[meteorite-list] Mars Exploration Rover Update - February 7, 2005

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue Feb 8 11:06:28 2005
Message-ID: <200502081606.IAA17766_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

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

SPIRIT UPDATE: Spirit Encounters 'Alligator' - sol 381-388,
February 07, 2005

Spirit has completed examination of a rock target called "Alligator,"
using every tool on the instrument deployment device (robotic arm). With
Spirit's batteries recharged and atmospheric dust stable again, the
rover is in excellent health and ready to approach "Cumberland Ridge," a
crest on "Husband Hill."

Sol-by-sol summaries:

Having completed close-up observations of the rock named "Peace," Spirit
stowed the robotic arm on sol 381, bumped back 1.2 meters (3.9 feet),
imaged Peace, and then drove 17 meters (56 feet) toward the crest of
Husband Hill. The amount of electric current drawn by the rear wheels
rose higher than normal, most likely due to an 18-degree tilt during the
drive. Spirit then performed 30 minutes of post-drive imaging.

On sol 382, Spirit made a 4-meter (13-foot) approach to the next target,
informally named "Alligator." The drive succeeded as planned, putting
Alligator perfectly in the workspace for rover-arm operations.

On sols 383 and 384, Spirit performed a couple hours of remote-sensing
observations.

On sols 385 and 386, Spirit completed complicated rover-arm operations.
During 80 minutes on sol 385, Spirit scoured some side-by-side patches
of Alligator's surface with the wire bristles on the rover's rock
abrasion tool, creating a brush mosaic. Spirit took readings with the
Mossbauer spectrometer for 90 minutes, switched tools to the alpha
particle X-ray spectrometer for 20 minutes of data-collection with that
tool, then switched back to the Mossbauer spectrometer for more
observations through 3:00 a.m. Mars local solar time on sol 386. Later
on sol 386, Spirit took close-up pictures of the brush mosaic using the
microscopic imager. Spirit then stowed the rover arm. The rover moved
1.2 meters (3.9 feet) back away from Alligator, and then performed an
hour of post-drive imaging.

Sol 387, which ended on Feb. 3, was a restricted sol because information
from the previous sol's operations could not be available in time for
the team to plot further driving. So Spirit spent 2.5 hours performing
remote-sensing observations using the panoramic camera and miniature
thermal emission spectrometer.

Total odometry as of sol 357 is 4,070 meters (2.53 miles).
Received on Tue 08 Feb 2005 11:06:13 AM PST