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Pasadena CA (JPL) Oct 22, 2010 This mosaic of images from the navigation camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows a 90-degree view centered toward the east following a 93.3-meter (306-foot) drive east-northeastward during the 2,382nd Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's mission on Mars (Oct. 6, 2010). The camera took the component images for this mosaic on Sol 2382 after the drive. The terrain includes light-toned bedrock and darker ripples of wind-blown sand. On the following sol, Opportunity drove an additional 94.3 meters (309 feet) toward its long-term destination: the rim of Endeavour Crater. Portions of the rim, still more than 8 kilometers (5 miles) away, are visible in the horizon of this scene. This view is presented as a cylindrical projection.
More news about Martian Robots The rover ended last week with the data backlog which limited activities over the weekend. On Sol 2390 (Oct. 14, 2010), the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer (APXS) was sequenced to collect an atmospheric argon measurement along with light remote sensing. Not until Sol 2393 (Oct. 17, 2010), were onboard data volumes improved so a drive could be sequenced. On that sol, Opportunity drove over 100 meters (328 feet), crossing the 24-kilometer (15 mile) odometry mark. The rover drove again on Sol 2395 (Oct. 19, 2010), again reaching over 100 meters (328 miles). Even though the Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES) instrument is still under investigation, the Mini-TES elevation mirror continues to be opened to the environment at regular intervals in the chance of catching a wind-induced cleaning event. As of Sol 2395 (Oct. 19, 2010), solar array energy production was 627 watt-hours with a slightly elevated atmospheric opacity (Tau) of 0.639 and a solar array dust factor of 0.7015. Total odometry is 24,192.63 meters (24.19 kilometers, or 15.03 miles).
Spirit Remains Silent at Troy The project is listening for Spirit with the Deep Space Network and Mars Odyssey orbiter for autonomous recovery communication from the low-power fault case and conducting a "Sweep and Beep" strategy to stimulate the rover in the case of a mission clock fault. Improving solar insolation levels should provide an environment for the rover batteries to recharge, with increasing likelihood of hearing from Spirit in the period ahead. Total odometry is unchanged at 7,730.50 meters (4.80 miles).
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Rover Nears 15 Miles Of Driving On MarsPasadena CA (JPL) Oct 15, 2010 Opportunity drove only once this past week, nearing the 24-kilometer (15-mile) odometry mark. On Sol 2382 (Oct. 6, 2010), the rover covered over 94 meters (308 feet) on her trek to Endeavour crater. With the use of autonomous navigation, the rover collects many more data products which fill the available flash memory. So occasionally, time has to be taken to work off this data backlo ... read more |
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