NASA Mars Rover Opportunity Update: Jul 2-8, 2014

OPPORTUNITY UPDATE:  Rover Completes Study of Area with Aluminum Clay Minerals; Heads South – sols 3711-3717, July 02, 2014-July 08, 2014:

Opportunity is exploring south along the west rim of Endeavour Crater. The rover completed the survey of the region where orbital data suggests the presence of aluminum-hydroxyl clay minerals.

On Sol 3711 (July 2, 2014), Opportunity began to move south. The rover collected some documentary Panoramic Camera (Pancam) images, and then drove a little over 79 feet (24 meters). The drive was followed by a 360-degree Navigation Camera (Navcam) panorama to document the new location and potential drive directions. On Sol 3713 (July 4, 2014), Opportunity continued heading south with a 43-feet (13-meter)-drive towards a feature called ‘Broken Hills.’ The drive was again preceded by targeted Pancam images and followed by documentary Navcam panoramas.

The spacecraft clock correction effort continued each sol with the rate increased from 3 to 4 seconds on Sol 3715 (July 6, 2014). On 3716 (July 7, 2014), Opportunity headed closer to Broken Hills with a 62-feet (19-meter)-drive and more documentary imagery, plus an overnight atmospheric argon measurement with the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer. On Sol 3717 (July 8, 2014), the rover performed drive-by and got pictures (mid-drive imagery) of a large fin-like structure of Broken Hills as it passed during the 39-feet (12-meter)-drive.

As of Sol 3717 (July 8, 2014), the solar array energy production was 735 watt-hours with an atmospheric opacity (Tau) of 0.738 and a solar array dust factor of 0.878.

Total odometry is 24.66 miles (39.69 kilometers).