SPIRIT UPDATE: Rover Experiences Data Backlog - sol 1329-1336, October 08, 2007:
Spirit is in good health and on the move toward an appealing field of boulders at the southwest corner of “Home Plate.” Preliminary data from the miniature thermal emission spectrometer indicates these boulders may be compositionally related to “Comanche”-class rocks first encountered on “Husband Hill.”
Flash memory limited the rover’s activities as the volume of memory in use edged up to more than 70 percent of capacity. After completing work on a 360-degree panorama from “site 3,” Spirit had more than 711 megabits of unsent data in flash memory, 453 of which were data from the panoramic camera. Spirit now has enough power to transmit data to Earth during overnight Odyssey passes and took advantage of two of those opportunities this week.
Sol-by-sol summary
In addition to starting and ending each day by measuring atmospheric dust levels (known as a tau measurement) and surveying the sky and ground with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, Spirit completed the following activities:
Sol 1329 (Sept. 29, 2007): Spirit restarted the Moessbauer spectrometer and collected data for 22 hours from a target known as “Texas Chili.” The rover acquired a 3-by-2-frame mosaic of images of site 3 with the panoramic camera.
Sol 1330: Spirit acquired a microscopic image mosaic of Texas Chili and a bore sight of the microscopic imager with the panoramic camera to check the accuracy of its alignment. The rover then stowed the robotic arm, surveyed the external calibration target, and acquired a 5-point survey of the sky and ground with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer. During the afternoon overpass of the Odyssey orbiter, Spirit acquired data from a target known as “Harmony Point2” with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer.
Sol 1331: Spirit acquired a 5-by-1 image mosaic of site 3 with the panoramic camera and completed acquisition of the 360-degree panorama of the rover’s surroundings as viewed from site 3. Spirit also acquired a 6-by-1 mosaic of images with the navigation camera and took thumbnail images of the sky with the panoramic camera. During the afternoon Odyssey overpass, the rover surveyed a target known as “Ohridiski2” with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer.
Sol 1332: Spirit acquired a 5-by-1 image mosaic of site 3 and a 4- by-1, pre-drive image mosaic with the panoramic camera. The rover bumped backward 50 centimeters (20 inches) and acquired full-color images of the work volume studied by instruments on the robotic arm using all 13 filters of the panoramic camera. Spirit drove 10.1 meters (33.1 feet) toward a target area known as “site 3a,” pausing to take mid-drive images with the navigation camera. The rover acquired a 5-by-1, post-drive image mosaic with the navigation camera and a 4-by-1 image mosaic with the panoramic camera.
Sol 1333: Martian winds cleared away some dust from the solar panels, resulting in a 1-percent increase in solar power, or about 10 watt-hours. Total solar output for the day was 361 watt-hours (100 watt-hours is the amount of energy needed to light a 100-watt light bulb for 1 hour). Spirit surveyed the horizon with the panoramic camera and completed a full-color, systematic ground survey using all 13 filters of the panoramic camera.
Sol 1334: Spirit completed a survey of rock clasts using the panoramic camera and then continued to drive toward site 3a. After the drive, the rover acquired images with the hazard avoidance cameras and a 4-by-1 image mosaic with the navigation camera. Spirit transmitted data to Odyssey during the overnight pass of the orbiter.
Sol 1335: Spirit completed a 5-point survey and then a 7-point survey of the sky and ground using the miniature thermal emission spectrometer.
Sol 1336 (Oct. 6, 2007): Spirit monitored dust on the panoramic camera mast assembly and acquired images with the navigation camera in support of observations with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer. The rover then completed a 7-point survey of the sky and ground as well as a systematic foreground survey with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer. Spirit transmitted data to the Odyssey orbiter during its overnight pass. The rover was slated to conduct a 5-point survey of the sky and ground the next morning with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer.
Odometry:
As of sol 1333 (Oct. 3, 2007), Spirit’s total odometry was 7,244.32 meters (4.5 miles).