[meteorite-list] Mars Exploration Rover Update - February 23, 2007

[Ron Baalke]

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

OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: The View from 'Cabo Corrientes' - sol 1091-1096, 
February 23, 2007:

Opportunity is healthy and is currently driving on the promontory 
"Cabo Corrientes." The rover completed the long baseline stereo 
imaging of "Cape Desire" and is currently imaging the promontory 
on the other side of Cabo Corrientes called "Cape of Good Hope."

On Earth, Cape Desire is at the western (Pacific) end of the 
Strait of Magellan, marking the end of a hazardous passage through 
the strait. Magellan supposedly "wept for joy" when he discovered 
it, and so named it because he had been "desiring to see it 
for a long time."

Opportunity also performed an argon measurement on sol 1092.

Opportunity drove about 36 meters (118 feet) between sols 1088 
and 1095.

Sol-by-sol summary:

Each sol there is a panoramic camera tau measurement at the 
beginning of the plan and before the afternoon Mars Odyssey 
pass. There is a miniature thermal emission spectrometer elevation 
sky and ground during the Odyssey pass. There is also a mini-miniature 
thermal emission spectrometer sky and ground in the morning 
of each sol, just prior to handing over to the next sol's master 
sequence.

Sol 1091 (February 17, 2007): On this sol, the rover took a 
panoramic camera long baseline stereo and a miniature thermal 
emission spectrometer 7-point sky & ground measurement.

Sol 1092: Opportunity used its panoramic camera to do a 13-filter 
soil survey and then a 13-filter stare at the foreground. The 
navigation camera was used in support of a miniature thermal 
emission spectrometer foreground stare. The alpha particle X-ray 
spectrometer was used after the Odyssey pass.

Sol 1093: In the morning of this sol, the rover's cameras monitored 
for dust. Opportunity then took a miniature thermal emission 
spectrometer 7-point sky & ground measurement. The cameras on 
the rover's "head" then scanned the sky and ground.

Sol 1094: The rover stowed its instrument deployment device 
("arm") and bumped about 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) for left eye 
of stereo imaging. The arm was then unstowed, a post-drive navcam 
was taken, a post-drive panoramic camera image in the drive 
direction and a post-drive panoramic camera image of "Extrema 
Dura" (the outcrop behind the rover). The panoramic camera also 
began a long baseline stereo image.

Sol 1095: Before Opportunity drove this sol, the navigation 
camera took images. The panoramic camera continued the long 
baseline stereo image. A mini-miniature thermal emission spectrometer 
sky & ground measurement was taken. The rover then stowed its 
arm and drove eastward to image the cliff face of Cape Hope. 
After the drive, the rover unstowed its arm and took post-drive 
navigation camera images. The panoramic camera took a sky survey 
during solar array wakeup. In the morning, the rover looked 
for clouds and then took a mini- miniature thermal emission 
spectrometer sky & ground measurement.

Sol 1096: In the morning of this sol, Opportunity took a miniature 
thermal emission spectrometer 5-point sky and ground measurement. 
A panoramic camera image was taken of the Cape of Good Hope 
and nearby dunes. The rover's arm was then stowed, then Opportunity 
bumped about 4.5 meters (14.8 feet) for the left eye of stereo 
image. The rover then unstowed its arm and took post-drive navigation 
camera images, end of drive images and a post-drive panoramic 
camera image in the drive direction.

As of sol 1095 (February 21, 2007), Opportunity's total odometry 
is 10,113 meters (6.28 miles).