[meteorite-list] Mars Exploration Rovers Update: October 9-14, 2009

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:02:06 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <200910170002.n9H026fb021594_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

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

SPIRIT UPDATE: In X-Band Fault Mode - sols 2050-2055,
Oct. 09-14, 2009:

Spirit is still in X-band fault mode due to a high-gain antenna (HGA)
dynamic brake anomaly that first occurred back on Sol 2027 (Sept. 15,
2009) and has re-occurred most recently on Sol 2052 (Oct. 11, 2009).
With the HGA fault, all X-band uplinks use the low-gain antenna (LGA)
and uplink bandwidth is limited.

Spirit was to be back under normal HGA operation on Sol 2054 (Oct. 13,
2009). However, a Deep Space Network (DSN) station outage at the last
minute, with no alternative station available, prevented the
HGA-recovery uplink from getting to Spirit. Spirit will be under runout
sols, and the next planned uplink will be on Sol 2057 (Oct. 16, 2009).
So the Sol 2057 plan is to clear the X-band and HGA faults and change
the communication behavior manager (CBM) back to X-band nominal. The HGA
dynamic brake status has been masked already in flight software.

Spirit is otherwise in good health (power positive, thermally stable and
communicative over LGA and UHF) conducting limited remote sensing
science in the runout sols. The Moessbauer (MB) spectrometer is
positioned on a surface target and will resume an extended integration
on Sol 2057 (Oct. 16, 2009).

As of Sol 2054 (Oct. 13, 2009), Spirit's solar array energy production
was 427 watt-hours with an atmospheric opacity (tau) of 0.605. The dust
factor is 0.6075, meaning that about 61 percent of the sunlight hitting
the solar array is penetrating through the dust on the array.

Total odometry as of Sol 2055 (Oct. 14, 2009): 7,729.97 meters (4.80
miles).

------------------------------------------------------------------------

OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: Finished with 'Shelter Island' - sols 2029-2035,
Oct. 08-15, 2009:

Opportunity completed its survey of the meteorite called "Shelter Island".

On Sol 2029 (Oct. 8, 2009), the rover completed the in-situ (contact)
science campaign on the meteorite's surface with a microscopic imager
(MI) mosaic and an alpha particle X-ray spectrometer (APXS) placement
for integration. On Sol 2031 (Oct. 10, 2009), the robotic arm
(instrument deployment device, or IDD) was lifted from the meteorite and
some final documentary images were collected by the panoramic camera
(Pancam). On Sol 2032 (Oct. 11, 2009), the rover performed a 10-meter
(33-foot) circumnavigation of the meteorite to image and document the
backside.

On Sol 2034 (Oct. 14, 2009), Opportunity left "Shelter Island" and
headed northwest driving 64 meters (210 feet) backwards toward another
large rock (more than half a meter or 1.5 feet). With that drive,
Opportunity crossed the 18 kilometer mark in total odometry. Motor
currents in the right-front wheel continue to remain well behaved.

As of Sol 2035 (Oct. 15, 2009), Opportunity's solar array energy
production was 446 watt-hours, with an atmospheric opacity (tau) of
0.591 and a dust factor of 0.562.

Total odometry as of Sol 2034 (Oct. 14, 2009): 18,036.06 meters (11.21
miles).
Received on Fri 16 Oct 2009 08:02:06 PM PDT