Mars Exploration Rover Update – February 2, 2006

OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: Mozart on Mars – sol 715-721, Feb 02, 2006:

Opportunity is healthy and is continuing the characterization of an outcrop called “Olympia.” The rover is on top of a feature called “Overgaard.” The plan is to complete a mosaic with the microscopic imager, then drive toward a feature called “Roosevelt” and examine it with tools on the robotic arm.

The informal names of targets on Overgaard are related to Mozart, marking his 250th birthday on Jan. 27.

Sol-by-sol summaries:

Sol 715 and 716 (Jan. 27 and 28, 2006): Used the microscopic imager on “Branchwater” and “Bourbon.”

Sol 717: Bumped to Overgaard to do an extensive mosaic with the microscopic imager.

Sol 718: Conducted untargeted remote sensing (atmospheric science).

Sol 719: Planned use of the microscopic imager on targets “Don_Giovanni,” “Salzburg” and “Nachtmusik,” but a robotic arm error occurred during the work on Salzburg.

Sol 720: Conducted untargeted remote sensing.

Sol 721 (Feb. 2, 2006): Cleared the errors for another attempt to use the microscopic imager on Overgaard.

Opportunity’s total odometry as of sol 721 is 6,505 meters (4.04 miles).