[meteorite-list] Mars Rover Opportunity Update: November 19 - December 1, 2015

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 2015 12:20:36 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <201512112020.tBBKKaOJ023475_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://mars.nasa.gov/mer/mission/status.html#opportunity

OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: Arm Raised to Take in the View - sols
4202-4214, November 19, 2015-December 01, 2015:

Opportunity is inside 'Marathon Valley' on the west rim of Endeavour
Crater.

The rover is positioned on steep, north-facing slopes for improved solar
array energy production. On Sol 4202 (Nov. 19. 2105), the robotic arm
was raised so Panoramic Camera (Pancam) color images could be collected
without an obstructed view of the foreground. On Sol 4206 (Nov. 23,
2015), a small bump of less than 3 feet (a meter) was performed to
position some surface targets within the work volume of the robotic arm.

Additional Flash bank readouts were performed to support the Flash
memory diagnostics. On subsequent sols, both Navigation Camera (Navcam)
and Pancam imagery were collected. On Sol 4211 (Nov. 28, 2015), the
robotic arm was used to collect a Microscopic Imager (MI) mosaic of the
surface target, named 'Pvt. Hugh McNeal.' This was followed with the
placing of the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) on the same for
multi-sol integration.

As of Sol 4214 (Dec. 1, 2015), the solar array energy production was 387
watt-hours with an atmospheric opacity (Tau) of 0.544 and a solar array
dust factor of 0.643.

Total odometry is 26.49 miles (42.63 kilometers), more than a marathon.
Received on Fri 11 Dec 2015 03:20:36 PM PST