SPIRIT UPDATE: Light Duty for Now - sol 1663-1668, September 05-11, 2008:
Spirit continues to conserve solar power while performing light science activities during the Martian winter. During the past week, Spirit studied the atmosphere and acquired two frames of the full-color image mosaic known as the “Bonestell panorama.”
Spirit is healthy and all subsystems are performing as expected as of the relay of information from NASA’s Odyssey orbiter on sol 1666 (Sept. 9, 2008). Solar-array energy and tau – a measure of atmospheric opacity caused by suspended dust – are holding steady at 245 watt-hours (100 watt-hours is the amount of energy needed to light a 100-watt bulb for one hour) and 0.20, respectively.
Sol-by-sol summary
In addition to taking daily measurements of dust-related changes in atmospheric opacity (tau), Spirit completed the following activities:
Sol 1663 (Sept. 6, 2008): Spirit recharged the batteries.
Sol 1664: Spirit acquired column 18 of the Bonestell panorama, using all 13 color filters of the panoramic camera.
Sol 1665: Spirit recharged the batteries.
Sol 1666: Spirit recharged the batteries.
Sol 1667: Spirit received new instructions from Earth via the rover’s high-gain antenna and relayed data to the UHF antenna on NASA’s Odyssey orbiter to be transmitted to Earth.
Sol 1668 (Sept. 11, 2008): Spirit monitored dust accumulation on the panoramic-camera mast assembly and acquired column 19 of the Bonestell panorama.
Odometry:
As of sol 1666 (Sept. 9, 2008), Spirit’s total odometry was 7,528.0 meters (4.7 miles).
OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: Playing in the Sand - sol 1641-1647, September 04-11, 2008:
During the past week, Opportunity performed several tests of the robotic arm to learn how to use it with a disabled shoulder joint. Having successfully completed those tests, Opportunity is moving on to investigate some bright patches of dust. Scientists hope to ascertain if the patches contain material not thoroughly analyzed in the past.
On sol (Martian day) 1641 (Sept. 4, 2008), Opportunity homed in on an area of sand that appeared to contain a high concentration of dust. For the next several days, sols 1642-1647 (Sept. 5-11, 2008), the rover tested the robotic arm’s ability to place scientific instruments on specific targets in the sand. These instruments included the Moessbauer spectrometer, microscopic imager, and alpha-particle X-ray spectrometer. Tests revealed that the robotic arm placed the instruments in position with very little error in spite of the disabled shoulder joint. Because the dust was not pure enough to yield the desired scientific results, engineers decided on sol 1648 (Sept. 12, 2008) to drive the rover north to a more promising area of apparent dust patches.
On sol 1644 (Sept. 7, 2009), Opportunity relayed data at UHF frequencies to NASA’s Mars Reconnaisance Orbiter (MRO). Typically, the rover sends data to NASA’s Odyssey orbiter for transmission to Earth. Once a month, Opportunity is relaying data to the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in preparation for using it more in the future.
Opportunity is healthy, with all subsystems performing as expected as of the most recent transfer of information from NASA’s Odyssey orbiter on sol 1647 (Sept. 11, 2008). Power rose to 652 watt-hours (enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for a tad longer than 6.5 hours).
Sol-by-sol summary:
Each Martian day, or sol, Opportunity measured dust-related changes in atmospheric clarity with the panoramic camera. In addition, Opportunity completed the following activities:
Sol 1641 (Sept. 4, 2008): Before driving, Opportunity acquired a 3- by-1 panel of panoramic-camera images looking north. The rover then nudged toward a bright patch and, after stopping, acquired images of the ground near its wheels and the area directly ahead with the hazard-avoidance and navigation cameras, respectively. The rover relayed data to Odyssey.
Sol 1642: In the morning, Opportunity took thumbnail images and spot images of the sky for calibration purposes with the panoramic camera. Next, the rover tested movement and placement of the Moessbauer spectrometer, taking images near the ground with the hazard-avoidance cameras and images from above with the panoramic camera. Opportunity then used the Moessbauer spectrometer to acquire compositional data from a sand dune on the rim of “Victoria Crater.” After relaying data to Odyssey, Opportunity went into a mini-deep sleep.
