[meteorite-list] Mars Rover Opportunity Update - January 20-25, 2016

[Ron Baalke]

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

OPPORTUNITY UPDATE:  Opportunity Reaches 12 Years on Mars!  - sols 4263-4268, 
January 20, 2016-January 25, 2016:

Opportunity is exploring 'Marathon Valley' on the rim of Endeavour crater. 
The rover is up on north-facing slopes for improved solar array energy 
production.

The rover is conducting an in-situ (contact) science campaign on the surface 
target 'Joseph Collin' (informally named for members of the Lewis and 
Clark expedition).

The target appears as a curious, unconsolidated pile of coarse, dark grains. 
On Sol 4263 (Jan. 20, 2016), Opportunity began two sols of investigation 
using the robotic arm instruments. On each sol, extensive Microscopic 
Imager (MI) mosaics were collected. Each was followed with a unique placement 
of the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) for elemental identification. 
Over the next 3 days (sols), the rover attitude was updated and a series 
of Panoramic Camera (Pancam) and Navigation Camera (Navcam) panoramas 
were collected.

On Sol 4268 (Jan. 25, 2016), the final work on this in-situ target was 
completed with the raising of the robotic arm off the target and the collection 
of some documentary imagery. The rover is now set to drive away from this 
site towards new targets up-slope from the current location.

As of Sol 4268 (Jan. 25, 2016), the solar array energy production was 
469 watt-hours with an atmospheric opacity (Tau) of 0.478 and a solar 
array dust factor of 0.691.

Total odometry is 26.50 miles (42.65 kilometers), more than a marathon.