[meteorite-list] Opportunity Rolls Onto Martian Ground

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From: MexicoDoug_at_aol.com <MexicoDoug_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:32:11 2004
Message-ID: <14e.296c1c19.2d4d77b7_at_aol.com>

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The 90 days starts counting from egress if you want to be a stickler. The
"Rovers were designed for 90 days of surface operations." according to N.A.&
S.A.'s JPL. So 9 months to a year is probably what they are hoping for.

The specification is the lower limit. NASA is always conservative on the
lower limit, so they look good, just like everyone else does when they give your
golf cart a 7 year 70,000 mile drivetrain warranty. I would expect double the
time as an expectation if no big problems happen. And if all doesn't go
well, the warranty doesn't cover it anyway. And NASA deserves to look good, too.
This is the standard we like to hold them too, afterall. Hopefully the Rover
Teams can continue the dynasty.

Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are currently 26 years or so into their missions, and
were scheduled to go to Jupiter and Saturn. Voyager 1 then hobbled at the
fasted relative speed ever achieved by macro human machines, and is well over
twice as far a Pluto now at 90 AU, the furthest human made thing in the
universe. Voyager 2, just a bit slower, now well over 70 AU, continued in the Solar
System plane beyond to inspire us with photogenic visits of Uranus and
Neptune. Both crafts are good for at least 15 more years if all goes right. That's
where the "Solar Wind" begins to merge with the intersteller Milky Way medium.
Voyager 1 is thought to be at "termination shock" now. That's a rough
indicator of the heliopause location and is turbulent and different. So you could
Say V1 is stepping out of the nest. Unfortunately the solar wind instrument
is dead so we can't tell for sure. The Deep Space network is still
communicating quite well with Voyagers, I think daily, and power is fine thanks to the
plutonium dioxide generators. That came in handy for some non-routine
maintenance bout two years ago when the backup navegation system was activated after
problems with the primary.

Mars Rover has solar cells. So it probably will fall in a ditch before dying
of old age of natural causes. You can compare it to Pathfinder, too:
"Launched on December 4, 1996, Pathfinder reached Mars on July 4, 1997, directly
entering the planet's atmosphere and bouncing on inflated airbags as a technology
demonstration of a new way to deliver a lander and rover to Mars. The lander
operated nearly three times its design lifetime of 30 days, while the rover
operated 12 times its design lifetime of seven days.

Saludos
Doug Dawn
Mexico

In a message dated 1/31/2004 3:18:42 PM Eastern Standard Time,
dmarsocci_at_cox.net writes:

> Subj:Re: [meteorite-list] Opportunity Rolls Onto Martian Ground
> Date:1/31/2004 3:18:42 PM Eastern Standard Time
> From:dmarsocci_at_cox.net
> To:meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com
> Sent from the Internet
>
>
>
> Ron,
>
> Although the rovers are designed for 90 days of Martian surface work, have
> there been any speculations if they are to exceed that due to the positive
> deployments thus far?
>
> Also, out of that "90 days" - is that considered to start from the time of
> landing or is another measurement being used.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Dave Marsocci
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Ron Baalke" <baalke_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>
> To: "Meteorite Mailing List" <meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
> Sent: Saturday, January 31, 2004 1:30 PM
> Subject: [meteorite-list] Opportunity Rolls Onto Martian Ground
>
>
> >
> >
> > MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
> > JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
> > CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
> > NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
> > PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
> > http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
> >
> > Guy Webster (818) 354-5011
> > Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
> >
> > Donald Savage (202) 358-1547
> > NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
> >
> > NEWS RELEASE: 2004-047 January 31, 2004
> >
> > Opportunity Rolls Onto Martian Ground
> >
> > NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity drove down a reinforced
> > fabric ramp at the front of its lander platform and onto the soil of
> > Mars' Meridiani Planum this morning.
> >
> > Also, new science results from the rover indicate that the site does
> > indeed have a type of mineral, crystalline hematite, that was the
> > principal reason the site was selected for exploration.
> >
> > Controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory received confirmation
> > of the successful drive at 3:01 a.m. Pacific Standard Time via a relay
> > from the Mars Odyssey orbiter and Earth reception by the Deep Space
> > Network. Cheers erupted a minute later when Opportunity sent a
> > picture looking back at the now-empty lander and showing wheel tracks
> > in the martian soil.
> >
> > For the first time in history, two mobile robots are exploring the
> > surface of another planet at the same time. Opportunity's twin,
> > Spirit, started making wheel tracks halfway around Mars from Meridiani
> > on Jan. 15.
> >
> > "We're two for two! One dozen wheels on the soil." JPL's Chris
> > Lewicki, flight director, announced to the control room.
> >
> > Matt Wallace, mission manager at JPL, told a subsequent news briefing,
> > "We knew it was going to be a good day. The rover woke up fit and
> > healthy to Bruce Springsteen's 'Born to Run,' and it turned out to be
> > a good choice."
> >
> > The flight team needed only seven days since Opportunity's landing to
> > get the rover off its lander, compared with 12 days for Spirit earlier
> > this month. "We're getting practice at it," said JPL's Joel Krajewski,
> > activity lead for the procedure. Also, the configuration of the
> > deflated airbags and lander presented no trouble for Opportunity,
> > while some of the extra time needed for Spirit was due to airbags at
> > the front of the lander presenting a potential obstacle.
> >
> > Looking at a photo from Opportunity showing wheel tracks between the
> > empty lander and the rear of the rover about one meter or three feet
> > away, JPL's Kevin Burke, lead mechanical engineer for getting the
> > rover off the lander, said "We're glad to be seeing soil behind our
> > rover."
> >
> > JPL's Chris Salvo, flight director, reported that Opportunity will be
> > preparing over the next couple days to reach out with it robotic arm
> > for a close inspection of the soil.
> >
> > Gray granules covering most of the crater floor surrounding
> > Opportunity contain hematite, said Dr. Phil Christensen, lead
> > scientist for both rovers' miniature thermal emission spectrometers,
> > which are infrared-sensing instruments used for identifying rock types
> > from a distance. Crystalline hematite is of special interest because,
> > on Earth, it usually forms under wet environmental conditions. The
> > main task for both Mars Exploration Rovers in coming weeks and months
> > is to read clues in the rocks and soil to learn about past
> > environmental conditions at their landing sites, particularly about
> > whether the areas were ever watery and possibly suitable for
> > sustaining life.
> >
> > The concentration of hematite appears strongest in a layer of dark
> > material above a light-covered outcrop in the wall of the crater where
> > Opportunity sits, Christensen said. "As we get out of the bowl we're
> > in, I think we'll get onto a surface that is rich in hematite," he
> > said.
> >
> > JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena,
> > manages the Mars Exploration Rover project for NASA's Office of Space
> > Science, Washington, D.C. Images and additional information about the
> > project are available from JPL at
> >
> > http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov
> >
> > and from Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., at
> >
> > http://athena.cornell.edu/ .
> >
> > -end-
> >
> >
> > ______________________________________________