Sol 1643: Opportunity acquired six, time-lapse movie frames in search of morning clouds with the navigation camera. Opportunity continued to acquire data from the sand dune at the rim of Victoria Crater with the Moessbauer spectrometer. Opportunity took full-color images, using all 13 color filters of the panoramic camera, of the rover’s tracks. After sending data to Odyssey, Opportunity went into a mini-deep sleep.
Sol 1644: Opportunity acquired six, time-lapse movie frames in search of clouds. The rover continued to collect data from the dune on the rim of Victoria Crater using the Moessbauer spectrometer. Before communicating with Odyssey, Opportunity relayed data to the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for transmission to Earth. After sending data to Odyssey, the rover went into a mini-deep sleep.
Sol 1645: In the morning, Opportunity acquired six, time-lapse movie frames in search of clouds with the navigation camera. Opportunity acquired a 1-by-3-by-15 stack of microscopic images of ripple soil. The rover restarted the Moessbauer spectrometer and began collecting data from the soil in the ripples. After transmitting data to Odysssey, Opportunity acquired a 3-by-1 panel of images of a target dubbed “Schuchert.”
Sol 1646: Opportunity monitored dust accumulation on the panoramic-camera mast assembly and restarted the Moessbauer spectrometer for collecting data on the ripple soil. The rover used the miniature thermal emission spectrometer to complete a mini-survey of the sky and ground. Before sending data to Odyssey, Opportunity used the spectrometer to characterize the external calibration target.
Sol 1647 (Sept. 11, 2008): Opportunity acquired more time-lapse, movie frames to document potential clouds passing overhead. The rover took a 3-by-1 panel of images of Schuchert with the panoramic camera and a time-lapse movie in search of clouds. Opportunity placed the alpha-particle X-ray spectrometer on the ripple soil and, after sending data to Odyssey, acquired compositional data. Plans for the following morning called for the rover to study a cobble field, acquiring a 4- by-1 panel of images with the panoramic camera.
Odometry:
As of sol 1647 (Sept. 11, 2008), Opportunity’s total odometry was 11,782.10 meters (7.32 miles).
SPIRIT UPDATE: Warming Up on Mars - sol 1669-1677, September 12-20, 2008:
With Martian winter on the wane, Spirit is using significantly less energy to stay warm. During the winter solstice, Spirit needed 90 watt-hours to run the heater. Now, the rover uses between 30 and 40 watt-hours. The reduced demand for power, more than the slow increase in solar-array input, has freed up energy for other things. In particular, Spirit has added more images to the 360-degree view of its winter surroundings, known as the “Bonestell panorama.” The top tier, one of three tiers needed for the final image mosaic, is almost complete.
Plans called for Spirit to use the miniature thermal emission spectrometer for the first time in several months. The last time the rover used the instrument was on Martian day, or sol, 1558 (May 21, 2008). On sol 1675 (Sept. 18, 2008), Spirit’s schedule of activities included calibrating the spectometer and using it to observe the sky and ground. Normally, scientists use the observations to measure temperatures at different heights and create a temperature profile of the ground and atmosphere. In this case, the purpose of the measurements is to verify that the spectrometer is still working after a long, cold period of disuse. The measurements will also enable scientists to estimate the amount of dust on the optics. They may or may not provide a useful temperature profile.
Spirit is healthy and all subsystems are performing as expected as of the most recent report from NASA’s Odyssey orbiter on sol 1674 (Sept. 17, 2008). Solar-array energy has inched upward to 255 watt-hours (100 watt-hours is the amount of energy needed to light a 100-watt bulb for one hour). Skies are clearer than last week, with tau, a measure of the amount of sunlight blocked by atmospheric dust, dropping to 0.141.
Sol-by-sol summary
In addition to taking daily measurements of dust-related changes in atmospheric opacity (tau), Spirit completed the following activities:
Sol 1669 (Sept. 12, 2008): Spirit recharged the batteries.
Sol 1670: Spirit received new instructions directly from Earth sent at X-band frequencies to the rover’s high-gain antenna. The rover relayed data to NASA’s Odyssey orbiter to be transmitted to Earth.
Sol 1671: Spirit acquired column 20, part 1 and column 21, part 1 of the full-color Bonestell panorama, using all 13 color filters of the panoramic camera. The rover took spot images of the sky for calibration purposes with the panoramic camera.
Sol 1672: Spirit recharged the batteries.
Sol 1673: Spirit recharged the batteries.
Sol 1674: Spirit received new instructions from Earth via the rover’s high-gain antenna. The rover relayed data to Odyssey to be sent to Earth.
