[meteorite-list] Mars Exploration Rovers Update - June 15, 2004

[Ron Baalke]

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status.html

SPIRIT UPDATE: Are We There Yet? - sol 152-155, June 15, 2004

On sol 152, Spirit continued its journey toward the "Columbia 
Hills" and completed an 83-meter (272 feet) drive that brought 
its total odometry to 3.2 kilometers (2 miles). After the drive, 
the rover completed some remote sensing that brought more 
details of the hills into view.

Spirit roved another 70 meters (230 feet) on sol 153, and 49 
meters (161 feet) on sol 154. After the drive on sol 154, 
Spirit attained a miniature thermal emission spectrometer 
scan of the hills that will help scientists identify what 
the hills are made of.

As of sol l55, Spirit was roughly 50 meters (164 feet) from 
the base of the target location at the Columbia Hills. Spirit 
reached this location after a 23-meter (75 feet) drive that 
ended with the rover at a maximum tilt of 20 degrees. 20 
degrees is well below the safe limit for tilt and was 3 to 4 
degrees below the estimated tilt for this traverse.



OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: Exploring Endurance - sol 134-137, 
June 15, 2004

Opportunity is becoming accustomed to its new sloped home 
inside "Endurance Crater." There are positives and negatives 
to the rover's new position and orientation. The solar array 
is oriented toward the northeast, which maximizes solar power 
in the morning and also warms the high gain antenna actuator 
faster, so heating is no longer required before the morning 
communications session. On the downside, the UHF 
communications sessions have degraded slightly at this 
orientation.

On sol 134, Opportunity drove 3.9 meters (about 13 feet) 
into Endurance Crater, then backed up 1.4 meters (4.6 feet), 
remaining inside the crater. Drive slippage and vehicle tilt 
was as predicted by the engineering team. An hour's worth of 
remote sensing completed the sol. Opportunity then performed 
deep sleep overnight into the morning of sol 135.

On sol 135, Opportunity drove 1.3 meters (4.3 feet) deeper 
into Endurance Crater to a position that was about the 
deepest point it reached on sol 134. This short drive was 
intended to allow for detailed imaging of the first likely 
target for the instrument arm, a rock called "Tennessee." 
The drive went exactly as planned, leaving Opportunity with 
a final tilt of -19.44 degrees and a heading of 62.5 degrees. 
The rover then performed almost two hours of remote sensing, 
then set up for another night of deep sleep.

Sol 136 was spent performing a series of panoramic camera and 
miniature thermal emission spectrometer observations from 
sol 135's final location. The miniature thermal emission 
spectrometer performed atmospheric measurements and an 
overnight observation during the early morning pass by NASA's 
Mars Odyssey orbiter. Part one of a planned ingress (entry) 
survey campaign with the panoramic camera was initiated.

On sol 137, Opportunity approached the rock target referred 
to as Tennessee. Opportunity drove 1.19 meters (3.9 feet) 
deeper into Endurance Crater, placing Tennessee perfectly 
within the instrument arm's reach. The rover is in position 
to perform the first series of arm operations starting on 
sol 139. Deep sleep mode was again invoked overnight from 
sol 137 to sol 138. The plans for the coming sols include 
grinding into Tennessee with the rock abrasion tool and 
investigating it with the rover's spectrometers.

Total odometry after sol 137 is 1,466.16 meters (more than 
nine-tenths of a mile)!