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Space/Science » in reply to Is this a realistic long range target?

re: Is this a realistic long range target?

I don't think that the crater you are pointing to is the 150 m diameter one close to Opportunity. On the landing ellipse

http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2004/01/24/MER_B_Ellipse_25m.gif
, it is the sharper rimmed crater about 12-13 km west and at the same latitude as the one you show. On the high resolution MOC image http://marsoweb.nas.nasa.gov/landingsites/mer2003/mocs/Images/R08-02184/ , scroll down about 80% and the very western edge of the 150 m crater is just within the frame. Someone on another board posted that location last night.

But there is a ~800 m diameter sharp rimmed crater about 6 km to the south so maybe that might be a very long term goal for a year long mission. Do you recall who said that? I had heard a projection of 6-7 months and Steve Squyers today said that he wasn't worried about potentially losing 3 weeks on Spirit because he expected to go well beyond the 90 days, which he likened to the warrenty period, not the operational lifetime. I'm just curious what their analyses are for predicting an extended mission. I thought that winter temperatures would surely get them and I think I heard that the solar cells are showing about the same reduction as Pathfinder/Sojourner - about 1/3% per day.

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