Mars Exploration Rovers Update - May 6, 2004

Ron · 2004-05-07T15:07:07+00:00

UPDATE: 'Columbia Hills' on the Horizon - sol 118-120, May 06, 2004Spirit is now approximately 1.7 kilometers (1 mile) away from the base of the "Columbia Hills" after three long sols of driving. Its odometer currently reads 1,566 meters (.97 miles) and counting.Sol 118 was a record-breaking driving sol for Spirit. The Gusev Crater rover moved 92.4 meters (303 feet) across the surface in one sol, breaking its previous record of around 90 meters (295 feet). The Opportunity rover still has Spirit beat with a one-sol driving record of 140 meters (459.3 feet).Sol 119 proved to be a more difficult sol for Spirit. An uplink configuration error prevented the sequence load from successfully getting on board the rover. Rover controllers took advantage of the down day by deleting afternoon communication sessions and enabling the rover to charge its battery during a long afternoon nap.It was back to business as usual on sol 120. Before embarking on its drive, Spirit imaged a rock called "Tulula" with the panoramic camera. The rover then successfully executed a blind drive before using the autonomous navigation system to continue into uncharted territory. After reaching the time-of-day driving limit, Spirit turned and performed penultimate (next to last stop) imaging. The next move would have taken the rover 85 centimeters (33.5 inches) to its ultimate stopping point, but did not execute because Spirit was facing a small sand ridge that was perceived as a hazard. Without a penultimate/ultimate image pair, rover controllers could not be sure that the area underneath the rover was clear of hazards for instrument arm deployment. As a result, Sol 121 will be another driving sol that controllers hope will place Spirit in a suitable location to use the instruments on its instrument deployment device.OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: An Eyeful at 'Endurance' - sol 98-99, May 06, 2004Opportunity continues to gaze at the incredible "Endurance Crater" from its vantage point on the western rim. Remote...

May 07, 2004 162 Replies

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Jan Panteltje 22 years ago

On a sunny day (Wed, 26 May 2004 20:50:03 -0400) it happened "George" wrote in :

No excuse bneeded. I replied to a posting in sci.astro by what seems to be a geologist who lost his way. JP

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George 22 years ago

You are sadly mistaken. And is that sci.atro, and is astronomy, or astrology? In your case, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if it was the latter.

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George 22 years ago

If you want to talk politics, go to a newsgroup where they give a s*it and stay out of the science newsgroups, damned troll!

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