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ZL2VAL > ROVERS 08.10.04 11:49l 77 Lines 2882 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : BA0251ZL2VAL
Read: GUEST
Subj: Rovers update, 8th October
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Sent: 041008/1019Z @:ZL2AB.#46.NZL.OC #:49300 [New Plymouth] FBB7.00g
From: ZL2VAL@ZL2AB.#46.NZL.OC
To : ROVERS@WW
Mars rovers reveal stunning views
BY CHRIS KRIDLER
FLORIDA TODAY
Oct 8, 2004
Mars looks magnificent from the Columbia Hills.
NASA released a spectacular shot Thursday taken by the Spirit rover, the
"Cahokia Panorama." The 360-degree image from the center of
100-mile-wide Gusev Crater shows the distant edge of the crater, the
rover's tracks and the reddish, rolling, rock-strewn landscape.
"I never thought we'd be able to see features that far away," said Jim
Bell of Cornell University, lead scientist for the panoramic cameras.
"Mars is usually much more dusty than it is now. We're in a very, very
clear season."
The science team plans to explore layers in the hills to learn more
about how water altered the landscape there. So far, the rocks'
chemistry indicates that water interacted with them.
There's evidence that the hills are older than the lava plains around
them, said Cornell's Steve Squyres, principal investigator for the
mission. The relatively soft rock there may have eroded over the years.
"It's challenging hill-climbing for a little robot, but these are not
steep, jagged hills," he said.
Spirit appears to have overcome a brake glitch that occurred once last
week.
On the other side of Mars, in Meridiani Planum, Opportunity is nearly
done investigating stadium-size Endurance Crater. It has seen beautiful
dunes, and it's looking at rocks with fractures that resemble mud cracks.
Scientists want to determine if there was a second period when water
affected the landscape. Evidence they gathered from tiny Eagle Crater
already showed that water existed for some time at Meridiani.
When Opportunity leaves Endurance Crater, it will check out the heat
shield it dropped during its landing, Squyres said. Then it will proceed
to the mysterious "etched terrain" to the south, a landscape probably
gently eroded by wind over millions of years.
The rovers, which landed in January, have far exceeded their initial
90-day mission. NASA has authorized two six-month mission extensions,
beefing up the initial $820 million price tag.
"We actually don't know how long the rovers are going to last," project
manager Jim Erickson said, adding, "we're going to use these as long as
we can."
Mars time
NASA's rovers have been on Mars since January. Originally, they were
expected to survive for 90 Martian days. Their stay so far:
Spirit: 272 Martian days; 280 Earth days
Opportunity: 252 Martian days; 259 Earth days
73, Alan, ZL2VAL @ ZL2AB.#46.NZL.OC (Sysop)
IP: zl2val@qsl.net
APRS: 3906.34s/17406.45e]
Message timed: 23:15 on 08-Oct-2004
Message sent using WinPack-AGW V6.80, by Roger Barker G4IDE, SK 9/9/04.
Zen Wisdom
----------
Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I
may not follow. Do not walk beside me, either. Just pretty much leave me
alone.
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