Opportunity seeking clay minerals on steeper slopes by Staff Writers Pasadena CA (JPL) Mar 15, 2016
Opportunity is exploring steep outcrops within Marathon Valley on the rim of Endeavour crater. The rover is up on the very steep slopes of 'Knudsen Ridge'. The objective is to examine specific outcrop types for evidence of clay minerals. On Sol 4297 (Feb. 24, 2016), the rover performed its first contact measurements of an exposed rock named 'Charles Caugee' (named for a member of the Corps of Discovery). At this site, Opportunity used her robotic arm to collect a Microscopic Imager (MI) mosaic and then place the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) on the same for a multi-hour integration. Opportunity collected Pancam and Navcam images on the following sol of the area around the rover. On Sol 4299 (Feb. 26, 2016) Opportunity bumped about 1 meter (3 feet) towards a target up a steep slope and took more images. Another bump up the slope by the rover on Sol 4302 (Feb. 29, 2016) brought the rover 1.9 meters (6.2 feet) closer towards the intended target, named 'Pvt. Joseph Whitehouse' (another member of the Corps of Discovery). As of Sol 4303 (March 1, 2016) the solar array energy production was 585 watt-hours with an atmospheric opacity (Tau) of 0.429 and an improved solar array dust factor of 0.736. Total odometry is 26.51 miles (42.66 kilometers) more than a marathon.
Related Links Opportunity Rover News Archive Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com Lunar Dreams and more
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - 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. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. 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. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |