. Mars Exploration News .




.
MARSDAILY
Mars Rover Science Investigations Continue as Solar Energy Levels Drop
by Staff Writers
Pasadena CA (JPL) Jan 31, 2012

File image.

Opportunity is positioned on the north end of Cape York on the rim of Endeavour Crater with an approximate 15-degree northerly tilt for favorable solar energy production during the winter.

Opportunity is conducting regular radio Doppler tracking measurements to support geo-dynamic investigations of the planet, in-situ (contact) science investigations of the target, "Amboy" including an extended Microscopic Imager (MI) mosaic, and continued collection of the 13-filter, 360-degree "Greeley" panorama.

Decreasing energy levels with the approach to the winter solstice has constrained Opportunity for conducting both a radio Doppler tracking pass and an afternoon Ultra High Frequency (UHF) relay pass on the same sol.

The operations team performs energy trades on the tactical timeline as to which, if not both, of these communication passes are performed on a given sol. On Sol 2839 (Jan. 18, 2012), the first portion of the extended Microscopic Imager (MI) mosaic was collected, followed by the placement of the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS).

The next sol supported continued temperature diagnostics for the Moessbauer (MB) spectrometer and conducted a radio Doppler tracking pass. On Sol 2841 (Jan. 20, 2012), the APXS was retracted and rotated to perform a periodic atmospheric argon measurement.

On Sol 2844 (Jan. 23, 2012), the robotic arm was repositioned to collect a set of Microscopic Imager sky-flat calibration images and another radio Doppler tracking pass was performed.

As of Sol 2845 (Jan. 24, 2012), solar array energy production was 279 watt-hours with an atmospheric opacity (Tau) of 0.693 and a solar array dust factor of 0.473.

Total odometry is unchanged at 21.35 miles (34,361.37 meters).

Related Links
Mars Rovers at JPL
Mars Rovers at Cornell
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more




.
.
Get Our Free Newsletters Via Email
...
Buy Advertising Editorial Enquiries






.

. Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle



MARSDAILY
Durable NASA Rover Beginning Ninth Year of Mars Work
Pasadena CA (JPL) Jan 25, 2012
Eight years after landing on Mars for what was planned as a three-month mission, NASA's enduring Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is working on what essentially became a new mission five months ago. Opportunity reached a multi-year driving destination, Endeavour Crater, in August 2011. At Endeavour's rim, it has gained access to geological deposits from an earlier period of Martian histo ... read more


MARSDAILY
NASA Mission Returns First Video From Lunar Far Side

A Moon Colony by 2020

U.S. Presidential Hopeful Promises Moon Base by 2020

Moon looms bright over Republican debate

MARSDAILY
China's satellite navigation sector annual output predicted to reach 35 bln USD in 2015

China plans to launch 21 rockets, 30 satellites this year

Shenzhou 9 Behind the Curtain

China Plans to Launch 30 Satellites in 2012

MARSDAILY
Russia will replace Soyuz for next ISS mission: source

Russia to postpone next manned space launch: official

Russia to postpone next manned space launches

Russian cargo vessel arrives at space station

MARSDAILY
New Horizons Works through Winter Wakeup

The Rings of Pluto

Just A Three Year Cruise Left Before Pluto Flyby

SwRI researchers discover new evidence for complex molecules on Pluto's surface

MARSDAILY
Cassini's radar observes Titan's tropical dune fields

The two faces of Titan's dunes

Mimas And Dione

Saturn moon more Earth-like than thought

MARSDAILY
NASA Finds 2011 Ninth-Warmest Year on Record

Satellite observes spatiotemporal variations in mid-upper tropospheric methane over China

NASA Sees Repeating La Nina Hitting its Peak

Map project accuses Google users of edits

MARSDAILY
Northrop Grumman Develops Solar Electric Propulsion Flight Concepts for Future Space Missions

How NASA Solved a 100 Million Dollar Problem for Five Bucks

Report Identifies 16 Highest Priorities to Guide NASA Tech Development

Romney sees launchers fueled by private enterprise

MARSDAILY
On-again/off-again 'planet' elusive

NASA's Kepler Announces 11 Planetary Systems Hosting 26 Planets

NASA's Kepler confirms 26 new planets

Earth's Cloudy Past Could Reveal Exoplanet Details


.

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2012 - Space Media Network. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement