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Opportunity Takes a Dip Into Victoria Crater
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."
Earth cant send probes to Mars each 26 months when the energy requirements are minimal. the last cycle they just sent two orbiters (getting interesting results). But next year they'll land near the polar and dig for water ice. The 2008 laneder has no wheels, but the next one in 2009 is the largest yet. Its the size of minivan and will use retro-rocket landers instead of air-bags, and will be mostly nuclear powered instead of solar.
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.)
Think of the crater as a nice hole already drilled down 20-50 meters or so. A geologist's (or in this case areologist's) dream: you can examine all the strata over a fairly wide horizontal range without having to pick up a pick or shovel (which Opportunity isn't carrying anyway).
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.
Hubble is an extreme case. Its lifetime cost is approaching $5 billion, but is arguably the most productive astronomical device ever. Its initial capital cost was $750 million, doubled by the first shuttle accident delays. Add 3 or 4 half billion dollar service missions and operating costs over $200 million a year.
I believe Spirit is the one with the lame wheel. I don't recall reading that Opportunity has any drive problems.
They'll mostly be looking at geology. Just from a distance they already have noticed several distinct layers in the rocks exposed inside the crater. Examining those layers close up will give them comparisons to see similarities and differences and give them clues as to how they formed (volcanic, sedimentation). Victoria is a fantastic subject because it cuts over 60 feet into the local strata.
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.
Some of the rover team was through Raleigh a couple/three years back, they said while the rovers exceeded their hopes for lifespan, beforehand, they scaled down public lifespan expectations to ~90 days. So, yes the rovers _have_ exceeded expectations, but they were also hedged. :)
--Humpty Dumpty was pushed!
(Source: Steve Squyres, the principal investigator, who told us directly, as he teaches ASTRO 280 at Cornell. Also, this Planetary Society article, relevant paragraph copied below.) Following that suit, the MER team has chosen to name the main features around the rim -- the promontories and the alcoves -- after places that were visited by the Victoria by Magellan's expedition during it cruise around the world. "Cape Verde, Cabo Frio, and Duck Bay -- Baía dos Patos in Spanish -- were places that were visited by Magellan while he was still in the Atlantic," informed Squyres. Cape Verde is an archipelago off the west coast of Africa (located at 15.02N, 23.34W) comprised of 10 main islands and some 8 islets. "Cabo Frio and Duck Bay are both on the eastern shore of South America," he continued. "Actually, they called it Baía dos Patos because they thought they saw ducks there, but the ducks were actually penguins. Nobody had ever seen penguins before, so they didn't recognize them for what they were. But that's what they were seeing." Little did anyone realize at the beginning of the mission how much rover fans would learn about their own history through the rover jaunts across the Martian landscape.