[meteorite-list] Mars Rover Opportunity Update: December 7-13, 2016

[Ron Baalke]

http://mars.nasa.gov/mer/mission/status.html#opportunity

OPPORTUNITY UPDATE:  Rover Performs Several Drives to Ancient Gully - 
sols 4576-4582, December 07, 2016-December 13, 2016:

Opportunity is making progress towards the next science objective of the 
extended mission. The rover is headed toward an ancient water-carved gully 
about a kilometer south of the rover's current location on the rim of 
Endeavour Crater.

The recent plans have emphasized driving. On Sol 4577 (Dec. 8, 2016), 
Opportunity intended a 59-feet (18-meter) drive to the southwest. However, 
the rover only achieved just over 39 feet (12 meters). The rover was using 
visual odometry (VO) to monitor her progress. After the 12-meters of progress 
VO failed to resolve surface features sufficiently to establish progress 
and stopped the drive. This is not uncommon when the local terrain around 
the rover may have few features or shadows of the rover confuse the algorithm.

On Sol 4580 (Dec. 11, 2016), the rover made further progress to the southwest 
covering over 49 feet (15 meters). Because the rover is driving on slopes 
tilted away from the Sun, power has been constrained and drives limited 
in distance. Some sols following the drives have been 'recharge' sols, 
sols with limited rover activity. Another drive on Sol 4582 (Dec. 13, 
2016), added another 56 feet (17 meters) again towards the southwest. 
And as always, extensive Navigation Camera (Navcam) and Panoramic Camera 
(Pancam) images have been collected following each drive.

As of Sol 4582 (Dec. 13, 2016), the solar array energy production is 411 
watt-hours with an atmospheric opacity (Tau) of 0.836 and a solar array 
dust factor of 0.675.

Total odometry is 27.12 miles (43.65 kilometers).