Opportunity rover: Takes shadow portrait + Gets power boost from wind

The Opportunity rover on Mars is becoming artistic in its old age:

Shadow Portrait of NASA Rover Opportunity on Martian Slope

Shadow portrait of NASA rover Opportunity

NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity caught its own silhouette in this late-afternoon image taken by the rover’s rear hazard avoidance camera. This camera is mounted low on the rover and has a wide-angle lens.

The image was taken looking eastward shortly before sunset on the 3,609th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity’s work on Mars (March 20, 2014). The rover’s shadow falls across a slope called the McClure-Beverlin Escarpment on the western rim of Endeavour Crater, where Opportunity is investigating rock layers for evidence about ancient environments.  The scene includes a glimpse into the distance across the 14-mile-wide (22-kilometer-wide) crater.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Recent winds have blown dust off Opportunity’s solar panels, giving it more power: Cleaner NASA Rover Sees Its Shadow in Martian Spring – NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Space policy roundup – March.28.14 [Update]

Today’s selection of space policy/politics related items:

Update:

Sci-Tech: The Airlander hybrid air vehicle

Speaking of airships, a prototype AirLander airship/airplane combo at Hybrid Air Vehicles Ltd made its first flight a year ago: “Airlander” Hybrid Air Vehicle – the dawning of a new age for airships! – global aviation report –

Hybrid Air Vehicles is the world’s leading developer of the next generation of lighter-than-air craft. Based in the UK, it can draw on 30 years of modern airship development. HAV is currently developing 2 types of airship:

1) A prototype long-endurance aircraft that can stay airborne, manned for 5 days at a time and provide a stable platform for communications, geological survey, academic research, surveillance or filming.

2) A heavy lift aircraft to transport 50 tonnes of equipment to any area in the world. The HAV can land on water, ice and desert as well as more traditional surfaces and is likely to be useful for mining, oil & gas and aid or disaster relief.

Find more images and videos here.

JP Aerospace update on Ascender airship

JP Aerospace makes progress on their latest Ascender airship prototype: Ascender 26 – JPA Blog –

The Ascender 26 airship is moving forward in leaps. We’ve built a external stiffener frame out of carbon tubing. We did an inflation last weekend to verify it’s position.

Paul_Ascender26Larger image

And Building Away – JPA Blog –

Last night we continued sewing frame sleeves on the Ascender 26. The team also repackaged our main flight controller into the Ascender 26 configuration. We did two shock tube firings, both at mach 2.2 and lastly we flipped over the submarine in order to mount the magnetic drop weight system.