[meteorite-list] Mars Exploration Rover Update - May 4, 2006
From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri May 5 12:15:15 2006 Message-ID: <200605051613.JAA26170_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov> http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status.html#opportunity OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: 'Victoria' in View - sol 804-810, May 04, 2006: Opportunity executed a three-sol examination of "Brookville" outcrop with tools on the robotic arm. This work included microscopic imaging, a brushing, 16 total hours of integrated data gathering with the Moessbauer spectrometer, and an overnight integration with the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer. Then Opportunity stowed its arm and drove 107 meters (351 feet) in three sols, reaching a point estimated to be 1,279 meters (less than eight-tenths of a mile) from "Victoria Crater." The team believes the rim of the crater is becoming visible in a vertically stretched image looking south. Sol-by-sol summaries: Sol 804 (April 28, 2006): This was the first sol of robotic arm work on Brookville. The rover took microscopic images, then brushed the target and followed with an afternoon data collection by the Moessbauer spectrometer. The rover observed a target called "Great Bend" with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer during the afternoon communication-relay session with NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter. Sol 805: Opportunity did morning atmospheric science and positioned the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer. The rover used that spectrometer on Brookville until taking morning images of Gila Bend using 13 filters of the panoramic camera. Sol 806: On the final sol of arm work on Brookville, Opportunity changed tools to the Moessbauer spectrometer and completed an afternoon integration. At 7:00 p.m. local solar time, the team stopped the integration and Opportunity did a mini-deep sleep. Sol 807: The panoramic camera took 13-filter images of the arm's brushing target. Then Opportunity drove for 30 minutes. After driving, the rover observed the surroundings from its new position with the navigation camera and looked in the drive direction with the panoramic camera. Sol 808: Opportunity drove for an hour and 10 minutes in the compass direction of 150 degrees (south southeast), then took images from its new location. During the afternoon, the rover made observations with the thermal emission spectrometer and used the panoramic camera to check atmospheric clarity. It used the deep-sleep mode overnight. Sol 809: Opportunity took another 1-hour-and-10-minute drive followed by imaging and atmospheric science during the Odyssey pass. Sol 810 (May 5, 2006): The rover was directed to take rear-looking images with the navigation camera during the morning of sol 810 as part of plan uplinked on sol 809. The plan for uplink on sol 810 includes a 15-meter (50-foot) approach to a target for using the robotic arm's tools to inspect ripple banding during the weekend, plus post-drive imaging with the navigation camera and panoramic camera. As of sol 809 (May 4, 2006) Opportunity has driven 7,575.51 meters (4.71 miles). Received on Fri 05 May 2006 12:13:13 PM PDT |
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