[meteorite-list] Spirit Prepares To Cruise; Opporunity In Science Mode

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:31:20 2004
Message-ID: <200402090536.VAA22301_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/mars/mera/040208rovers.html

Spirit prepares to cruise; Opportunity in science mode
BY JUSTIN RAY
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
February 8, 2004

The Mars Exploration Rover Spirit will leave its first rock subject late Sunday
and begin the long journey toward an impact crater, a day later than planned
after a self-imposed software hold. Meanwhile, Opportunity has commenced its
examination of the rock outcropping at its landing site by taking amazing
microscopic images.

On the Saturday afternoon/evening (U.S. time) workday for Spirit, known as Sol
35, the rover wasn't able to begin driving away from the rock Adirondack as
expected. Instead, Spirit collected more information on the rock that had the
small hole curved into it late Friday using the Rock Abrasion Tool.

"On Spirit we intended to drive today but we weren't able to accomplish that.
We did a lot of remote sensing," mission manager Jim Erickson told reporters in
a teleconference. "One of the things we did accomplish was Pancam and
Mini-TES of the RAT'ed part of the rock, the RAT hole."

In the upcoming workday, Sol 36, a single command will be sent to Spirit to
clear the software hold placed against driving.

"It turned out back on Sol 18 when we had the original anomaly, one of the
things the vehicle did was safe itself and it marked a flag that said 'don't drive
until you really mean to.' It will know that you really mean to by resetting the
flag. It looks like we missed that when we were getting everything back in order
for driving on Spirit," Erickson said.

"Not a big a deal, but unfortunate."

Roughly 20 meters could be traversed on the first day of driving to a large
impact crater nearby.

"We are intending to drive around the lander and beginning to drive to an area
called Bonneville," Erickson said.

Meanwhile on Opportunity, the rover has begun exploring the exposed bedrock
features in the crater wall where the craft landed.

"On Opportunity today we just finished pretty much a great day," Erickson said.
"We were basically acquiring images in preparation for driving, and using the
instrument arm. We got some magnificent images through the Microscopic
Imager of one of the areas we are in right now -- both soil and the first part of
the outcrop."

The latest highly detailed microscopic images show the bizarre sphere-like
materials as were seen in other patches of soil that Opportunity has examined
in recent days.

"They are showing up both in the soil and in the outcrop," Erickson said.

Other imagery taken by Opportunity appears to show the backshell and
parachute resting on the Meridiani plains outside the crater.

"We'll have to wait and see if that's really what's in the image," Erickson said.

On the next workday, Sol 16 beginning Monday morning (U.S. time), the arm
will be retracted and Opportunity will begin the multi-day drive along the
bedrock to survey the features. Stops will be made for the science instruments
to do their work.

"One of the things that science wants to weigh in on is exactly how often we
stop as we cruise down the outcrop, examine it, and begin to set the overall
context for what we will then return and take specific observations.

"I think of this as just cruising past the buffet and coming back and sampling
later," Erickson quipped.

"We are beginning to do the long-term study of this rock outcrop, which is the
first one we've ever seen on Mars. We will be here a while, taking lots of data
trying to understand the area that it is in as well as the rock itself."
Received on Mon 09 Feb 2004 12:36:36 AM PST