Spirit: Active days and nights -- Opportunity: Examining 'Absecon'
Sun Jul 12, 2009 at 09:23 UTC
Spirit remains positioned just west of Home Plate, in the location called "Troy," where the rover has been continuing an ambitious science campaign.
The campaign includes extensive observations with the panoramic camera (Pancam) and miniature thermal emission spectrometer (Mini-TES) plus contact science using all the tools on the robotic arm (instrument deployment device, or IDD). On Sol 1954 (July 2, 2009), the rock abrasion tool (RAT) repeated a seek-scan procedure on a surface soil target in preparation for brushing that target, but the seek-scan was unable to make sufficient contact with the target for brushing.
With abundant daily energy after repeated array-cleaning events, the rover is conducting nighttime activities to increase the depth of discharge in the batteries for battery health and maintenance.
Activities continue on Earth for extraction testing of the surface system testbed (SSTB) rover in a simulated Mars environment. On July 6, 2009, testing began with the SSTB on the series of proposed extraction maneuvers in the new test fixture ("dust bin") at JPL.
As of Sol 1960 (July 8, 2009), Spirit's solar array energy production is 938 watt-hours. Atmospheric opacity (tau) is 0.349. The dust factor on the solar array is 0.82, indicating that 82 percent of sunlight hitting the array penetrates the much-reduced layer of dust on it. Total odometry remains at 7,729.93 meters (4.80 miles).
This work on July 9, 2009, was part of a series of tests at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., designed to determine the best way to get NASA's Spirit rover out of a Martian patch of soft soil called "Troy," where Spirit's wheels have dug in. The test setup, in a box that team members are calling the dustbin, simulates the situation at Troy. The box holds about 2.7 tons of a powdery mixture of diatomaceous earth and fire clay. This material has physical properties similar to the soil at Troy. The top surface is sloped at 10 degrees. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Opportunity has driven to a large expanse of outcrop to conduct in-situ (contact) science.
On Sol 1932 (June 30, 2009), the microscopic imager (MI) collected a stack of images, and then the Mössbauer spectrometer (MB) was placed on a surface target called "Absecon" for an overnight integration.
On Sol 1933 (July 1, 2009), another MI stack of images was taken, and the MB was placed again on Absecon for a multi-sol integration. On Sol 1938 (July 7, 2009), the rock abrasion tool (RAT) performed a seek-scan procedure on a surface target in preparation for brushing. This first attempt did not succeed, but a RAT seek-scan the following sol was successful.
During the week, the right-front drive actuator was rested with some active heating in an attempt to mitigate elevated motor currents seen when driving. The shroud of the miniature thermal emission spectrometer (Mini-TES) is being left open for extended periods to allow the environment to clean putative dust contamination from the elevation mirror.
As of Sol 1939 (July 8, 2009), Opportunity's solar array energy production is 429 watt-hours, with an atmospheric opacity (tau) of 0.438 and a dust factor of 0.519. Total odometry remains at 16,712.46 meters (10.38 miles).
| Source: Jet Propulsion Laboratory | |
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