MARS: Opportunity Arrives at Endurance Crater! (Mind-blowing geology evident)

NASA/JPL ^

[ElkGroveDan]

This 180-degree view from the navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is the first look inside "Endurance Crater." The view is a cylindrical projection constructed from four images. The crater is about 130 meters (about 430 feet) in diameter.

Medium Image (click here)

Large Image (click here)

3-D Image (click here)

3-D Medium Image (click here)

3-D Large Image (click here)

[MN_Mike]

The liberals have two questions:

1. Does Cheney have an oil contracts on the Moon, and
2. They want the names of anyone these Cheney machiines meet with in the course of their mission, may lead to a Supreme Court decision soon.

[Monty22]

We're going to send SUV sized RTG powered rovers next. They will be dropped into specific spots, and it'll be these rovers 10x.

Then, we'll send people, God willing, and it'll be the greatest triumph in history after the moon landings.

[ElkGroveDan]

Mind-blowing. Any idea of how much more time Rover has?

I think they are planning to go until September (unless it breaks down first) after that they will re-evaluate and go from there.

[ElkGroveDan]

albedo and structure suggests water-ice.

I don't think so.

[Doc On The Bay]

Human Exploration will be worth 1,000x ANY Robotic Exploration.

Our "Robots" are, simply, "Not Up to the Task,"--& WILL NOT BE SO for a "Millenium!"

So, "Let's Go There," & "Look Around!!"

Our "Capability to Explore our Immediate Celestial Neighbors" rests on our Current "Manned-Space" technology.

Our Primitive "Robotics" are DECADES AWAY from a Viable, Comprehensive Exploration of our Solar System,--BUT our Capacity for "Manned Expeditions" to our Celestial Neighbors is CURRENT!!

SO, as "Timothy Leary once said, Let's 'Go Cruising!!'"

We Can get "Back to the Moon--BIGTIME,"--& we can go ON to MARS.

In the past 30 years, there has been NO EVENT MORE IMPORTANT than our Landing on the Moon.

Despite the "Terrorist Crap" our Culture must "Deal With;" To Survive, we must have a Goal Beyond our own Survival.

We have been "Handed" a Cultural "Goal" which will Fuel our Culture for Decades!

We Go Back to the Moon--& ON to Mars!!

Despite all the "Islamic CRAP" we must "deal with," we ALSO represent "Humankind," & the Goal of Going Back to the Moon & on to Mars Just Seems Right!!

"Stasis" is "Cultural Suicide!"

We "Go on," or we Involute,--& Die!

The Moon & Mars look Pretty Good just now!!

Doc

[NJJ]

Even if they don't go down inside because they might not be able to climb out . . .

If they think they are close to the end of the mission (time wise) it may well be worth the risk of going down with no expectation of getting out. The probability of finding something good inside is better than finding something outside.

I would vote to go in. I'm sure they can find a good path down.

[John H K]

Our Primitive "Robotics" are DECADES AWAY from a Viable, Comprehensive Exploration of our Solar System,--BUT our Capacity for "Manned Expeditions" to our Celestial Neighbors is CURRENT!!

Sorry, the reverse is true. It's an interesting insight into human psychology that people seem really personally threatened by robots. Yes, a couple of guys in Meridiani right now would be better than a rover, but it would cost hundreds of times more money to send them there. And the capabilities of robots are going to rise much faster than the cost of a manned mission goes down (IF it ever goes down.)

Given "X" amount of money, we'll do a lot more science with unmanned than manned missions. For the cost of 1 manned mission we could cover mars with hundreds of rovers.

[Fitzcarraldo]

Humans can provide a "multiplier" effect to robots. Given a base of 10 human operators on Mars, they could direct 100 or more robots (rovers, aircraft, etc.) )without the Earth to Mars lighttime lag getting in the way.

[John H K]

The cost of life support, shielding, transport is so incredibly enormous the cost-efficiency simply isn't there. The same amount of money would be better spent improving artificial intelligence systems on unmanned rovers.

Planetary scientists interested in studying the solar system have NO interest in manned missions; in fact, they consider the manned space program a budgetary enemy; the Space Station sucking up money has already killed a lot of great science that could have been done with unmanned missions.

Like I said, people tend to approach this emotionally rather than rationally.

Look at the ENORMOUS improvements of Spirit and Opportunity over Sojourner. The improvements in the next set of rovers will be even more dramatic.

[Charles Henrickson]

. . . maybe because there is nothing there like a tree or shrub to provide scale.

"So let's put a happy little tree . . . right . . . there."

[Doc On The Bay]

I Guess we can (I Hope) to "Agree to Disagree!!"

We just CANNOT "Program" ENOUGH into a "Robot" to RECOGNISE what a Trained Human Explorer can see in an "Exploration Mission" to the Moon or Mars.

The Robots are, simply, "Not Up to It!!"

Once More, it will be a Century--or, even, a Millenium--before our Robots are capable of equalling a "Human Explorer" on the Moon or Mars.

Doc

[Fitzcarraldo]

Robots + Humans = Superhumans

[Axenolith]

At the time of the Vikings (the probes) we should have begun altering Mars to make a manned mission truly worth while. The pocket protector wearers might get a lot of good research out of probes but the masses aren't going to continue to support it unless there's some hope of eventually settling some people somewhere off world. There's enough water there to cover that globe in 300 feet uniformly (i.e if smooth) and between that and the frozen CO2 you could get enough pressure to equal Everest altitude at low elevations, enough to work in a warm suit with supplied O2.

We could have changed the albedo of the poles with a few well placed impacts then, but now we'd probably have to file the mother of all EIR's and hand wring over some hypothetical unicellular hanger-on that refused to 100% crap out when the carbon cycle went bust there...

[vikingchick]

The monitor is still acting up, but right now I can see. Thanks for the ping. Incredible is right.

[ElkGroveDan]

Agreed. I think a few genetically engineered photosynthesising algaes would begin to work wonders there. Terraforming is not a job for the faint of heart, and it takes time. Let's get going!

[RightWhale]

Given "X" amount of money, we'll do a lot more science with unmanned than manned missions.

That goes double for private enterprise, commerce rather than research.

[FireTrack]

Take a look at the strange curved cylindrical object just above center frame and along the far left side of the frame on this latest image. It is protruding from the surface. Any ideas???

[BykrBayb]

Sand worms?

[FireTrack]

LOL

Hey, is this the pipe object that you were referring to or something different?

[BykrBayb]

The pipe object on the far left looks like a small sand worm. Off to the right of that, it looks like a much larger sand worm is about to emerge.