Opportunity Takes a Dip Into Victoria Crater 79
Muad'Dave writes "From the NASA News Release 'Today, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity entered Victoria Crater for the first time. It radioed home information via a relay by NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter, reporting its activities for the day. Opportunity drove far enough in — about four meters (13 feet) — to get all six wheels past the crater rim. Then it backed uphill for about three meters (10 feet). The driving commands for the day included a precaution for the rover to stop driving if its wheels were slipping more than 40 percent. Slippage exceeded that amount on the last step of the drive, so Opportunity stopped with its front pair of wheels still inside the crater.' This marks the beginning of perhaps the greatest 'Opportunity' for new discoveries on Mars."
next Mars lander May 25, 2008 (Score:5, Informative)
I presume they'll keep a low-key program with current Rovers after May. Unexpected longevity complicates NASAs budget. Sometimes they turn them off before they are completely dead like Magellan and Galileo. (Actually they crashed them into Venus and Jupiter for terminal science experiment and to prevent contamination of Europa.)
The crater is a pre-dug excavation (Score:5, Informative)
Yes, what was once in the crater is now obviously outside the crater, but the ejecta was spread over a large area by the impact that created the crater, and of course that materials was subject to much more violent shock and heating. I expect it wouldn't tell you nearly as much as the layers inside the crater, even assuming you could distinguish between a thin smudge of ejecta and the surrounding desert floor. Any relationship between the layers (this comes above that, et cetera) is also only preserved inside the crater.
I'm afraid once Opportunity enters the crater that's the last of it's exploring days, roaming the surface of Mars
Probably. That's why they waited this long to try it. But they have to balance what they might learn driving around outside the crater and what they might learn driving into the crater (and not getting out). They've probably concluded they've learned about all there is to learn outside the crater, and if they can't get out, it's worth what they'll find in the crater.
Also bear in mind Opportunity's tools are wearing out, so its ability to do geology (as opposed to just sending back pictures) is coming to an end anyway.
consider both "capital" and "operating" costs (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Just... (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Discoveries (Score:4, Informative)
Sure there's ejecta outside the crater, but:
1.) Much of it is covered up by blowing sand and it's all scattered about as opposed to conveniently in one place inside the crater.
2.) Ejecta may be more metamorphed by the impact.
3.) You don't know which layer a piece of ejecta comes from.
4.) They've already studied several rocks on plains around the crater.
They're not realistically expecting to find signs of life. The rovers are ill-equipped for that, being primarily geology tools, but they may find more evidence for water and definitely will gather more information about Mars' geological past.
The team is well-aware that going into the crater may be the last thing Opportunity does. It may be stuck inside (although, notice the drive yesterday included a cautious backtrack most of the way out), something important may finally wear out, or the shelter from the wind may allow dust to accumulate on the solar panels to fatal levels. Opportunity has actually been at Victoria Crater, exploring the rim and surrounding area since the end of September...over 11 months ago. They wanted to be extra sure they got a clear picture of what was outside they crater before they move in.
I wouldn't worry about it being utterly boring (except to normal people). Going into the smaller Endurance Crater previously was as cool as anything they'd done before.
The funny part will be the broken wedge and half a dozen divots right next to the golf ball.
Re:Sounds scary (Score:5, Informative)
Re:next Mars lander May 25, 2008 (Score:5, Informative)
Sure that's a lot less than a new mission, but it's not trivial.
Orbiters, by the way, have a special limitation. Once they run out of manuevering fuel, they eventually become completely useless, even if they're gyro stabilized (the gyros will become saturated). As a result, once the fuel gets low, it's not uncommon to do something crazy with them. To wit:
* Galileo plunged into Jupiter's atmosphere, recording data to the last. This was partially a protection measure to guarantee it would not contaminate Europa.
* Magellan did the same at Venus to develop the aerobraking technique.
* ESA Smart-1 hit the moon. The impact was studied from earth to look for water and study the geology. The same was done with Lunar Prospector.
* Stardust and Deep Impact both have been sent to visit additional comets.
* NEAR actually landed intact on the surface of the asteroid Eros. It was built as a mere orbiter.
Re:consider both "capital" and "operating" costs (Score:3, Informative)
The construction cost, in todays dollars, of Hubble was closer to about $3 billion.
Re:Who comes up with the names for these features? (Score:4, Informative)
(Source: Steve Squyres, the principal investigator, who told us directly, as he teaches ASTRO 280 at Cornell. Also, this Planetary Society article [planetary.org], relevant paragraph copied below.)