Sol 1675: Plans called for Spirit to acquire column 22, part 1 and column 23, part 1 of the Bonestell panorama and then verify that the miniature thermal emission spectrometer was still functional. This involved warming up the actuator, calibrating the instrument, measuring ground temperature, and measuring atmospheric temperatures at different heights. Plans also called for Spirit to calibrate the panoramic camera by taking images in darkness while the instrument was warm.
Sol 1676: Plans called for Spirit to recharge the batteries.
Sol 1677 (Sept. 20, 2008): Plans called for Spirit to recharge the batteries.
Odometry:
As of sol 1674 (Sept. 17, 2008), Spirit’s total odometry remained at 7,528.0 meters (4.7 miles).
OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: Slipping Like a Dune Buggy - sol 1648-1654, September 12-18, 2008:
During the past week, Opportunity has been trying to reach a patch of dust between two crests of the ridge surrounding “Victoria Crater.” The rover approached the ridge from the west, driving on flat ground, on Martian days, or sols, 1648 and 1650 (Sept. 12 and Sept. 14, 2008). Then, after reaching a staging position, Opportunity began to climb the ridge. That’s when the rover’s wheels began slipping excessively on the sandy slope.
Rover drivers decided to give Opportunity another chance to make it up the slope by loosening the slip constraints. This allowed Opportunity to keep trying to climb the slope with a higher rate of wheel slippage. If the attempt to do this as planned on sol 1654 (Sept. 18, 2008) is not successful, rover drivers may try a different approach or abandon the effort.
After the dust patch campaign, plans call for Opportunity to drive south toward a 20-kilometer-wide (12-mile-wide) crater 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) away.
Opportunity is healthy, and all subsystems are performing as expected. Based on the latest data from sol 1653 (Sept. 17, 2008), the rover has 582 watt-hours of solar power available each day. (One hundred watt-hours is the amount of energy needed to light a 100-watt bulb for one hour.)
Sol-by-sol summary:
In addition to measuring dust-related changes in atmospheric clarity each day with the panoramic camera, Opportunity completed the following activities:
Sol 1648 (Sept. 12, 2008): Opportunity stowed the robotic arm and began driving toward the dust patch. Just before and after ending the drive, Opportunity took images with the hazard-avoidance and navigation cameras, respectively. The rover acquired a 4-by-1 panel of images, called the “Bagnold mosaic,” with the panoramic camera.
Sol 1649: Opportunity took full-color images, using all 13 filters of the panoramic camera, of a target nicknamed “Drummond.” After relaying data to NASA’s Odyssey orbiter for transmission to Earth, Opportunity measured argon gas in the Martian atmosphere with the alpha-particle X-ray spectrometer.
Sol 1650: In the morning, Opportunity took thumbnail images of the sky with the panoramic camera. The rover continued driving toward the dust patch and documented progress before and after ending the drive by taking images with the engineering cameras. Opportunity acquired another 4-by-1 panel of images for the Bagnold mosaic before sending data to Odyssey.
Sol 1651: Opportunity searched for morning clouds in the Martian sky by taking six time-lapse, movie frames with the navigation camera. The rover took spot images of the sky for calibration purposes, surveyed the horizon, and surveyed the sky at low Sun with the panoramic camera.
Sol 1652: In the morning, Opportunity searched for clouds passing overhead by taking six time-lapse, movie frames with the navigation camera. The rover checked for drift – changes with time – in the miniature thermal emission spectrometer and also conducted a test of the instrument. Before beginning the day’s drive, Opportunity used the spectrometer to study a target dubbed “Velvet” and survey the sky and ground at different elevations. The rover then attempted to drive up the ridge to the dust patch, acquiring images along the way with the hazard-avoidance and navigation cameras. Opportunity sent data to Odyssey for transmission to Earth.
Sol 1653: Opportunity acquired a 3-by-1 mosaic of westward-looking images with the navigation camera and took images in total darkness with the panoramic camera for calibration purposes.
Sol 1654 (Sept. 18, 2008): Upon rising, Opportunity took more “dark current” images with the panoramic camera for calibration purposes. The rover tried once more to drive to the dust patch, taking images before and after ending the drive with the hazard-avoidance and navigation cameras. Before proceeding with plans to measure atmospheric argon, Opportunity transmitted data to Odyssey for relay to Earth.
