NASA Mars Rover Spirit Status 29 September 2006
SPIRIT UPDATE: Solar Power Is on the Rise as Spirit ‘Follows the Water’ – sol 970-976, September 29, 2006:
Solar power levels on Spirit are slowly beginning to rise again following a winter low of 275 watt-hours on Martian day, or sol, 933 (Aug. 18, 2006). One hundred watt-hours is the amount of electricity needed to light one 100-watt bulb for one hour. This week, the rover’s power levels rose to about 296 watt-hours.
Spirit spent much of the week analyzing atmospheric dust attracted to magnets on the spacecraft. The rover identifies iron minerals in the dust using the Moessbauer spectrometer. One of the two magnets, the filter magnet, is weaker than the capture magnet, allowing scientists to separate mineral grains that have the highest magnetic susceptibility, particularly minerals that contain iron.
During the week, Spirit studied rock targets known as “Juan Carlos,” “Gueslaga,” and “Tor” using the miniature thermal emission spectrometer. Juan Carlos and Tor are vesicular rocks filled with tiny holes that formed during the cooling of a froth of magma and gas. Scientists hope to determine whether these rocks are similar to or different from nearby smooth-textured volcanic rocks known as basalts. Gueslaga, meanwhile, is an entirely different kind of rock known as an “exotic,” meaning it came from somewhere else and may have been emplaced during an impact event.
Spirit continued to make scientific observations of the soil target known as “Tyrone.” Tyrone is a patch of bright material, white and yellow in color, that is possibly analogous to salty soils examined earlier in the mission known as “Arad” and “Paso Robles.” Spirit’s dragging right front wheel churned up the bright material on the rover’s 784th sol of exploration of Mars (March 18, 2006). Some science team members have speculated that some component in this material is hydrated. If moisture enters or leaves the material, the miniature thermal emission spectrometer would be able to detect it. Scientists are also monitoring the soil with the rover’s panoramic camera for any color changes, because variability in water content could affect the color. These observations are ongoing to account for seasonal variability.
The rover continues to operate successfully with the new flight software package.
Sol-by-sol summaries:
Sol 970 (Sept. 25, 2006): Spirit measured atmospheric opacity using the panoramic camera, surveyed the sky and ground with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, analyzed dust on the filter magnet with the Moessbauer spectrometer, acquired morning images of the spacecraft deck with the panoramic camera, and scanned the sky for clouds with the navigation camera.
Sol 971: Spirit measured atmospheric opacity using the panoramic camera, surveyed the sky and ground with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, collected data from the rock target known as Juan Carlos, and surveyed the horizon using the panoramic camera.
Sol 972: Spirit measured atmospheric 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, acquired panoramic camera images of the work volume accessible by the robotic arm, and measured morning sky brightness in the west with the panoramic camera.
Sol 973: Spirit measured atmospheric opacity using the panoramic camera, surveyed the sky and ground with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, studied the rock targets Gueslaga and Tor using the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, and used the panoramic camera to take images of rover tracks and measure morning sky brightness in the west.
Sol 974: Plans called for Spirit to measure atmospheric opacity using the panoramic camera, survey the sky and ground with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, restart integration of data from the filter magnets with the Moessbauer spectrometer, survey the sky and ground with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, scan the sky for clouds, measure morning sky brightness, and take a morning measurement of dust on the panoramic camera mast assembly with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer.
Sol 975: Plans called for Spirit to measure atmospheric opacity using the panoramic camera, survey the sky and ground with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, and acquire morning images of the rover’s tracks with all 13 filters of the panoramic camera.
Sol 976 (Oct. 1, 2006): Plans called for Spirit to measure atmospheric opacity using the panoramic camera, survey the sky and ground using the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, continue analysis of dust on the filter magnets with the Moessbauer spectrometer, and complete a morning sky survey with the panoramic camera.
Odometry:
As of sol 973 (Sept. 28, 2006), Spirit’s total odometry remained at 6,876.18 meters (4.27 miles).
