Opportunity Moves To Outcrop For Rest
Pasadena CA (SPX) Jun 29, 2009 Opportunity has been moving toward a candidate patch of rock outcrop in preparation for a rest of the mobility system over the coming holiday. There continues to be concern with the elevated motor currents seen in the right front wheel. On Sol 1920 (June 18, 2009), Opportunity drove backwards about 63 meters (207 feet) south. The right front wheel currents were elevated but were not divergently increasing. After a few sols, Opportunity drove another 7 meters (23 feet) to a nearby outcrop. Robotic arm activities on surface targets with the microscopic image (MI) and the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer (APXS) were performed on Sols 1924 and 1925 (June 22 and 23, 2009). Further drives are planned to reach a large region of rock outcrop. Also, the week saw further implementation of the miniature thermal emission spectrometer (Mini-TES) mirror dust mitigation. The Mini-TES shroud is left open overnight to see if the environment will clean the elevation mirror. As of Sol 1924 (June 22, 2009), the solar array energy production was 450 watt-hours with an atmospheric opacity (tau) of 0.480 and a dust factor of 0.530, indicating that 53 percent of sunlight hitting the solar array penetrates the layer of accumulated dust on the array. As of Sol 1926 (June 24, 2009), Opportunity's total odometry remains at 16,639.71 meters (10.3 miles) Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Mars Rovers Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com Lunar Dreams and more
Spirit Continues To Study Troy Pasadena CA (SPX) Jun 29, 2009 Spirit is continuing her ambitious remote sensing and in-situ (contact) science observations at the location called "Troy" on the west side of Home Plate. Using the rover robotic arm (instrument deployment device, IDD), the rover has been exploring a set of surface targets that hold clues to the past geologic history at this location. On Sol 1941 (June 18, 2009), a Microscopic ... read more |
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2009 - SpaceDaily. 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 SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |