Mars Exploration Rover Update - October 29, 2007

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SPIRIT UPDATE: Spirit Continues Studies of Rocks on "Home Plate" - sol 1343-1347, October 29, 2007:

Spirit is healthy and continues to investigate "Home Plate." After completing extensive studies of "Site 3" using the Moessbauer spectrometer and other instruments, the rover proceeded toward "Site

4."

Meanwhile, it's already time for Spirit to start thinking about winter again. Over the coming weekend, the rover was scheduled to acquire long-baseline stereo images of Home Plate and surrounding areas in search of a safe winter haven.

The grinding encoder on Spirit's rock abrasion tool appears to have suffered the same fate as that of Spirit's twin, Opportunity, on the other side of Mars. An investigation is under way, but all indications are that activities using the rock abrasion tool will now require two Martian days, or sols.

On sol 1346 (Oct. 16, 2007), Spirit drove approximately 10 meters (33 feet) toward Site 4 and added another 12 meters (39 feet) of driving on sol 1347 (Oct. 17, 2007).

Sol-by-sol summary

In addition to receiving morning instructions directly from Earth via the high-gain antenna, returning data in the evening at UHF frequencies via the Odyssey orbiter, measuring atmospheric dust levels (known as tau measurements) with the panoramic camera, and surveying the sky and ground with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, Spirit completed the following activities:

Sol 1343 (Oct. 13, 2007): Spirit restarted the Moessbauer spectrometer and collected data for 22 hours with the instrument from a target called "Humboldt Peak." The rover acquired remote data from a rock target known as "Mt. Eolus" with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer and a

6-by-1 image mosaic with the panoramic camera.

Sol 1344: Spirit restarted the Moessbauer spectrometer and resumed data collection from Humboldt Peak for 23 hours. The rover acquired spot images of the sky and a 4-by-1 image mosaic with the panoramic camera and collected remote data from a rock known as "Pikes Peak" using the miniature thermal emission spectrometer.

Sol 1345: Spirit resumed collecting Moessbauer data from Humboldt Peak for another 23 hours. The rover acquired remote data from a target dubbed "Mt. Sneffels" with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer and spot images of the sky with the panoramic camera. Spirit monitored dust on the rover mast assembly.

Sol 1346: Spirit ran tests on the rock abrasion tool and stowed the robotic arm before taking pre-drive images with the panoramic camera and driving about 10 meters (33 feet) toward Site 4 on Home Plate. The rover acquired a 5-by-1, post-drive image mosaic with the navigation camera as well as a 4-by-1 mosaic with the panoramic camera. The rover took spot images of the sky and foreground images with the panoramic camera.

Sol 1347 (Oct. 17, 2007): Spirit conducted a pre-drive survey of the rover's surroundings with the panoramic camera and drove another 12 meters (39 feet) toward Home Plate Site 4. The rover acquired a 7- by-1, post-drive image mosaic with the navigation camera. Spirit also took images of dust in the sky, conducted a survey of rock clasts, and acquired images of a rock target called "Conundrum Peak" using the panoramic camera.

Odometry:

As of sol 1347 (Oct. 17, 2007), Spirit's total odometry was 7,286 meters (4.5 miles).

Reply to
baalke
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From the lack of any mention of Opportunity, that the rover has died and gone to that great Red Plains in the sky. . .

Reply to
Lord Jubjub

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data received on October 20th. Demise has not occurred.

David A. Smith

Reply to
N:dlzc D:aol T:com (dlzc)

hmmm. . . kind of figured that Opp's death would have been headline news.

But how come the team seems to not be giving any info on its status?

Reply to
Lord Jubjub

Dear Lord Jubjub:

The link was dated October 29th. Relax, won't you?

David A. Smith

Reply to
N:dlzc D:aol T:com (dlzc)

But the latest Opp update I've seen is September 20th. I was just wondering if it was doing anything other than sitting just inside Victoria Crater.

Reply to
Lord Jubjub

They may not have much to announce, but they are getting back loads of great pictures.

Go to:

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and, under the two large pictures, click on [All Raw Images]. Then select [View All Opportunity Raw Images].

The Panoramic Camera images are especially impressive.

To see the various spectral filter images combined into true color images go to:

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Enjoy!

Reply to
John Popelish

Well, never mind, they have just update Opps. Hopefully, they won't tell us in the next report that it is upside down at the bottom of Victoria.

Reply to
Lord Jubjub

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