[meteorite-list] Mars Rover Opporunity Update: March 16-22, 2016

[Ron Baalke]

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

OPPORTUNITY UPDATE:  Opportunity Moves to New Locations to the Southwest 
- sols 4317-4323, March 16, 2016-March 22, 2016:

Opportunity is exploring the south side of 'Marathon Valle'
located on the rim of Endeavour crater. The rover is up on the slopes 
of 'Knudsen Ridge'.

The objective is to identify specific outcrops for evidence of clay minerals. 
Opportunity recently backed down off of some of the steepest slopes of 
the mission and has begun the move to new locations to the southwest. 
Supporting Navigation Camera (Navcam) and Panoramic Camera (Pancam) images 
were collected on Sols 4318 and 4319 (March 17 and March 18, 2016), to 
identify future targets and drive paths.

On Sol 4320 (March 19, 2016), the rover drove about 31 feet (9.5 meters) 
to the southwest towards areas of putative phyllosilicate clays. Again, 
supporting Navcam and Pancam panoramas were collected after the drive 
to set up for the next drive. On Sol 4323 (March 22, 2016), Opportunity 
headed due west about 41 feet (12.5 meters). An atmospheric argon measurement 
with the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) was sequenced for that 
evening.

As of Sol 4323 (March 22, 2016), the solar array energy production was 
576 watt-hours with an atmospheric opacity (Tau) of 0.423 and an improved 
solar array dust factor of 0.764.

Total odometry is 26.53 miles (42.69 kilometers), more than a marathon.