Mars Team Energized About 'Sleepy Hollow' Near Rover

Guy Webster (818) 354-5011
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

Donald Savage (202) 358-1547
NASA Headquarters, Washington

News Release: 2004-004
January 5, 2004

Mars Team Energized About 'Sleepy Hollow' Near Rover

"Sleepy Hollow," a shallow depression in the Mars ground near NASA's
Spirit rover, may become an early destination when the rover drives
off its lander platform in a week or so.

That possible crater and other features delighted engineers and
scientists examining pictures from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's
first look around.

"Reality has surpassed fantasy. We're like kids in a candy store,"
said Art Thompson, rover tactical activity lead at NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "We can hardly wait until we
get off the lander and start doing fun stuff on the surface."

A clean bill of health from a checkout of all three science
instruments on Spirit's robotic arm fortified scientists' anticipation
of beginning to use those tools after the rover gets its six wheels
onto the ground.

Also, Spirit succeeded Sunday in finding the Sun with its panoramic
camera and calculating how to point its main antenna toward Earth by
knowing the Sun's position.

"Just as the ancient mariners used sextants for 'shooting the Sun,' as
they called it, we were successfully able to shoot the Sun with our
panorama camera, then use that information to point the antenna," said
JPL's Matt Wallace, mission manger.

Within sight of Spirit are several wide, shallow bowls that may be
impact craters, said Dr. Steve Squyres of Cornell University, Ithaca,
New York, principal investigator for the spacecraft's science payload.
"It's clear that while we have a generally flat surface, it is
pockmarked with these things.

The mission's scientists, who are getting little rest as they examine
the pictures from Spirit, chose the name "Sleepy Hollow" for one of
these circular depressions. This one is about 9 meters (30 feet)
across and about 12 meters (40 feet) north of the lander, Squyres
said.
"It's a hole in the ground," he said. "It's a window into the interior
of Mars."

One of the next steps in preparing Spirit for rolling onto the soil is
to extend the front wheels, which are tucked in for fitting inside a
tight space during the flight from Earth.

Spirit arrived at Mars Jan. 3 (EST and PST; Jan. 4 Universal Time)
after a seven month journey. Its task is to spend the next three
months exploring for clues in rocks and soil about whether the past
environment at this part of Mars was ever watery and possibly suitable
to sustain life.

Spirit's twin Mars Exploration Rover, Opportunity, will reach its
landing site on the opposite side of Mars on Jan. 25 (EST and
Universal Time; Jan. 24 PST) to begin a similar examination of a site
on the opposite side of the planet from Gusev Crater.

JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, manages the
Mars Exploration Rover project for NASA's Office of Space Science,
Washington. Additional information about the project is available from
JPL at

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html

and and from Cornell University at

http://athena.cornell.edu/


-end-

What are the chances that "Sleepy Hollow" is where the Spirit Bounced?
It seems that there is a trail of Sleepy Hollows off to the distance.

How much of a footprint was expected from the bouncing spaceship?

Mark


"Sleepy Hollow," a shallow depression in the Mars ground near NASA's
Spirit rover, may become an early destination when the rover drives
off its lander platform in a week or so.

....

The mission's scientists, who are getting little rest as they examine
the pictures from Spirit, chose the name "Sleepy Hollow" for one of
these circular depressions. This one is about 9 meters (30 feet)
across and about 12 meters (40 feet) north of the lander, Squyres
said.
"It's a hole in the ground," he said. "It's a window into the interior
of Mars."

From what I've read, it was expected to bounce at least a dozen
times, over a kilometer or more. Just the rover weighs 400 lbs.

Rick

"Mark" wrote in message om...
What are the chances that "Sleepy Hollow" is where the Spirit Bounced?
It seems that there is a trail of Sleepy Hollows off to the distance.

How much of a footprint was expected from the bouncing spaceship?

Mark


"Sleepy Hollow," a shallow depression in the Mars ground near NASA's
Spirit rover, may become an early destination when the rover drives
off its lander platform in a week or so.

...

