerobics' came about when the gym instructors got together and said: If we're going to charge $10 an hour, we can't call it Jumping Up and Down.   - Rita Rudner

Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: Opportunity & Spirit **8** - ...More...

If I ever heard of 'Lutefisk', I certainly don't remember it; I had to look it up.
   It is dried cod, isn't it?

*Maybe.  I thought it was dried herring.  :-\ 

I hope it's more appetising than it sounds!   

*I've seen lutefisk for sale in stores in the Midwest.  Does not look appetizing.    :laugh:

::Edit::  I'm still waiting for that elusive macroscopic fossil to turn up in Spirit or Oppy's viewfinder!

*That and the ever-elusive (it seems) dust devil!

--Cindy   

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We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

Shaun Barrett

Member

From: Cairns, Queensland, Australia

Registered: 2001-12-28

Posts: 2,843

Re: Opportunity & Spirit **8** - ...More...

Well, those Midwesterners are quite welcome to their Lutefisk. I think I'll stick with good old Aussie Fish 'n' Chips (as originated in Britain in the 19th Century)!
    Sometimes, there's just no substitute. 

[Erm .. I think I've taken things a bit too far off topic here. I'd better just shutup about food now!    ]

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The word 'aerobics' came about when the gym instructors got together and said: If we're going to charge $10 an hour, we can't call it Jumping Up and Down.   - Rita Rudner

Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: Opportunity & Spirit **8** - ...More...

*I'm bringing this over from a "branch-off" thread relative to the MERs:

"I know global dust storms arise most frequently in the southern spring/summer because of the coincidence of southern summer with Mars' perihelion. So, does that mean we have only a few months until the dust storm season really gets under way? And will Opportunity get to Victoria crater in time to do some useful science before anything happens?"

*Really good questions.  I'm hoping someone more knowledgeable than I (perhaps one of our British friends; I can think of 2 guys immediately, but won't call out names) can answer those questions because I'm curious to know that as well. 

--Cindy

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We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

Shaun Barrett

Member

From: Cairns, Queensland, Australia

Registered: 2001-12-28

Posts: 2,843

Re: Opportunity & Spirit **8** - ...More...

Nice animation of the Aurora Australis. Thanks, Cindy.   :up:

    I've never seen an Aurora - Borealis or Australis - but I'm perfectly certain the Australis is superior to the Borealis!
                                              :;):   :laugh:

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The word 'aerobics' came about when the gym instructors got together and said: If we're going to charge $10 an hour, we can't call it Jumping Up and Down.   - Rita Rudner

Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: Opportunity & Spirit **8** - ...More...

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/ … tml]Clouds over Endurance Crater

*Looks similar to a pic posted a couple of weeks ago by someone else.  :hm:  But date is recent.  Hopefully not the same image (but then how different do clouds look on Mars?  Not much, at least in pics I've seen).

Wispy.

On Earth, clouds like these would be referred to as "cirrus" or the aptly nicknamed "mares' tails." These clouds occur in a region of strong vertical shear. The cloud particles (ice in this martian case) fall out, and get dragged along away from the location where they originally condensed, forming characteristic streamers.

It would be fascinating to watch weather patterns increase if terraforming ever commenced.  I can't imagine a world where clouds don't become much more substantial than this (but I mean that in the best possible way).

--Cindy

P.S.:  Shaun, I'm glad you like the animation in my sig.

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We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

remcook

Banned

Registered: 2004-01-07

Posts: 78

Re: Opportunity & Spirit **8** - ...More...

http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.ph … old=0]more to come

Rxke

Member

From: Belgium

Registered: 2003-11-03

Posts: 3,669

Re: Opportunity & Spirit **8** - ...More...

Great article! Opportunity's thirty-degree perch on the edge of Endurance Crater is a fantastic pic, BTW...

Again, great article, so much to do... Imagine the excitement of the engineers when they'll be able to look at the heatshield, for instance!

Great to hear Spirit's limp wheel does not affect the mission, at contrary of what the press likes us to think.

Those rovers... I'm sure they will be a prominent showpiece in a science museum someday, what an impressive list of achievements.

Shaun Barrett

Member

From: Cairns, Queensland, Australia

Registered: 2001-12-28

Posts: 2,843

Re: Opportunity & Spirit **8** - ...More...

Yeah, thanks Remcook.   

    This is just the information I've been looking for. Cindy kindly brought over a question I'd asked, from another thread, about getting to Victoria Crater before the onset of the global dust-storm season.
    It seems from Dr. Squyres' assessment of the situation that Victoria Crater may be out of reach anyway. But the etched terrain is a worthy target to look forward to, and there's the heat shield and the "cobbles" strewn along the way to keep us amused in the meantime.

    It's good to know they think they can get Oppy over to the etched terrain in a month or so, depending on other attractions we may come across on the journey, of course. It looks hopeful that we'll get to see lots more useful science and discoveries before the weather turns nasty.
                                                 

    And I'm not forgetting our trusty Spirit's courageous ascent into the Columbia Hills, either. Ignoring an injured 'foot' and short of 'food', Spirit is pushing on regardless, in a show of intrepid mechanical determination worthy of the great human explorers of the past.
    Spirit, we salute you!   

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The word 'aerobics' came about when the gym instructors got together and said: If we're going to charge $10 an hour, we can't call it Jumping Up and Down.   - Rita Rudner