[meteorite-list] Mars Exploration Rover Update - December 22, 2005

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat Dec 24 19:37:29 2005
Message-ID: <200512242335.jBONZcK23181_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

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

OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: Evaluating Arm Positions - sol 675-681, Dec 22, 2005:

This week the Opportunity Instrument Arm Anomaly Team continued
investigating the safety of different arm positions. The intent is to
determine the safest position to leave the arm while the vehicle drives
to new locations. The original position for the arm while driving was to
tuck it underneath the rover, hooked on a small pin. This leaves the
partially failed shoulder azimuth joint at 90 degrees to the direction
of travel. If the arm stuck in this position we would be unable to use
the arm.

The current plan is to investigate different versions of driving with
the instrument arm's "elbow" sticking out towards the front of the
vehicle, with the arm's instrument cluster above the solar panels. From
that position the instrument arm could still be used without using the
suspect azimuth joint. The variations include leaving the instrument
cluster in mid air, or resting one or another instrument on different
portions of the rover for stability.

These different positions are being evaluated on the test rover at the
Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. Meanwhile, on Mars,
Opportunity is continuing to use the arm and its instruments to
investigate rocks within its reach. The rover has also been acquiring
images for a 360-degree, multi-filter panorama of "Erebus Crater."

Sol-by-sol summaries:

Sol 675 (Dec. 17, 2005): Opportunity completed a 17-hour reading with
the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer and made observations with the
panoramic camera.

Sol 676: The rover used the Moessbauer spectrometer for five hours and
observed the atmosphere and a target called "Bellemont" with the
miniature thermal emission spectrometer.

Sol 677: Opportunity completed a microscopic-imager mosaic of a target
called "Williams," used the Moessbauer spectrometer for 11 hours, and
observed targets with the panoramic camera.

Sol 678: The Moessbauer collected data about Williams' composition for 22
hours and the panoramic camera made observations.

Sol 679: Opportunity moved its robotic arm to a target called "Ted,"
which it began inspecting with the microscopic imager and the alpha
proton X-ray spectrometer. The navigation camera took pictures of the
rover's front deck.

Sol 680: Planned activities include using the rock abrasion tool to
brush Ted for about 11 minutes, then placing the alpha particle X-ray
spectrometer onto the target again for about 20 hours of data collection.

Sol 681 (Dec. 23, 2005): Plans for this and the following few sols are
further inspection of Ted, plus targeted observations with the panoramic
camera. Opportunity's total odometry remains at 6,502 meters (4.04 miles).
Received on Sat 24 Dec 2005 06:35:38 PM PST