.. you know what I found? My own tire tracks! [cry]
Damn, that's worrying...
I have never tried that ship trick. Is it not frowned upon when doing a circumnavigation?
.. you know what I found? My own tire tracks! [cry]
I have never tried that ship trick. Is it not frowned upon when doing a circumnavigation?
Damn, that's worrying...
Excellent stuff Florenus. Can I draw your attention to the following, would love to see you there!
Truckers-up-Teide-the-In-Game-Challenge!-11th-November
Also, I must say, that after doing that bit I have much, much (much, much) more appreciation of the challenge behind circumnavigating the whole moon.
Jonas, you're true explorer and inspiration
Thanks for the kind words. It's highly unlikely I would have made without the help of yourself and Alec...
@Alec @Florenus
Can you guys confirm that the northern area of Ariel is always in the daylight? I have not yet seen any nighttime pictures from you guys so it might be that due to the tilt and being tidally locked, that specific area is always in the light. I doubt if I can cross it during nighttime. The last canyon I crossed was in the dark and it was quite horrendous. It didn't look half as bad as what you guys have shown here...
Can you guys confirm that the northern area of Ariel is always in the daylight?
Edit: Yeah, jumping was considered many times but the chances of getting out alive were slim at best. The bottom was flat enough but more or less disappeared as the canyon carried on eastward. I guess that a couple of kilometers towards it end I could have chanced it but it was so narrow towards the bottom, I would never have gotten out in case I would screw up the jump. So no...
Heretical thought, perhaps, but if you continued East a little longer, then headed North, you would have bypassed the head of the canyon of Doom, and been able to hand-rail it's Northern edge until you got to the latitude you wanted to be at to continue your circumnavigation back to the starting spot.
A trip within a trip, a circumnavigation within a circumnavigation... it's all here on the Planet of Fun!! I had to drive around this inconspicuous looking canyon as upon inspection it was just not at all crossable. I had to go from 160 East to 172 East, so that's another 120 kilometers to the tally. If I look at the system map and the actual pictures of it, I can't begin to imagine what that big canyon further north will be like. Anyhoo... I had to make a choice, east or west around this baby and I choose east just by peeking with the outside camera and the route east looked easier. Hardly any bumps just easy drivable plains. And indeed it was easy enough to go around it. Towards the end the canyon just disappeared into a easily crossable gully.
Oh... deeeeeeeep and steeeeep :-o
Can we jump yet?
Edit: Yeah, jumping was considered many times but the chances of getting out alive were slim at best. The bottom was flat enough but more or less disappeared as the canyon carried on eastward. I guess that a couple of kilometers towards its end I could have chanced it but it was so narrow towards the bottom, I would never have gotten out in case I would screw up the jump. So no...
wait a minute... you're telling me it can be jumped over? I must admit that I wasn't considering this technique when doing reconnaissance...
OK - if I were you I think I'd head right a bit to get an easier route over the next canyon.
Something I've been meaning to ask for some time.... how do you measure the depth of the canyons?
I'm starting on the edge, where altimeter shows around 0m, then fly at the same level towards centre. Big canyon is around 8 -10km deepSomething I've been meaning to ask for some time.... how do you measure the depth of the canyons?
I meant - from an SRV Can't fly when circumnavigating!