Odometry:
As of sol 1653 (Sept. 17, 2008), Opportunity’s total odometry was 11,796.22 meters (7.33 miles).
SPIRIT UPDATE: Spirit and Earth Stick Together - sol 1685-1689, September 28 - October 03, 2008:
Spirit is poised to begin making more “phone calls” to Earth and engineers are preparing to contact Spirit more frequently as a result of improving solar power input on Mars. Though Spirit’s energy levels are still low, they are improving significantly as Martian winter gradually fades into spring. The rover will use some of the energy to let engineers and scientists know how things are going on Mars.
Spirit stays in touch by transmitting data at UHF frequencies to NASA’s Odyssey orbiter. Odyssey sends it to Earth. On the other end of the line, engineers send new activity plans to Spirit using X-band transmissions from Earth that go directly to the rover’s dish antenna. More frequent communication allows greater operational flexibility as the rover gradually returns to a normal planning schedule and prepares to drive again in mid- to late October.
Spirit’s first post-winter drive will be short, just far enough to adjust the rover’s position so its solar panels remain tilted toward the Sun as it moves higher in the sky. The goal is to have Spirit in the best possible position before solar conjunction – the time of year when the Sun passes between Mars and Earth and temporarily prohibits communication.
Meanwhile, Spirit has been working hard to complete the full-color “Bonestell panorama” of the rover’s winter surroundings. After a long hiatus caused by power limitations, Spirit resumed making measurements of argon gas in the Martian atmosphere.
Spirit is healthy, with all subsystems performing as expected as of sol 1686 (Sept. 30, 2008). Solar-array energy increased to 262 watt-hours (100 watt-hours is the amount of energy needed to light a 100-watt bulb for one hour). Skies remained clear, with tau, a measure of the amount of sunlight blocked by atmospheric dust, at 0.134. Historically, dust levels at this time of year have been higher. Rover operators are keeping close tabs on atmospheric dust because of its potential impact on the rover’s power state.
Sol-by-sol summary
Spirit completed the following activities:
Sol 1685 (Sept. 28, 2008): Spirit listened for communications from Earth with the rover’s low-gain antenna, checked for drift – changes with time – in the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, surveyed the sky and ground with the instrument, and measured atmospheric opacity caused by dust (tau) with the panoramic camera. Spirit monitored dust accumulation on the panoramic-camera mast assembly and acquired column 22, part 2, and column 24, part 2 of the so-called “Bonestell panorama,” a full-color, 360-degree view of the rover’s winter surroundings, created with all 13 color filters of the panoramic camera.
Sol 1686: Spirit received new instructions from Earth at X-band frequencies sent to the rover’s high-gain antenna and spent three hours measuring argon gas in the Martian atmosphere with the alpha-particle X-ray spectrometer. Spirit relayed data to NASA’s Odyssey orbiter to be transmitted to Earth.
Sol 1687: Spirit measured dust-related changes in atmospheric darkness with the panoramic camera and acquired column 23, part 2 and column 25, part 2 of the Bonestell panorama.
Sol 1688: Spirit checked for drift in the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, surveyed the sky and ground with the instrument, and measured atmospheric opacity caused by dust with the panoramic camera. Spirit acquired column 27, part 2 and column 26, part 2 of the Bonestell panorama. The rover supplemented panoramic-camera measurements of atmospheric dust with measurements from the navigation camera and acquired a four-frame movie in search of clouds with the navigation camera.
Sol 1689 (Oct. 3, 2008): Plans called for Spirit to measure dust- related changes in atmospheric darkness with the panoramic camera and acquire column 19, part 3 and column 21, part 3 of the Bonestell panorama. The rover was to assess atmospheric dust levels with the navigation camera and produce a four-frame, time-lapse movie of potential clouds passing overhead.
Odometry:
As of sol 1686 (Sept. 30, 2008), Spirit’s total odometry remained at 7,528.0 meters (4.7 miles).
OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: Opportunity Takes a Victory Lap - sol 1661-1668, September 25-30, 2008:
A journey of 7.5 miles began with a partial victory lap around “Victoria Crater,” as Opportunity headed south toward enormous “Endeavour Crater.” Partway around the circuit, Opportunity passed the 7.5-mile mark of the mission. In metric terms, the rover began a 12,000-meter, cross- country trek by ending a similar 12,000-meter journey across uncharted terrain and in and out of craters.
