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Old 23-May-2004, 03:56 AM
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Default Spirit will climb the hills!
At least that's the plan:



(Click for much larger image.)

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Spirit sits approximately 680 meters (0.4 miles) away from its first target at the western base of the hills, a spot informally called "West Spur." The team estimates that Spirit will reach West Spur by sol 146 (June 1, 2004). Spirit will most likely remain there for about a week to study the outcrops and rocks associated with this location.

When done there, Spirit will head approximately 620 meters (0.38 miles) to a higher-elevation location informally called "Lookout Point." Spirit might reach Lookout Point by around sol 165 (June 20, 2004). On the way, the rover will pass by and study ripple-shaped wind deposits that may reveal more information about wind processes on Mars.

Lookout Point will provide a great vantage point for scientists to remotely study the inner basin area of the Columbia Hills. This basin contains a broad range of interesting geological targets including the informally named "Home Plate" and other possible layered outcrops. These features suggest that the hills contain rock layers. Spirit might investigate the layers to determine whether they are water-deposited sedimentary rock.
-- http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...20040521a.html
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Old 23-May-2004, 02:20 PM
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And the details of those hills are becoming more and more visible. The latest images have had a very significant improvement over what we have seen just days ago:

New image of Columbia Hills
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Old 23-May-2004, 02:46 PM
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Spirit is so close now that the resolution is going to improve very rapidly from here on in - the difference between 600 meters and 400 meters is a lot more significant than the difference between 1600 meters and 1400 meters.
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Old 23-May-2004, 02:52 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ToSeek
Spirit is so close now that the resolution is going to improve very rapidly from here on in - the difference between 600 meters and 400 meters is a lot more significant than the difference between 1600 meters and 1400 meters.
Yep.

With any luck we can soon start pestering those geologists to give their first impression of what we are seeing.
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Old 24-May-2004, 03:45 PM
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I have this image of the little rover rolling up the hills, twirling its little arms, camera pans back for view of countryside, music builds... "The hills are alive with the sound of PANCAMs...." #-o
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Old 25-May-2004, 12:49 AM
StarStuff StarStuff is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Swift
I have this image of the little rover rolling up the hills, twirling its little arms, camera pans back for view of countryside, music builds... "The hills are alive with the sound of PANCAMs...." #-o
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It's funny, because when I saw this subject line the first thing I thought of was "the hills are alive with the sound of...." -- only I didn't get quite as far as you did. :P

(Darn it - now I'm going to have that song going through my head all evening.... :-? :wink: )

Well, it's interesting news about Spirit, anyway!
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Old 25-May-2004, 12:56 AM
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Cool.

Hey, wait a minute... That looks like an eye right there...

The Martians exist, AND NASA IS HIDING THE EVIDENCE!!! #-o :^o
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Old 25-May-2004, 01:26 AM
BigJim BigJim is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Swift
I have this image of the little rover rolling up the hills, twirling its little arms, camera pans back for view of countryside, music builds... "The hills are alive with the sound of PANCAMs...." #-o
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"...analyze all the soil, Mossbauer all the rocks..."

Yes, there is definitely a song here.
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Old 25-May-2004, 03:47 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigJim
"...analyze all the soil, Mossbauer all the rocks..."
They'll have to be careful on the talus slopes then: A rolling rock garners no Mossbauer.
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Old 25-May-2004, 04:06 AM
Tom Ames Tom Ames is offline
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I'm assuming that "West Spur" is the main feature in the center of this image:
.

Is that reasonable?
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Old 25-May-2004, 04:16 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Ames
I'm assuming that "West Spur" is the main feature in the center of this image:
Could be - from what I've been able to tell, that's about the direction Spirit has been heading.
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