More images at the MER homepage.
They're getting down to business now. Polling sub-stations.
Chris: It would appear we have another rover on Mars. (applause)
Photos are already popping up at the MER homepage.
Chris: That's all the data we're gonna get today. I hope people are happy with that (applause all over the room).
Steve:Slabby nature of this is fascinating. I'd say that outcrop is a fairly attractive first traverse target, don't ya think?
Steve: "This is the sweetest spot I've ever seen" The airbag marks have a clear imprint of the seams of the airbag. I got no words for this.
Steve: "Looks like nothing I've ever seen in my life so I'll attempt no science yet. Strange corregated terrain. Subtle, trafficable version... Holy smokes! I'm sorry. I'm jut blown away by this. That outcrop in the distance is just out of this world. I can't wait to get there. I got nothin' else to say, I just wanna look."
Chris Lewicky: "PI, what are we looking at?"
Looks very dark. Looks very smooth around the lander. Very different from Gusev. Super image of the ground! Wild texture. Smooth flowing surface with pockmarks.
Polar panorama nearly complete.
Wild rock formations! This has Steve Squyres almost in tears. Awesome!
More pieces being added to the mosaic. The image guy is really "working the crowd" :-)
Massive image dump. Beautiful! Polar panorama mosaic.
Clear egress aids in the front!
Small stuff in close but big topography on horizon. Egress aid tip in the air (unexpected). Interesting ground markings.
Rhazcam images coming in. Terrain looks quite barren.
Full navcam images coming in now. Thermal - nominal, about 4 degrees warmer consistent with sidepetal down.
ACS - 5.46 degrees pitch, nose up. Tilt highwater mark consistent with +Y down. Fault - has one expected red monitor. Power - 32.6 volts on bus so solar array looks good. We can wakeup on the sun. Mechanical - confirmed solar array deployment. Imaging - first image!
Chris Lewicky, flight director, running the show tonight, reports that the data is flowing
Expect thumbnails first and then full-frame images soon after.
Power, ACS, Fault, all at the top of the list for data analysis. Power situation is expected to be somewhat different than MER-A. ACS will be working on attitude if the data will support that work. Of course, Fault sub-system will be looking for any faults.
About 20 Megabits of data (more applause). Ramona wins the pool.
Applause as there is indication of data in the Odyssey buffer.
Odyssey team has just said that they'll be looking for data at 1:01.
Opportunity should have deflated her lander airbags, righted the lander by opening that side petal to flip the lander onto its base petal, and, flowerlike, opened up and allowed the rover to open her solar array and get to a power-positive state. The hazard cameras will then have taken a couple of picures. Then the navcam will have taken a couple of pictures before and after the mast assembly deployed. If all that went well, then Opportunity may have been able to send data up to the Odyssey orbiter which could relay that data to us starting sometime in the next few minutes or so.
