NASA Mars Rover Spirit Status 13 October 2006
SPIRIT UPDATE: Spirit Studies Layers of Volcanic Rock – sol 977-981, October 13, 2006:
Spirit is healthy and continues to make progress on a winter science campaign of experiments.
In parallel with normal planning, a special team has been developing plans to be executed during solar conjunction, when the sun obscures the line of sight between Earth and Mars and severely limits radio communication. Rover handlers will upload the plans to be executed by Spirit during solar conjunction prior to the beginning of conjunction. This year’s solar conjunction period begins on the rover’s 991st Martian day, or sol, (Oct. 16, 2006) and ends on sol 1005 (Oct. 30, 2006). Planning for future activities on sols 1006 and 1007 (Oct. 31 to Nov. 1, 2006) will resume Oct. 30.
Spirit continued to produce atmospheric profiles of dust, temperature at different heights, ice, and water vapor, as well as surface and sub-surface temperatures using the miniature thermal emission spectrometer. Plans also called for a scan of the sky for clouds, which, if found, could be incorporated into a multi-frame movie for observing cloud movement.
Spirit acquired super-resolution panoramic camera images of volcanic outcrops called “Marambio,” “Jubany,” and “Mitcheltree Ridge” on sols 979 and 981 (Oct. 4 and Oct. 6, 2006). The outcrops consist of basalt, a dense, dark rock that hardens from lava and often has a glassy appearance. These basalts were also vesicular, meaning they are porous because there were gas bubbles in the lava when it solidified.
The purpose of the super-resolution imaging campaign is to identify and map characteristics of the local geology. In particular, scientists hope to determine the relative stratigraphy of Mitcheltree Ridge, “Low Ridge,” and the raised, circular plateau known as “Home Plate.” Stratigraphy is the study of rock layers.
Spirit’s solar energy levels continued to rise, ending the week at around 300 watt-hours. One hundred watt-hours is the amount of electricity needed to light one 100-watt bulb for one hour.
Sol-by-sol summary:
Sol 977 (Oct. 2, 2006): Spirit measured atmospheric opacity using the panoramic camera, surveyed the sky and ground with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, used the Moessbauer spectrometer to analyze dust collected by the filter magnets, acquired panoramic camera images of the work volume accessible by the robotic arm, and collected images of the rover’s tracks with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer.
Sol 978: Spirit measured atmospheric opacity using the panoramic camera, surveyed the sky and ground with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, and collected thermal data from targets known as “Casey Station” and “Sobral.” The rover acquired super-resolution images of volcanic rock outcrops called Marambio and Jubany and measured morning sky brightness in the west with the panoramic camera.
Sol 979: Spirit measured atmospheric dust opacity using the panoramic camera, surveyed the sky and ground with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, and restarted integration of data from the Moessbauer spectrometer’s inspection of dust on the filter magnets. In addition, Spirit acquired morning images of the dune field known as “El Dorado” as well as images of the Martian horizon using the panoramic camera, measured morning sky brightness in the west with the panoramic camera, and scanned the sky for clouds using the navigation camera.
Sol 980: Spirit measured atmospheric dust opacity using the panoramic camera, surveyed the sky and ground with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, surveyed the sky with the panoramic camera, and acquired super-resolution images of Mitcheltree Ridge with the panoramic camera.
Sol 981 (Oct. 6, 2006): Spirit measured atmospheric dust opacity using the panoramic camera, surveyed the sky and ground with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, restarted integration of data from the filter magnets with the Moessbauer spectrometer, and acquired super-resolution panoramic camera images of the soil target known as “Tyrone.”
Odometry:
As of sol 981 (Oct. 6, 2006), Spirit’s total odometry remained at 6,876.18 meters (4.27 miles).