The mission's scientists, who are getting little rest as they examine
the pictures from Spirit, chose the name "Sleepy Hollow" for one of
these circular depressions. This one is about 9 meters (30 feet)
across and about 12 meters (40 feet) north of the lander, Squyres
said.
"It's a hole in the ground," he said. "It's a window into the interior
of Mars."

"Mark" wrote in message
om...
What are the chances that "Sleepy Hollow" is where the Spirit Bounced?
It seems that there is a trail of Sleepy Hollows off to the distance.

Very, very likely.


How much of a footprint was expected from the bouncing spaceship?

Just what you see is about what was expected.

I was watching Kangaroo Jack, the background looks just like the Mars
pictures. Flat sand with 3-6 inch rocks every 2-3 feet

Chosp wrote:

"Mark" wrote in message
om...
What are the chances that "Sleepy Hollow" is where the Spirit Bounced?
It seems that there is a trail of Sleepy Hollows off to the distance.

Very, very likely.


How much of a footprint was expected from the bouncing spaceship?

Just what you see is about what was expected.

In sci.astro Mark wrote on 6 Jan 2004 09:33:50 -0800:
:M What are the chances that "Sleepy Hollow" is where the Spirit Bounced?
:M It seems that there is a trail of Sleepy Hollows off to the distance.

There are similar features in other directions as well. The new hi-res
color image shows similar features in the opposite direction as "Sleepy
Hollow", approximately. Also, if you look at the far edge of "Sleepy
Holow", you can see a small rim, like you'd expect from a typical small
impact crater. You can see that in the 3D images both from the navcam
taht were published the other day as well as the ones taken from the rear
hazcams mounted under the solar panels which also show "Sleepy Hollow".
You can see the changing perspective from high up to down low which
clearly shows the blocky crater rim on the far edge of "Sleepy Hollow".

:M How much of a footprint was expected from the bouncing spaceship?

The individual bounce marks are probably only about 5 or 6 feet across at
most and in fact, there are two dark markings in the soil in "Sleepy
Hollow" which at this point look suspiciously like what a bounce mark
might look like. Compare the nav cam 3D images with the rear hazcam
images that you can find on this page which has raw image thumbnails and
links to larger versions of those images, you can see the blocky far rim.

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all/spirit.html

Jim.

Jim Scotti
Lunar & Planetary Laboratory
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ 85721 USA http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~jscotti/

CNN was reporting that there are two depressions in "Sleepy Hollow" that may
have been made by the bouncing rover. So the rover itself upon landing may
have opened up small windows to be able to peer below the "dust." Wonder
what it will find.


"Mark" wrote in message
om...
What are the chances that "Sleepy Hollow" is where the Spirit Bounced?
It seems that there is a trail of Sleepy Hollows off to the distance.

How much of a footprint was expected from the bouncing spaceship?

Mark


"Sleepy Hollow," a shallow depression in the Mars ground near NASA's
Spirit rover, may become an early destination when the rover drives
off its lander platform in a week or so.

...

The mission's scientists, who are getting little rest as they examine
the pictures from Spirit, chose the name "Sleepy Hollow" for one of
these circular depressions. This one is about 9 meters (30 feet)
across and about 12 meters (40 feet) north of the lander, Squyres
said.
"It's a hole in the ground," he said. "It's a window into the interior
of Mars."

"TL the Geologist" wrote in message
...
CNN was reporting that there are two depressions in "Sleepy Hollow" that
may
have been made by the bouncing rover. So the rover itself upon landing
may
have opened up small windows to be able to peer below the "dust." Wonder
what it will find.


Interesting idea.

In article ,
says...
In sci.astro Mark wrote on 6 Jan 2004 09:33:50 -0800:
:M What are the chances that "Sleepy Hollow" is where the Spirit Bounced?
:M It seems that there is a trail of Sleepy Hollows off to the distance.

There are similar features in other directions as well. The new hi-res
color image shows similar features in the opposite direction as "Sleepy
Hollow", approximately.

I think we can stop quoting Sleepy Hollow, the thing has been named.

Marc