[meteorite-list] Mars Exploration Rover Update - May 18, 2004

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed May 19 11:44:19 2004
Message-ID: <200405191544.IAA18319_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status.html

OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: A Sol for Rest and Recharging. - sol 112,
May 18, 2004

Opportunity is healthy, but feeling a bit sluggish today. The
rover's 40-meter (131 feet) traverse along the southern edge
of "Endurance Crater" on sol 111, and a sol 112 error with a
Deep Space Network command transmission have resulted in a
low battery state of charge.

The sol 111 drive put Opportunity on an 8-degree slope that
tilted the rover away from the Sun and limited the amount of
direct sunlight that could reach the solar panels.

To help the battery recover to its normal state of charge,
rover planners had built a sol 112 plan that deleted two of
the three UHF windows. Unfortunately, a Deep Space Network
configuration error prevented the command load from reaching
Opportunity on sol 112 and, as expected in such cases, the
rover executed the onboard run-out sequence, which included
an hour of remote sensing and the three on-board UHF
communication windows.

Sol 113 will be a sol for sleep and recharging for Opportunity.
On sol 114, the rover will do some limited remote sensing in
the morning, but will generally take it easy over the next
few sols in order to fully charge the batteries. The limited
activity over the next few sols will focus on moving towards
the Endurance Crater rim and a new position for panoramic
camera imaging.
Received on Wed 19 May 2004 11:44:07 AM PDT