[meteorite-list] Mars Exploration Rover Update - June 23, 2006

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri Jun 23 19:31:45 2006
Message-ID: <200606232329.QAA26526_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

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

SPIRIT UPDATE: Spirit "Warms up the Engines," Continues Work on Mars -
sol 874-880, June 23, 2006:

Since the beginning of Spirit's winter science campaign, the science and
engineering teams have held joint meetings every few weeks to track
campaign progress and come up with a strategic plan that balances
engineering resources with science productivity. This week, Spirit began
acquiring the 22nd column of the 27-column "McMurdo panorama" and
completed the seventh of nine photon transfer calibrations - procedures
designed to measure electronic noise (unwanted signals) picked up by
imaging sensors that convert light into electrical current in the
rover's cameras.

Spirit also conducted studies of a soil target nicknamed "Halley Brunt,"
which is an undisturbed exposure of bright, sparkly bits of soil near
the rover's left front wheel. The work included 5 hours of examination
with the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer, 10 hours of examination with
the Moessbauer spectrometer, and acquisition of microscopic images.

For the first time on either rover, Spirit's battery heaters turned on
at 8:15 a.m. local solar time on Mars on Sol 865 (June 9, 2006). The
heaters activate automatically when local temperatures drop to about
minus 19 degrees Celsius (minus 2 degrees Fahrenheit). The lowest
allowable operating temperature is minus 20 degrees C (minus 4 degrees F.).

Sol-by-sol summaries:

Sol 874 (June 18, 2006): Spirit acquired Part A of column 22 of the
McMurdo panorama.

Sol 875: Spirit studied soil target "Halley Brunt" with the alpha
particle X-ray spectrometer.

Sol 876: Spirit completed a photon transfer calibration of the
microscopic imager. Spirit also acquired a panoramic view of a dune
field called "El Dorado" and conducted remote studies using the
miniature thermal emission spectrometer.

Sol 877: Spirit acquired navigation camera images of the rover's tracks
and continued to make remote observations using the miniature thermal
emission spectrometer. While communicating with the Odyssey spacecraft
as it passed overhead, Spirit calibrated the miniature thermal emission
spectrometer, took images of a sand ripple using the hazard avoidance
cameras, and made observations of the sky and ground using the miniature
thermal emission spectrometer.

Sol 878: Spirit completed a dust monitoring assessment of the panoramic
camera's mast assembly, acquired panoramic camera images to measure
atmospheric dust opacity (known as a tau measurement), and conducted sky
and ground observations using the miniature thermal emission spectrometer.

Sol 879: Plans called for Spirit to complete acquisition of Part B of
column 22 of the McMurdo panorama and make more observations with the
miniature thermal emission spectrometer.

Sol 880 (June 24, 2006): Plans called for Spirit to take microscopic
images of Halley Brunt and then switch tools to the Moessbauer
spectrometer for a 10-hour study of the same target.

Odometry:

As of sol 877 (June 21, 2006), Spirit's total odometry remained at
6,876.18 meters (4.27 miles).
Received on Fri 23 Jun 2006 07:29:25 PM PDT