[meteorite-list] Mars Exploration Rover Update - August 20, 2007

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 21 Aug 2007 08:41:29 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <200708211541.IAA20321_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

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

SPIRIT UPDATE: Dust from Martian Sky Accumulates on Solar Panels -
sol 1284-1287, August 20, 2007:

Even though the Martian sky above Gusev Crater continued to clear, solar
power levels on NASA's Spirit rover remained fairly constant as dust
settling from the atmosphere accumulated on top of the solar panels.
Activities remained restricted. Measurements of atmospheric opacity,
known as Tau, dropped from 3.6 on Martian day, or sol, 1283 (Aug. 12,
2007) to 3.3 on sol 1286 (Aug. 16, 2007), generating power levels of 301
watt-hours (100 watt-hours is the amount of energy needed to light a
100-watt bulb for one hour).

During recent wind storms on Mars, some dust appears to have gotten past
the cover of the microscopic imager, based on images Spirit acquired on
sols 1279 and 1284-1286 (Aug. 8, 2007 and Aug. 14-16, 2007). Engineers
conducting tests with a surrogate rover on Earth hoped to position the
instrument in a downward-facing position as early as sol 1290 (Aug. 20,
2007) in an attempt to get accumulated dust to fall out.

While assessing the well-being of the microscopic imager, Spirit
completed an analysis of a crushed rock target known as "Innocent
Bystander" with the Moessbauer spectrometer and continued to make
observations of the ground and atmosphere. The rover remains healthy and
is parked just east of the elevated plateau known as "Home Plate."

The forecast for the next week is for no new dust storm activity, based
on weather reports provided by Malin Space Science Systems, the builder
of the Mars Color Imager on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The
camera is being used to monitor conditions on the red planet. Skies are
expected to continue to clear over the next couple of months.

Sol-by-sol summary:

Except where noted, daily communications included morning,
direct-from-Earth uplinks over the rover's high-gain antenna and evening
relays of data to Earth at UHF frequences via the Odyssey orbiter. In
addition, Spirit completed the following activities:

Sol 1284 (Aug. 13, 2007): Spirit placed the Moessbauer spectrometer back
on Innocent Bystander and began analysis with the instrument. The rover
also acquired images of ripples using the front and rear hazard
avoidance cameras and microscopic images looking toward the sky through
the dust cover of the microscopic imager. Spirit measured atmospheric
opacity with the panoramic camera and surveyed the sky and ground with
the miniature thermal emission spectrometer.

Sol 1285: Spirit surveyed atmospheric opacity with the panoramic and
navigation camera and acquired images of ripples using the front and
rear hazard avoidance cameras. The rover acquired microscopic images
looking through the dust cover of the microscopic imager and surveyed
the sky and ground with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer.

Sol 1286: Spirit surveyed the sky and ground with the miniature thermal
emission spectrometer and measured atmospheric dust with the panoramic
and navigation cameras. The rover continued with Moessbauer analysis of
Innocent Bystander and took diagnostic images at different times of day
looking skyward through the dust cover with the microscopic imager.
Spirit surveyed the sky and ground with the miniature thermal emission
spectrometer and acquired images with the front and rear hazard
avoidance cameras.

Sol 1287 (Aug. 17, 2004): Spirit surveyed the sky and ground with the
miniature thermal emission spectrometer and measured atmospheric dust
with the panoramic and navigation cameras. The rover continued with
Moessbauer analysis of Innocent Bystander and acquired images with the
front and rear hazard avoidance cameras. Spirit took more
skyward-oriented images through the dust cover with the microscopic
imager and surveyed the sky and ground with the miniature thermal
emission spectrometer.

Odometry:

As of sol 1287 (Aug. 16, 2007), Spirit's total odometry remained at
7,153 meters (4.44 miles).
Received on Tue 21 Aug 2007 11:41:29 AM PDT