NASA Mars Rovers Status 1 Apr 2004

OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: Biting into ‘Bounce’ – sol 66, Apr 01, 2004

Opportunity’s rock abrasion tool ground into "Bounce"
for just over two hours, producing a 6.44-millimeter
(0.25 inch) hole that will allow the rover’s spectrometer’s
to analyze the rock’s chemical composition.

Bon Jovi’s "Bounce" woke Opportunity on its 66th sol,
which ended at 2:41 a.m. PST on April 1. The martian
morning began with the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer
observing a target called "Glanz2" on Bounce. Miniature
thermal emission spectrometer measurements of the ground
and sky followed.

The rock abrasion tool was then placed on the target dubbed
"Case." After the grind, the Mˆssbauer spectrometer was
placed on the hole for an overnight integration.

In the afternoon, the rover also had time to complete more
atmospheric science with its panoramic camera and miniature
thermal emission spectrometer.

In the coming sols, Opportunity will remain parked at the
intriguing Bounce rock to continue its investigations.