[meteorite-list] Mars Exploration Rover Update - December 9, 2005

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri Dec 9 21:10:27 2005
Message-ID: <200512100208.jBA28po13567_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

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

OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: Encouraging Results from Shoulder-Motor Testing -
sol 661-667, Dec 09, 2005:

Opportunity is currently parked at "Erebus Crater," where it has
continued remote-sensing science while the team made progress in
diagnosing why a motor in the robotic arm stalled on sol 654. The motor
turned successfully when supplied with more current on sol 666 (Dec. 8,
2005), an encouraging result. The arm was still in a stowed position
after that testing. Further tests and analysis are planned for
determining the best strategy for future use of the arm. The arm, which
deploys four tools for examining rocks and soils, has already operated
more than seven times as long as originally planned.

This motor at the shoulder of the arm is necessary for getting the arm
out of its stowed position. Earlier tests made some alternative
explanations -- such as a physical obstruction or degraded lubrication
-- appear unlikely. The sol 666 test established confidence in a
hypothesis that a broken wire in the winding of the motor caused the sol
654 stall. The test rotated the motor four revolutions at each of three
different applied voltages. Tests to characterize the motor's behavior
will continue in the coming week.

In the target-rich environment of outcrop exposed in and near Erebus,
Opportunity has acquired a color panorama of the surroundings, a color
mosaic of itself, and high-resolution images of several outcrop targets.
The miniature thermal emission spectrometer successfully collected data
on some high-priority science targets during sol 664 (Dec. 6, 2005).
Informal names for targets examined in this vicinity by the panoramic
camera include "Drake," "Chino Valley," "Bellemont," "Camp Verde,"
"Young," "Cherry," and "Paulden."

Opportunity did not drive this week. The rover's odometry total as of
sol 666 remained 6,502 meters (4.04 miles).
Received on Fri 09 Dec 2005 09:08:50 PM PST


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