4 ms·

Opportunity is not so far (it's actually inside a crater nearby I think), but it'd take months to get to place, and there may not be enough scientific value in

Opportunity is not so far (it's actually inside a crater nearby I think), but it'd take months to get to place, and there may not be enough scientific value in doing so just to see the charred remains of Schiaparelli. But who knows, it's so over it's expected mission life that maybe someone goes "f* it, let's go take a look".

dogma1138 10y ago
Opportunity is very very far, yes technically it is close if you are thinking about traditional modes of transportation, but it traveled so far only about 40KM, and it's max speed is about 2 inches per second it is not going to get there.
mturmon 10y ago
Opportunity tried to see the descent, but it did not work: http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2016/10191525-brief-update-opportunitys.html http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2016/1019152...
- smpetrey 10y ago
  Damn. So cosmic rays are pretty intense huh?
  - mturmon 10y ago
    Yes. Cosmic rays are a significant obstacle to any kind of automated event detection in imagery taken from space, especially outside low Earth orbit. That streak was a classic CR. Depending on the angle of incidence on the CCD, you can see different shapes.
- michaelcampbell 10y ago
  I love reading her stuff, even if I don't understand a lot of it. Her twitter feed is fantastic.
elsonrodriguez 10y ago
We're years away from landing anything that could dig a hole deeper than Schiaparelli's crater. Depending on how hard it cratered, and how soon Opportunity could get there, it could be the most important thing for Opportunity to do.
- MrZongle2 10y ago
  Not necessarily. Schiaparelli used hydrazine for fuel, and if it smashed into the surface it seems to me that it's a reasonable assumption that the whole crash site is contaminated with it. Is that something we want to get all over the rover?
  - dr_zoidberg 10y ago
    Both are good answers... let's see what scientists decide. In te meantime, MRO should give some interesting hi-res pictures.
    - MrZongle2 10y ago
      Yes! I wasn't aware that a second fly-over with a better imager was going to happen, but now I'm morbidly curious.
  - TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
    Hydrazine is extremely unstable right? Would much of it remain after slamming in to the ground?
    - MrZongle2 10y ago
      With a bit more Googling, it appears that hydrazine's lifetime in (Earth) atmosphere is measured in hours. I'm not sure what that would be on Mars, or if soaking into the soil there would increase its lifetime. It's a fun mental exercise, I guess -- I'd love to hear from somebody in the field who knew more about hydrazine -- but as the Opportunity rover is still a long (likely impossible) distance away from the crash site, it will likely just remain a mental exercise.

dogma1138 10y ago

Opportunity is very very far, yes technically it is close if you are thinking about traditional modes of transportation, but it traveled so far only about 40KM, and it's max speed is about 2 inches per second it is not going to get there.

mturmon 10y ago

Opportunity tried to see the descent, but it did not work: http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2016/10191525-brief-update-opportunitys.html http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2016/1019152...

smpetrey 10y ago
Damn. So cosmic rays are pretty intense huh?
- mturmon 10y ago
  Yes. Cosmic rays are a significant obstacle to any kind of automated event detection in imagery taken from space, especially outside low Earth orbit. That streak was a classic CR. Depending on the angle of incidence on the CCD, you can see different shapes.
michaelcampbell 10y ago
I love reading her stuff, even if I don't understand a lot of it. Her twitter feed is fantastic.

elsonrodriguez 10y ago

We're years away from landing anything that could dig a hole deeper than Schiaparelli's crater. Depending on how hard it cratered, and how soon Opportunity could get there, it could be the most important thing for Opportunity to do.

MrZongle2 10y ago
Not necessarily. Schiaparelli used hydrazine for fuel, and if it smashed into the surface it seems to me that it's a reasonable assumption that the whole crash site is contaminated with it. Is that something we want to get all over the rover?
- dr_zoidberg 10y ago
  Both are good answers... let's see what scientists decide. In te meantime, MRO should give some interesting hi-res pictures.
  - MrZongle2 10y ago
    Yes! I wasn't aware that a second fly-over with a better imager was going to happen, but now I'm morbidly curious.
- TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
  Hydrazine is extremely unstable right? Would much of it remain after slamming in to the ground?
  - MrZongle2 10y ago
    With a bit more Googling, it appears that hydrazine's lifetime in (Earth) atmosphere is measured in hours. I'm not sure what that would be on Mars, or if soaking into the soil there would increase its lifetime. It's a fun mental exercise, I guess -- I'd love to hear from somebody in the field who knew more about hydrazine -- but as the Opportunity rover is still a long (likely impossible) distance away from the crash site, it will likely just remain a mental exercise.