I think you'll find that this site has more value for watching the progress of the Mars Rovers: http://marsrovers.nasa.gov/home/

JOhn

Has opportunity died? It doesnt seem to have done anything for days, and now we've had no pics for 2 days.

There's no report of any problems. I believe Oppy's currently in restricted sols (i.e., the timing of the Martian day is such that they can only command it every other day), and the Deep Space Network is having some issues. The folks over at UMSF think that Opportunity will get to the rim of Victoria in another few days.

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There is less of a hurry at this point. I DO want to see the first pan of the inside of Victoria, but Opportunity will be cruising around the outside of the crater, snapping images from different angles, and studying the ejecta blanket, for a long time. Perhaps until next summer. We'll get lots of looks.

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Big hole in the ground ahead for Opportunity. Navcam, September 19.

Other Navcam shots of beginning final approach to Victoria Crater at Exploratorium.

Edit: NASA Press Release: NASA Rover Opportunity Takes First Peek Into Victoria Crater

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It's great to see the rim finally. It won't be long till we see some long awaited panoramas.

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Opportunity's First Glimpse into 'Victoria Crater'

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Are those hills I can see on the horizon? The next goal for Opportunity (assuming it ever leaves Victoria)!

Jon

I doubt Opportunity will ever leave Victoria. There'll be enough work to do there to last a Martian year.

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Animated Elevation Model of 'Victoria Crater'

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First Pancam shots of Victoria rim up at Exploratorium, September 20, like this one.

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On the assumption that there is a rover-friendly path in...

I believe you are right. But then again, I once thought the same thing about Endurance. But this time the job is so much bigger and the rover so much older.

And there is factor beyond the mere life of the rover. With Endurance there where ample interesting stuff to lure the mission managers to send Opportunity on the road: the heat shield, a bunch of crater, a change of terrain that the Etched Terrain represented, and if luck held Victoria. Is there really anything interesting enough that is close enough that after a couple years at Victoria to lure mission planners to send Opportunity on the road again as opposed to just doing even more work in Victoria?

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A lot will depend on whether they can get the rover down into Victoria. Any idea on how far away those hills will be?

Jon

Look here for a picture that tells the tale.

Keep in mind that Victoria is about half a mile across. This is about four miles through etched terrain (dunes), and then another three or four to the hills. All told this is a little longer than all of the travels so far.

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Re Harlequin:
On the unmannedspaceflight boards, a few people are talking about a giant crater rim several more kilometers away from Victoria. However, this crater is both large and poorly-preserved, more like a concentric series of hills rather than a classic crater. We'll see, though.

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Considering that Endurance is visible above and a little to the left of Victoria, it looks to me as if just the trip to mini-Endurance would double Opportunity's travels so far

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Over at the Planetary Society Blog there is a nice article by guest blogger Mark Adler about the software problem Spirit had early in its mission. Adler was the Mission Manager for Spirit from launch through its first extended mission and he's written an account of what happened to Spirit and the steps they took to correct it. It's nice to see the insiders perspective. I especially liked the humor in the naming of the special shutdown command.

There's not a whole lot of new information, but I thought the resident MER enthusiasts would appreciate it.

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The dropout rectangles in Opportunity's sol 947 pictures are far freakier than usual. I hope nothing's gone wrong with the transmitter.

Mars rovers get another one-year extension:

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It would have been quite a joke if the mission had suddenly ended on October 1... you know... 12 meters from the edge of Victoria crater!
I would have loved to see the faces of the folks over at UMSF.

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