[meteorite-list] Mars Rover Opportunity Update: September 08-15, 2011

[Ron Baalke]

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

OPPORTUNITY UPDATE:  Opportunity Studies 'Chester Lake' Rock Outcrop -
sols 2710-2716, September 08-15, 2011:

Opportunity is in position at a target called "Chester Lake" at Cape
York on the rim of Endeavour crater.

On Sol 2710 (Sept. 8, 2011), the rover pumped forward just over a meter
(3 feet) to put some surface targets within reach of the rover's robotic
arm. On Sol 2713 (Sept. 11, 2011), Opportunity took a color photograph
of the flag and aluminum plate on the Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT) at the
end of the robotic arm. The aluminum was recovered from the New York
World Trade Center site after the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, and used to
manufacture part of the RAT on both Mars rovers. Also on that sol,
Opportunity collected Microscopic Imager (MI) mosaics of surface targets
and then placed the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) on the
surface for an overnight integration.

On Sol 2715 (Sept. 13, 2011), the rover performed a seek-scan with the
RAT in preparation for brushing a surface target with the RAT. The
brushing is planned for Sol 2717 (Sept. 15, 2011).

As of Sol 2716 (Sept. 14, 2011), solar array energy production was 334
watt-hours with an atmospheric opacity (Tau) of 0.887 and a solar array
dust factor of 0.520.

Total odometry is 20.86 miles (33,574.75 meters, or 33.58 kilometers).