jsmoody : Absolutely right. There is another crater within realistic driving distance, also some interesting hills. Which remind me of the Pathfinder "Twin Peaks" . As Opportunity's area of exploration has been totally flat so far it would be interesting to see it explore some high lands in the area.

I am just hoping the ground is firm on the way down and Opportunity can climb out again using that same route. Nobody can deny if we saw Victoria Crater as an exploration site before the Rovers went to mars we would have grabbed it as a chance to explore, and would be happy for Opportunity to spend all its days inside it. But, these little rovers have survived so long, it is not beyond belief they could travel to many places nearby, therefore it seems a great shame to not go to them all.

Also, fingers crossed that the bowl of Victoria Crater is not a big collector of dust. As the dune areas inside it seem to suggest. that, coupled with the sheltered aspects of being inside it could spell danger for the Rovers solar panels and power supply. 

Things are getting worse on the planet Mars. A huge dust storm now covers the entire southern hemisphere.

Reduced sunlight means reduced activity for the rovers. The big hope is that battery power remains high enough to keep both Spirit and Opportunity warm, and the electronics in working order. If not, both Rovers could perish.

This image shows two views of the same scene on Mars, at Spirits site of exploration. I coloured and processed these images in exactly the same way, to aid a direct comparison, letting us see just how things are deteriorating on the red planet. 

This may possibly be my last post before my holiday/vacation in Europe. I will be back around mid August, posting again, and updating my site. Thanks to everybody who has visited my web site, and has shown an interest in my posts. I have very much enjoyed the discussions here on the boards.

Cya all soon.

Beautiful images, Anth-Martian.  Thanks.  Have a wonderful vacation.

 

Anth, everytime I looked at your images here and your website, I wonder-Did you built your own spacecraft that can travel at least half the speed the light to Mars, took photos of it and have a vacation there with your astronaut-like suit?

Hi.

Dark Neptune : Only in my dreams occasionally. Also in my imagination when reading Kim Stanley Robinsons Mars trilogy, or Ben Bova's novels! But most importantly, only through robotic eyes, i promise. If i was going, i would take you all along for a trip i promise! I would even take a detour to neptune and Triton...and Pluto!
Hello.

If anybody remembers me, i used to post here before a recent trip to Europe lasting a few weeks. I am back at my keyboard now. I had a great time, but did miss this place, plus your discussions, and my regular round of space sites.

Anyway, back on topic....

I cobbled together this movie and uploaded it to Youtube.

You can see it on my own website Here

Or at Youtube Here. 

It is primarily a highlight package from Spirits exploration of Home Plate around June this year. It features some time lapse movies i made, from Spirits Nav Cam, Haz Cam, and Microscopic Imager. Aswell as some animations of colourized images which featured on my website. All set to original music by a fellow space enthusiast named Carlos Natale.

I hope you enjoy it. I was pleased with how some of the animations works out. Even the basic jpeg's came to life with a little work.

it's good to be back, and i am very much enjoying everybody's contributions to the message boards.

Not much coming in from Mars right now. The priority is that the rovers save power due to the reduced light caused by the dust storms. However, i did like this recent image released on Sol 1280. I was impressed by the level of detail and the sharpness, so decided to colour it and take a look. 

 

Welcome back Then! No, never! I haven't forgotten you Anth. I just wondered why haven't you posted in the discussions for so long? Good to have you back anth, and I am sure you heard of the poor rovers, which are currently on a red-orange planet who has a very strong storm, putting their lives at danger.

Dark Neptune : Yes, i have been following the storm. I managed to post an image ( above ) just as it began before my trip.

For those following the storm i have another video on my website and at Youtube. Which shows both Rovers as the dust hits.

Click For My Website 

The video is amazing, wonder how is it that it could be like "Real"?

I try and do the images justice. But, bottom line is they are real to start with!

Back to work once again!

The Mars Rovers are on the move, and sending back a wealth of images. Here are a couple from a recent batch sent back to Earth.

Top image is from Opportunity.  Usually "Oppy" is quite a clean Rover. But, even she is looking a bit dusty.

Below you can see an image from Spirit. A big indicator of the storm having happened is the trench dug out by Spirits wheels. This trench had shown some of the bright white silica rich soil which Spirit had been uncovering lately. It has now been powdered in the storm and mostly covered up with the regulation Martian colour once again. 

More Here.