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<HTML><HTML>The 90 days starts counting from eg=
ress if you want to be a stickler.  The "Rovers were designed for 90 da=
ys of surface operations." according to N.A.&S.A.'s JPL.  So 9 mont=
hs to a year is probably what they are hoping for. 
 
The specification is the lower limit.  NASA is always conservative on t=
he lower limit, so they look good, just like everyone else does when they gi=
ve your golf cart a 7 year 70,000 mile drivetrain warranty.  I would ex=
pect double the time as an expectation if no big problems happen.  And=20=
if all doesn't go well, the warranty doesn't cover it anyway.  And NASA=
deserves to look good, too.  This is the standard we like to hold them=
too, afterall.  Hopefully the Rover Teams can continue the dynasty. <B=
R>
 
Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are currently 26 years or so into their missions, an=
d were scheduled to go to Jupiter and Saturn.  Voyager 1 then hobbled a=
t the fasted relative speed ever achieved by macro human machines, and is we=
ll over twice as far a Pluto now at 90 AU, the furthest human made thing in=20=
the universe.  Voyager 2, just a bit slower, now well over 70 AU, conti=
nued in the Solar System plane beyond  to inspire us with photogenic vi=
sits of Uranus and Neptune.  Both crafts are good for at least 15 more=20=
years if all goes right.  That's where the "Solar Wind" begins to merge=
with the intersteller Milky Way medium.  Voyager 1 is thought to be at=
"termination shock" now.  That's a rough indicator of the heliopause l=
ocation and is turbulent and different.  So you could Say V1 is steppin=
g out of the nest.  Unfortunately the solar wind instrument is dead so=20=
we can't tell for sure.  The Deep Space network is still communicating=20=
quite well with Voyagers, I think daily, and power is fine thanks to the plu=
tonium dioxide generators.  That came in handy for some non-routine mai=
ntenance bout two years ago when the backup navegation system was activated=20=
after problems with the primary. 
 
Mars Rover has solar cells.  So it probably will fall in a ditch before=
dying of old age of natural causes.  You can compare it to Pathfinder,=
too:  "Launched on December 4, 1996, Pathfinder reached Mars on July 4=
, 1997, directly entering the planet's atmosphere and bouncing on inflated a=
irbags as a technology demonstration of a new way to deliver a lander and ro=
ver to Mars. The lander operated nearly three times its design lifetime of 3=
0 days, while the rover operated 12 times its design lifetime of seven days.=
 
 
Saludos 
Doug Dawn 
Mexico 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In a message dated 1/31/2004 3:18:42 PM Eastern Standard Time, dmarsocci_at_cox=
.net writes: 
 
 
<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=3DCITE style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT=
: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">Subj:Re: [meteorite-list] Op=
portunity Rolls Onto Martian Ground 
Date:1/31/2004 3:18:42 PM Eastern Standard Time 
From:<A HREF=3D"mailto:dmarsocci_at_cox.net">dmarsocci@cox.net</A> 
To:<A HREF=3D"mailto:meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com">meteorite-list@met=
eoritecentral.com</A> 
Sent from the Internet 
 
 
 
Ron, 
 
Although the rovers are designed for 90 days of Martian surface work, have<B=
R>
there been any speculations if they are to exceed that due to the positive<B=
R>
deployments thus far? 
 
