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APOD: Shadow of a Martian Robot (2019 Feb 17)
Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2019 5:06 am
by APOD Robot
Shadow of a Martian Robot
Explanation: What if you saw your shadow on Mars and it wasn't
human? Then you might be the
Opportunity rover currently exploring Mars. Opportunity explored the
red planet from 2004 to 2018, finding
evidence of ancient water, and sending breathtaking images across the inner
Solar System.
Pictured here in 2004,
Opportunity looks opposite the Sun into
Endurance Crater and sees its own
shadow. Two wheels are visible on the lower left and right, while the floor and walls of the unusual crater are
visible in the background. Caught in a dust storm
in 2018, last week NASA stopped try contact
Opportunity and declare the
ground-breaking mission, originally planned for only 92 days,
complete.
Re: APOD: Shadow of a Martian Robot (2019 Feb 17)
Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2019 10:14 am
by JohnD
Strange pic! Looks as if Oppo is on ice, not a dust-dry Marscape. Why is the ground so reflective?
John
Re: APOD: Shadow of a Martian Robot (2019 Feb 17)
Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2019 1:11 pm
by orin stepanek
Kinda reminds me of Disney movie 'Black Hole' ending!
Re: APOD: Shadow of a Martian Robot (2019 Feb 17)
Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2019 2:24 pm
by Chris Peterson
APOD Robot wrote: ↑Sun Feb 17, 2019 5:06 am
What if you saw your shadow on Mars and it wasn't
human? Then you might be the
Opportunity rover currently formerly exploring Mars.
Re: APOD: Shadow of a Martian Robot (2019 Feb 17)
Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2019 3:44 pm
by JohnD
Surely, Chris, Oppo IS "currently exploring Mars", just in a different direction to the normal four dimensions?
John
Re: APOD: Shadow of a Martian Robot (2019 Feb 17)
Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2019 5:03 pm
by Fred the Cat
Unlike on the moon, the tracks of our rovers will soon be covered in dust. How long that might take is
fictionalized but study of Martian
regolith formation is already
deeply underway thanks to years on the surface.
Perhaps Opportunity’s shadow will remain long enough to be photographed side-by-side with a human’s someday in an APOD in the future.
Re: APOD: Shadow of a Martian Robot (2019 Feb 17)
Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2019 5:50 pm
by neufer
Fred the Cat wrote: ↑Sun Feb 17, 2019 5:03 pm
Unlike on the moon, the tracks of our rovers
will soon be have already been covered in dust.
Re: APOD: Shadow of a Martian Robot (2019 Feb 17)
Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2019 6:38 pm
by Fred the Cat
neufer wrote: ↑Sun Feb 17, 2019 5:50 pm
Fred the Cat wrote: ↑Sun Feb 17, 2019 5:03 pm
Unlike on the moon, the tracks of our rovers
will soon be have already been covered in dust.
So much for the "ground-breaking mission".
Re: APOD: Shadow of a Martian Robot (2019 Feb 17)
Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2019 6:57 pm
by RJN
Thanks. Fixed it. Also fixed a typo in the last sentence on the NASA APOD site.
- RJN
Re: APOD: Shadow of a Martian Robot (2019 Feb 17)
Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2019 7:18 pm
by neufer
RJN wrote: ↑Sun Feb 17, 2019 6:57 pm
Thanks. Fixed it. Also fixed a typo in the last sentence on the NASA APOD site. - RJN
Well...we don't
really know that Opportunity has actually stopped exploring Mars...just that it has stopped talking to us.
Opportunity could have been instructed (like HAL) to go rogue (if necessary) to continue its important mission.
Re: APOD: Shadow of a Martian Robot (2019 Feb 17)
Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2019 7:57 pm
by Boomer12k
The "little rover that could"...is now "the little rover that DID"....
Have a nice rest Opportunity....someday you will be in the "Mars Museum"...
:---[===] *
Re: APOD: Shadow of a Martian Robot (2019 Feb 17)
Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2019 8:08 pm
by Fred the Cat
neufer wrote: ↑Sun Feb 17, 2019 7:18 pm
RJN wrote: ↑Sun Feb 17, 2019 6:57 pm
Thanks. Fixed it. Also fixed a typo in the last sentence on the NASA APOD site. - RJN
Well...we don't
really know that Opportunity has actually stopped exploring Mars...just that it has stopped talking to us.
Opportunity could have been instructed (like HAL) to go rogue (if necessary) to continue its important mission.
We could see evidence of
dust devils in the area.
Re: APOD: Shadow of a Martian Robot (2019 Feb 17)
Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2019 8:33 pm
by Avalon
What is the most likely explanation; Opportunity can no longer operate due to exhaustion of power because dust has covered solar cells, the entire rover is buried in sand, sand clogged moving parts, all of these?
Re: APOD: Shadow of a Martian Robot (2019 Feb 17)
Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2019 8:37 pm
by Chris Peterson
Avalon wrote: ↑Sun Feb 17, 2019 8:33 pm
What is the most likely explanation; Opportunity can no longer operate due to exhaustion of power because dust has covered solar cells, the entire rover is buried in sand, sand clogged moving parts, all of these?
The problem appears to be entirely caused by inadequate power.