Opportunity also chalked up the second-longest drive of the mission on sol 1663 (Sept. 27, 2008), advancing 153 meters (500 feet). Three days later, Opportunity drove another 129 meters (423 feet), on sol 1666 (Sept. 30, 2008).
Along the way, the rover took advantage of opportunities to explore rock layers and other features visible from the rim of Victoria Crater. The first drive of the trek on Martian day, or sol, 1661 (Sept. 25, 2008) included a drive-by photo shoot with the camera pointed at a small crater known as “Sputnik Crater” on the edge of Victoria. That drive covered 27 meters (89 feet).
Drive performance has been excellent, with very little wheel slippage on this terrain. As a result, Opportunity is now in position to approach Victoria Crater again. This time, the rover’s itinerary will take it onto a promontory called “Cape Victory” for a photo shoot of rock layers visible in a neighboring promontory known as “Cape Pillar.”
On its journey to the southeast, Opportunity will have route-planning assistance from super high-resolution images taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Rover operators will use the images, which reveal details as small as individual boulders, to plot the safest path.
Opportunity remains healthy, with all subsystems performing as expected as of Martian day, or sol, 1666 (Sept. 30, 2008). Power continues to improve, with sunlight generating 654 watt-hours of solar energy – enough to light a 100-watt bulb for 6.5 hours (100 watt-hours is the amount of energy needed to light a 100-watt bulb for one hour.)
Sol-by-sol summary:
Besides measuring daily, dust-related changes in atmospheric clarity with the panoramic camera, Opportunity completed the following activities:
Sol 1661 (Sept. 25, 2008): Midway through the sol’s drive, Opportunity acquired a 3-by-1 panel of images of Sputnik using the navigation camera. The rover acquired a 2-by-1 panel of forward-looking images with the navigation camera. Before relaying data to NASA’s Odyssey orbiter for transmission to Earth, Opportunity took several tiers of post- drive images, including a 4-by-1 tier with the panoramic camera as well as 3-by-1 and 7-by-1 tiers with the navigation camera.
Sol 1662: In the morning, Opportunity took thumbnail images of the sky for calibration purposes with the panoramic camera. After sending data to Odyssey, Opportunity measured argon gas in the Martian atmosphere using the alpha-particle X-ray spectrometer.
Sol 1663: Opportunity searched for morning clouds by acquiring six, freeze-frame images to be stitched together into a movie. Before the day’s drive, Opportunity acquired a 3-by-1 mosaic of images of Sputnik, an image of another small crater nicknamed “Gauss,” and a ripple profile with the panoramic camera. Opportunity made the second-longest, single-day drive of the mission, traveling a distance of 152 meters (449 feet). The rover acquired rearward-looking images of the ground near its wheels with the hazard-avoidance cameras and relayed data to Odyssey.
Sol 1664: Opportunity searched for morning clouds by acquiring six movie frames with the navigation camera. The rover acquired a 2-by-1 panel of forward-looking images with the navigation camera. After driving another 129 meters (423 feet), Opportunity acquired a 3-by-1 tier of navigation-camera images and a 7-by-1 and 6-by-1 tier of panoramic-camera images. Using all 13 color filters of the panoramic camera, Opportunity completed a systematic survey and took images of the external magnets. After sending data to Odyssey, the rover measured atmospheric argon.
Sol 1665: In the morning, Opportunity took spot images of the sky for calibration purposes with the panoramic camera. The rover surveyed the sky at high Sun and also measured albedo – surface brightness – with the panoramic camera. After relaying data to Odyssey, Opportunity measured argon gas in the atmosphere with the alpha-particle X-ray spectrometer.
Sol 1666 (Sept. 30, 2008): Opportunity took morning thumbnail images of the sky for calibration purposes with the panoramic camera. In conjunction with the day’s drive, the rover took a 2-by-1 panel of forward-looking images with the navigation camera. Opportunity acquired a 3-by-1 and a 7-by-1 post-drive tier of images with the navigation camera as well as a 4-by-1 panel of images with the panoramic camera. After sending data to Odyssey, Opportunity measured atmospheric argon. Plans for the following day called for the rover to take spot images of the sky with the panoramic camera, monitor dust accumulation on the rover mast, and acquire a six-frame movie in search of Martian clouds.
Odometry:
As of sol 1666 (Sept. 30, 2008), Opportunity’s total odometry was 12,188.15 meters (7.53 miles).