NASA Mars Exploration Rover Status 2 September 2005
SPIRIT UPDATE: Studying the Summit – sol 584-591, Sept 02, 2005:
Perched on the crest “Husband Hill,” Spirit took images for a summit panorama and used instruments on the robotic arm to investigate soil targets.
Science team has compiled a list of experiments they would like Spirit to execute while the rover is on the summit. This list includes:
- Assess the inner basin and image potential drive paths
- Assess the surrounding terrain and image “Cumberland Ridge”
- Routinely observe the atmosphere during the day and the moons at night
- Study undisturbed soils, scuffed soils, and drift deposits
- Study the structural geology of Husband Hill, including dips
- Observe outcrops and rocks
- Take images for a rover self-portrait
- Complete a panorama on top of the “Columbia Hills”
- Finalize exit strategy
Spirit has already completed some of the above observations. It has taken frames for the self-portrait, looked at soil targets, and imaged the two moons of Mars — Phobos and Deimos — twice. After completing the initial summit imaging, Spirit drove southeast to another point in the crest area to assess more of the Cumberland Ridge and surrounding terrain.
Sol-by-sol summaries:
Sol 585 (Aug. 25, 2005): Spirit performed remote sensing operations, did a Moessbauer spectrometer integration, and imaged Phobos and Deimos.
Sol 586: Spirit performed remote sensing operations, did a Moessbauer spectrometer integration, and imaged the rover deck.
Sol 587: Spirit changed tools from the Moessbauer spectrometer to the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer.
Sol 588: Spirit continued with robotic arm operations using the microscopic imager and alpha particle X-ray spectrometer.
Sol 589: Spirit retracted the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer and stowed the robotic arm. The rover backed away to image the area where the robotic arm had been working, then drove to the southeast. Drive distance for the sol was 21 meters (69 feet).
Sol 590: Spirit continued the drive in the east-southeast direction for another 14.2 meters (47 feet).
Sol 591: Spirit turned to point the UHF antenna for better communications with the Odyssey orbiter. Spirit performed remote sensing at “South Point 1.”
As of the end of sol 591, (Sept. 1, 2005), Spirit has driven 4,862 meters (3.02 miles).
OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: Cautious Recovery – sol 566-573, Sept 02, 2005:
Recovery from the sol 563 power-off event is well underway. Each sol, the team has planned one new activity. By sol 570 (Aug. 31, 2005), the rover had successfully performed observations with the panoramic camera, navigation camera, and miniature thermal emission spectrometer and had completed a short alpha particle X-ray spectrometer integration (with the robotic arm stowed) and a 6.5-meter (21-foot) blind drive.
Additional precautions are being taken with each sol’s plan, including shutting down after the morning uplink (to save the high-gain antenna position, thus preventing an X-band fault in case of another anomaly) and waiting 15 minutes after wakeup to start any science activities.
Sol-by sol summaries:
Sols 566 through 568 (Aug. 27 through Aug. 29, 2005) were devoted to engineering activities. Science activities were put on hold over the weekend while engineers investigated the sol 563 reset.
Sol 569: Spirit completed step two in the post-anomaly recovery plan: a short blind drive. (Step one, remote sensing with the panoramic camera and navigation camera, was performed on sol 565). The 6.5-meter (21-foot) drive executed perfectly, and all motor currents were nominal.
Sol 570: This sol marked the first use of the miniature thermal emission spectrometer since the sol 563 reset, which was step three in recovery from the anomaly. After waking from a nap and waiting 15 minutes, the rover performed a short alpha particle X-ray spectrometer integration with the robotic arm stowed. This was simply to test the payload service board, which controls the spectrometers. Five minutes after the end of the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer test, a low-elevation raster was taken successfully with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer. The resulting data product has been received on Earth.
Sol 571: Spirit completed a blind drive of 11.8 meters (38.7 feet) designed to take it across some outcrop then over a small ripple.
Sols 572 and 573 (Sept. 2 and Sept. 3, 2005): Commands sent for these sols are for observations with the panoramic camera and navigation camera.
Opportunity’s total distance driven on Mars, as of Sept. 2, 2005, Additional precautions are being taken with each sol’s plan, including shutting down after the morning uplink (to save the high-gain antenna position, thus preventing an X-band fault in case of another anomaly) and waiting 15 minutes after wakeup to start any science activities.
Sol-by sol summaries:
Sols 566 through 568 (Aug. 27 through Aug. 29, 2005) were devoted to engineering activities. Science activities were put on hold over the weekend while engineers investigated the sol 563 reset.
Sol 569: Spirit completed step two in the post-anomaly recovery plan: a short blind drive. (Step one, remote sensing with the panoramic camera and navigation camera, was performed on sol 565). The 6.5-meter (21-foot) drive executed perfectly, and all motor currents were nominal.
Sol 570: This sol marked the first use of the miniature thermal emission spectrometer since the sol 563 reset, which was step three in recovery from the anomaly. After waking from a nap and waiting 15 minutes, the rover performed a short alpha particle X-ray spectrometer integration with the robotic arm stowed. This was simply to test the payload service board, which controls the spectrometers. Five minutes after the end of the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer test, a low-elevation raster was taken successfully with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer. The resulting data product has been received on Earth.
Sol 571: Spirit completed a blind drive of 11.8 meters (38.7 feet) designed to take it across some outcrop then over a small ripple.
Sols 572 and 573 (Sept. 2 and Sept. 3, 2005): Commands sent for these sols are for observations with the panoramic camera and navigation camera.
Opportunity’s total distance driven on Mars, as of Sept. 2, 2005,
