Walking on Mars with Spirit and Opportunity
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OPP-SOL527-1N174966491EFF5700P1797L0M1.jpgPanorama - Sol 527 (1)54 visiteNella breve panoramica che Vi proponiamo ci sono solo i Side-Winders i quali, con le loro curve ed i loro rilievi sinuosi, coprono l'intero orizzonte di Opportunity.
Una bella serie di frames che evidenzia - ad occhi attenti - piccoli ma non insignificanti rilievi fra una duna e l'altra e sulla cresta di alcune dune (si potrebbe trattare di pietre e modesti boulders) e, forse, altri mini-crateri.
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OPP-SOL527-1N174966542EFF5700P1797L0M1.jpgPanorama - Sol 527 (2)56 visitenessun commento
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OPP-SOL527-1N174966578EFF5700P1797L0M1.jpgPanorama - Sol 527 (3)54 visitenessun commento
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OPP-SOL527-1N174966614EFF5700P1797R0M1.jpgPanorama - Sol 527 (4)56 visite
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OPP-SOL527-1N174966650EFF5700P1797R0M1.jpgPanorama - Sol 527 (5)55 visitenessun commento
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OPP-SOL527-1N174966722EFF5700P1797R0M1.jpgPanorama - Sol 527 (6)55 visitenessun commento
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OPP-SOL528-1.jpgBerryland! - Sol 528 (possible True Colors; credits: Dr G. Barca & Lunexit)55 visitenessun commentoMareKromium
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OPP-SOL528-1P175057406EFF5702P2439L2M1.jpgErebus Highway (1) - Sol 52955 visite"...We're making some real progress at Meridiani. Our little jog to the North revealed a good southward route on the eastern side of Purgatory Dune, so that's what we went for.
Since then we've been making steady southward progress and as of now we're almost 90 mt south of Purgatory.
Driving in this stuff is an interesting challenge. We are literally in a maze. The easiest going is to stay within the troughs between the ripple crests, which run roughly North-South.
So the best way to make southward progress is to follow a trough until it peters out (to peter out--->esaurirsi), make a "lane change" to a nearby trough and continue onward.
But then there's the issue of the "Erebus Highway". This is a stretch of light-toned terrain that we've seen from orbit, and that we're guessing may have some exposed bedrock in it that'll make for easier going...".
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OPP-SOL528-1P175057662EFF5702P2439R2M1.jpgErebus Highway (2) - Sol 52954 visite"...But there's a catch: the entrance to the Erebus Highway is not straight South of us, along the troughs. It's a bit off to the East, on a heading closer to approx. 160°. That means that in order to get to it, we'd have to head off cross-country, going up and over quite a few ripple crests. That's do-able, but it's also a lot slower than just bombing straight South down a nice trough.
So: If we do head for the Highway, we make slow progress for awhile, but maybe we get to a better route to Erebus Crater. If we head down the troughs instead, they take us at a pretty decent speed directly to... Erebus Crater!
So it should work either way. We're planning the weekend drive as I type this, and after a bit of discussion we've decided to stay for now in this nice wide trough that we've found and try to get as much southward distance within it as we can. Whether or not we're actually going to "hit the Highway" is an open question at this point, but Erebus isn't too far off either way you cut it..."
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OPP-SOL528-1P175057895EFF5702P2439L2M1.jpgErebus Highway (3) - Sol 52955 visite"...And have you noticed how the terrain seems to be changing as we get south of Purgatory? Fewer tall dunes, more pebbles in the troughs, even what might be tiny outcrops of bedrock? I don't want to jump to conclusions, but the driving definitely looks a little nicer here than it did a hundred meters back...".
Source: Steve Squyres - Principal Investigator Mars Rovers
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OPP-SOL528-1P175058083EFF5702P2439L2M1.jpgErebus Highway (4) - Sol 52956 visitenessun commento
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OPP-SOL530-GB-LXT.jpgSurface... - Sol 530 (Natural Colors; credits: Dr G. Barca & Lunar Explorer Italia)55 visitenessun commentoMareKromium
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