[meteorite-list] Mars Rover Opportunity Update: June 9-16, 2011

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:07:30 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <201106171807.p5HI7UkN025239_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

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

OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: Solar Panels Cleaned: 19-Mile Mark Reached! -
sols 2622-2628, June 9-16, 2011:

Opportunity continues to make excellent progress towards Endeavour
crater with under 3 kilometers (nearly 2 miles) to go before the first
landfall on the rim.

On Sols 2622, 2626, 2627 and 2628 (June 9, 14, 15 and 16, 2011), the
rover drove over 345 meters (1,132 feet) backwards using a combination
of blind driving and autonomous navigation.

Opportunity has been driving towards the south/southeast, passing by
interesting craters along the way. Currently, the rover is passing
through a strewn field of crater impacts, suspected to be all from the
same air fall event. On Sol 2625 (June 12, 2011), additional diagnostic
tests were run on the miniature thermal emission spectrometer (Mini-TES)
instrument. The results are providing further insights into the
instrument's anomalous behavior. The rover has benefitted from some
recent dust cleaning events on Sols 2627 and 2628 (June 15 and 16, 2011).

As of Sol 2628 (June 16, 2011), solar array energy production increased
to 528 watt-hours with an atmospheric opacity (Tau) of 0.782 and the
solar array dust factor improved to 0.652.

Total odometry is 30,815.10 meters (30.82 kilometers, or 19.15 miles).
Received on Fri 17 Jun 2011 02:07:30 PM PDT