[meteorite-list] Mars Rover Opportunity Update: November 12-19, 2014

[Ron Baalke]

OPPORTUNITY UPDATE:  Marathon Driving to Marathon Valley - sols 3840-3846, 
November 12, 2014 - November 19, 2014: 

Opportunity is on the west rim of Endeavour Crater heading towards 'Marathon 
Valley', a location assumed to have abundant clay minerals slightly over 
a half mile (1 kilometer) to the south.

The rover is continuing the driving pace. On Sol 3841 (Nov. 13, 2014), 
Opportunity completed a 253 foot drive (77 meter) due south. The drive 
was a combination of both blind driving (in which the drive sequences 
are programmed by drivers on Earth) and autonomous guarded driving (in 
which the rover can make some of its own driving decisions). Post-drive 
Navigation Camera (Navcam) and Panoramic camera (Pancam) panoramas were 
collected to support the next drive.

Over the 3-sol weekend, it was decided to perform a multi-sol autonomous 
(guarded) drive. On Sol 3843 (Nov. 14, 2014), Opportunity drove 128 feet 
(39 meters) on the first sol with a 90-degree 'dog leg' mid-drive southwest 
to southeast. The rover also collected mid-drive Navcam imagery and post 
drive Pancam and Navcam panoramas. On the second sol (Nov. 15, 2014), 
the rover performed an autonomous guarded drive of over 131 feet (40 meters) 
to the south, collecting more panoramic imagery at the end of the drive. 
On Sol 3846 (Nov. 19, 2014), the rover moved just under 33 feet (10 meters) 
to position herself near a light-toned exposed outcrop for possible contact 
investigation and documented the location with a Navcam panorama.

As of Sol 3846 (Nov. 19, 2014), the rover is in good health with solar 
array energy production of 494 watt-hours, an atmospheric opacity (Tau) 
of 1.467 and a solar array dust factor of 0.674.

Total odometry: 25.6 miles (41.3 kilometers).