[meteorite-list] Mars Exploration Rover Update - September 7, 2004

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon Sep 13 17:04:45 2004
Message-ID: <200409132101.OAA00162_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

SPIRIT UPDATE: Spirit finishes observing 'Ebenezer' and moves on to 'Tikal' -
sol 232-238, September 07, 2004

Spirit found a comfortable location on a rock outcrop and spent cold
autumn days performing observations of a rock called "Ebenezer" with the
rover's science instruments. Spirit finished observations of Ebenezer
and moved over to the next location, "Tikal," about nine meters (30
feet) away. Spirit will spend solar conjunction at Tikal. Solar
conjunction is when Earth and Mars are on opposite sides of the Sun. Due
the interference with the Sun, communications between Earth and the
spacecraft at Mars will be minimal during solar conjunction, which
occurs during Spirit's sols 244 through 255.

On sol 232, Spirit completed an overnight reading with its alpha
particle X-ray spectrometer on a target dubbed "Cratchit 2," where the
rover had earlier used its rock abraision tool to cut a hole exposing
the rock's interior. Spirit took images of the same target with the
microscopic imager. Spirit then placed the M?ssbauer spectrometer on
Cratchit 2 and started a very long, two-sol integration.

After the two-sol M?ssbauer spectrometer activity, Spirit spent sol 234
performing 90 minutes of remote sensing. On sol 235, Spirit changed
tools from the M?ssbauer spectrometer to the microscopic imager and took
pictures. Then Spirit used the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer for
thirty minutes. After completing the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer
reading, the arm was stowed so that on sol 236 the rock abrasion tool
brushings could be imaged using the panoramic camera without the arm
blocking any part of the image.

Spirit spent sols 236 to 238 brushing eight adjoining patches on
Ebenezer to create a large enough scrubbed area for analyzing with the
miniature thermal emission spectrometer, then drove up to the rover's
designated vacation spot for solar conjunction.

Spirit bumped backwards on sol 237, and took some navigation camera
images of the brushed area of Ebenezer to support miniature thermal
emission spectrometer observations on the next sol. A navigation camera
panorama was taken in the expected drive direction, toward Tikal.

In the morning of sol 238, the panoramic camera imaged the brushed area
of Ebenezer. A little after noon, the miniature thermal emission
spectrometer took spectral readings of both the brushed area and a hole
that rock abrasion tool hole had cut into Ebenezer on sol 231. At 2 p.m.
Gusev time, Spirit took an afternoon drive to Tikal, about nine meters
(30 feet) away.
Received on Mon 13 Sep 2004 05:01:45 PM PDT