|
. | . |
|
by Staff Writers Pasadena CA (JPL) Aug 26, 2014
Opportunity is moving south along the west rim of Endeavour Crater heading towards 'Marathon Valley,' a putative location for abundant clay minerals. More recently, the incidence of Flash memory-induced resets has increased. The rover experienced resets on Sols 3754, 3757 and 3758 (Aug. 15, 18, and 19, 2014), which stops the onboard master sequence. Because of the project's vigilance and timely actions, the impact of the resets on rover science and exploration has been minimized. But the increase reset rate is compelling expedited corrective action to the Flash memory issue. On Sol 3752 (Aug. 13, 2014), Opportunity bumped just a few feet (over a meter) to a surface target, called 'Mt. Edgecumbe.' On the next sol, the robotic arm was used to collect a Microscopic Imager mosaic of the target, and then placed the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) on the same for multi-sol integration. The reset on Sol 3754 (Aug. 15, 2014) cut short the integration to a single sol. On Sol 3757 (Aug. 18, 2014), another reset occurred, but real-time action from mission controllers reactivated the rover's sequence and Opportunity was able to complete the planned drive, achieving about 157 feet (48 meters). Another reset happened on Sol 3758 (Aug. 19, 2014), suspending the remote sensing observation on that sol. The plan ahead to resume rover activities, including driving, until the reset problem can be corrected. As of Sol 3758 (Aug. 19, 2014), the solar array energy production was 692 watt-hours with an atmospheric opacity (Tau) of 0.888 and a solar array dust factor of 0.788. Total odometry is 25.28 miles (40.69 kilometers).
Related Links Mars Exploration Rovers Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com Lunar Dreams and more
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news 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 All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service. |