NASA Mars Rover Opportunity Spirit Status: Spirit Begins to Look for Best Access to ‘Home Plate’
Spirit Status for sol 1145 – 1151
Spirit is healthy and has finished her science campaign at “Mitcheltree Ridge.” The rover is now heading south along the outside edge of “Home Plate” toward an outcrop named “Madeline English.” After the investigation of Madeline English the rover will head back north to one of several possible “on-ramps” for making its way onto Home Plate. In the early morning of sol 1151 Spirit will perform its first overnight communications relay with Mars Odyssey since before winter (sol 846)!
So-by-sol summary:
In addition to specific daily activities, Spirit’s conducted routine atmospheric observations, which include: panoramic camera tau measurements, miniature thermal emission spectrometer sky and ground stares, and panoramic camera sky spots.
Sol 1145 (March 24, 2007): On this sol, the rover continued Moessbauer spectrometer observations on targets “Torquas 2,” and completed Mini-TES stares on “Throxus,” “Arbok,” “Malagor,” “Glorestra,” “Syl” and “Polodona.” Spirit also began a panoramic camera image of Mitcheltree Ridge (North).
Sol 1146: Spirit took a microscopic stereo image of target “John Carter” and completed miniature thermal emission spectrometer stares on targets “Forandus,” “Iss” and “Thavas.” The rover took an alpha particle X-ray spectrometer reading on John Carter and continued its panoramic camera image of Mitcheltree Ridge (North).
Sol 1147: Spirit captured a navigation camera dust devil sequence and continued on dust devil watch. The rover also began a panoramic camera 13-Filter of Mitcheltree Ridge. The miniature thermal emission spectrometer was used to stare at targets “Darseen” and “Faget.” The rover also conducted some panoramic camera photometry experiments.
Sol 1148: The rover stowed its instrument deployment device (“arm”), drove towards Home Plate and then conducted post-drive navigation and panoramic camera imaging. The panoramic camera captured sky thumbnails and the navigation camera shot another dust devil sequence.
Sol 1149: On this sol, the panoramic camera conducted a high sun survey. The rover also took a miniature thermal emission spectrometer 5-point sky & ground stare and a navigation camera dust devil sequence.
Sol 1150: Spirit used its panoramic camera to image nearby outcrop, then drove 8 meters (26 feet) south-southeast toward Madeline English. After the drive, the navigation camera and the panoramic cameras took images.
Sol 1151: Overnight, there was an Odyssey data relay. The panoramic camera conducted a clast survey (looking at rock fragments) and then monitored for dust.
As of sol 1150, Spirit’s total odometry was 7,066 meters (4.39 miles).