Also, out of that "90 days"  - is that considered to start from the tim=
e of 
landing or is another measurement being used. 
 
Thanks, 
 
Dave Marsocci 
 
 
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ron Baalke" <baalke_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov> 
To: "Meteorite Mailing List" <meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com> 
Sent: Saturday, January 31, 2004 1:30 PM 
Subject: [meteorite-list] Opportunity Rolls Onto Martian Ground 
 
 
> 
> 
> MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE 
> JET PROPULSION LABORATORY 
> CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY 
> NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION 
> PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011 
> http://www.jpl.nasa.gov 
> 
> Guy Webster (818) 354-5011 
> Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 
> 
> Donald Savage (202) 358-1547 
> NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. 
> 
> NEWS RELEASE: 2004-047       January 31,=20=
2004 
> 
> Opportunity Rolls Onto Martian Ground 
> 
> NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity drove down a reinforced 
> fabric ramp at the front of its lander platform and onto the soil of<BR=
>
> Mars' Meridiani Planum this morning. 
> 
> Also, new science results from the rover indicate that the site does<BR=
>
> indeed have a type of mineral, crystalline hematite, that was the 
> principal reason the site was selected for exploration. 
> 
> Controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory received confirmation<B=
R>
> of the successful drive at 3:01 a.m. Pacific Standard Time via a relay<=
BR>
> from the Mars Odyssey orbiter and Earth reception by the Deep Space 
> Network.  Cheers erupted a minute later when Opportunity sent a<BR=
>
> picture looking back at the now-empty lander and showing wheel tracks<B=
R>
> in the martian soil. 
> 
> For the first time in history, two mobile robots are exploring the 
> surface of another planet at the same time. Opportunity's twin, 
> Spirit, started making wheel tracks halfway around Mars from Meridiani<=
BR>
> on Jan. 15. 
> 
> "We're two for two! One dozen wheels on the soil." JPL's Chris 
> Lewicki, flight director, announced to the control room. 
> 
> Matt Wallace, mission manager at JPL, told a subsequent news briefing,<=
BR>
> "We knew it was going to be a good day.  The rover woke up fit and=
 
> healthy to Bruce Springsteen's 'Born to Run,' and it turned out to be<B=
R>
> a good choice." 
> 
> The flight team needed only seven days since Opportunity's landing to<B=
R>
> get the rover off its lander, compared with 12 days for Spirit earlier<=
BR>
> this month. "We're getting practice at it," said JPL's Joel Krajewski,<=
BR>
> activity lead for the procedure. Also, the configuration of the 
> deflated airbags and lander presented no trouble for Opportunity, 
> while some of the extra time needed for Spirit was due to airbags at<BR=
>
> the front of the lander presenting a potential obstacle. 
> 
> Looking at a photo from Opportunity showing wheel tracks between the<BR=
>
> empty lander and the rear of the rover about one meter or three feet<BR=
>
> away, JPL's Kevin Burke, lead mechanical engineer for getting the 
> rover off the lander, said "We're glad to be seeing soil behind our 
> rover." 
> 
> JPL's Chris Salvo, flight director, reported that Opportunity will be<B=
R>
> preparing over the next couple days to reach out with it robotic arm<BR=
>
> for a close inspection of the soil. 
> 
> Gray granules covering most of the crater floor surrounding 
> Opportunity contain hematite, said Dr. Phil Christensen, lead 
> scientist for both rovers' miniature thermal emission spectrometers,<BR=
>
> which are infrared-sensing instruments used for identifying rock types<=
BR>
> from a distance.  Crystalline hematite is of special interest beca=
use, 
> on Earth, it usually forms under wet environmental conditions.  Th=
e 
> main task for both Mars Exploration Rovers in coming weeks and months<B=
R>
> is to read clues in the rocks and soil to learn about past 
> environmental conditions at their landing sites, particularly about 
> whether the areas were ever watery and possibly suitable for 
> sustaining life. 
> 
> The concentration of hematite appears strongest in a layer of dark 
> material above a light-covered outcrop in the wall of the crater where<=
BR>
> Opportunity sits, Christensen said. "As we get out of the bowl we're<BR=
>
> in, I think we'll get onto a surface that is rich in hematite," he 
> said. 
> 
> JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena,<=
BR>
> manages the Mars Exploration Rover project for NASA's Office of Space<B=
R>
> Science, Washington, D.C.  Images and additional information about=
the 
> project are available from JPL at 
> 
> http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov 
> 
> and from Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., at 
> 
> http://athena.cornell.edu/ . 
> 
> -end- 
> 
> 
> ______________________________________________</BLOCKQUOTE> 
 
 
 
 
 
</HTML>
--part1_14e.296c1c19.2d4d77b7_boundary--
Received on Sat 31 Jan 2004 04:27:19 PM PST

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