Posted on 02/24/2004 4:52:19 PM PST by Phil V.
Daily Updates - February 24, 2004
Spirit Status for sol 51 Making Ground posted Feb. 24, 2 pm PST
To inspire a morning "run" on sol 51, which ended at 3:15 p.m. Tuesday, PST, Spirit woke up to Vangelis’ "Chariots of Fire." The rover deployed its arm, took microscopic images of the soil in front of it and then proceeded toward its target, "Middle Ground." Spirit drove 30 meters (98.4 feet), breaking its own record for a single-sol traverse. Along the way, Spirit paused to image rocks on both sides of the drive path with its panoramic camera.
The auto-navigational software that drove the last 12 meters (39.4 feet) of the traverse to the "Middle Ground" target warned Spirit that the slope into the hollow that houses it was too steep (according to parameters set by rover engineers). Spirit then paced along the rim, looking for a safe way down. Unable to locate a secure path into the crater before the sol ended, Spirit ended up facing slightly west of north instead of northeast, as called for by the plan. This orientation will reduce the amount of data the rover can return (due to interference between the UHF antenna and items on the rover equipment deck), but it will be corrected in the coming sols.
As of today, Spirit has moved 183.25 meters (601.21 feet) and is now roughly 135 meters (442.91 feet) from its landing site, Columbia Memorial Station.
The intent for the next several sols will be to drive Spirit into "Middle Ground" and take a full panorama of the surrounding area to identify scientifically interesting rocks.
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Opportunity Status for sol 30 A Beautiful Grind posted Feb. 24, 11:15 am PST
On sol 30, which ended at 2:56 a.m. Tuesday, February 24, Opportunity performed its first rock abrasion tool operation on a rock target known as 'McKittrick Middle Rat' at the El Capitan site inside the crater. The tool shaved the rock over a period of two hours, grinding into a total depth of about 4 millimeters (.16 inches).
The auspicious day began with the song 'Rock'n Me' by Steve Miller and some miniature thermal emission spectrometer sky surveys and sky stares to study the atmosphere. After completing these activities, Opportunity took a short siesta to recharge its batteries. The rover has been doing a lot of science work at night, and the season on Mars is changing to winter, so the rover has less energy to work with than it did earlier in the mission. The martian days are getting shorter and the sun angle is not allowing either rover to power up the solar panels as much as in the past.
Opportunity woke up from its nap at 11:30 Local Solar Time on Mars to run through the series of commands required to retract the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer and close its doors; take several microscopic images of another nearby rock abrasion tool target called 'Guadalupe;' flip the wrist; take a microscopic image of "McKittrick Middle Rat;" and place the rock abrasion tool on its target to run at 13:00 Local Solar Time.
After the abrasion tool was retracted, a series of microscopic images of the scene were taken, and the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer was successfully placed into the abrasion tool's hole late in the day.
Some additional panoramic camera, miniature thermal emission spectrometer readings, and hazard avoidance camera imagery was completed through the day.
The plan for sol 31, which will end at 3:36 a.m. Wednesday, February 25, is to continue getting long Moessbauer readings of the rock abrasion tool hole and to prepare the tool for more work again on sol 33 or 34.
Oh then I take it back. LOL
Extremely vile comment. Is this your best argument? Sad.
Like this wasn't an insulting comment?
Your bottle of Viagra includes the cost of all failed research, too.
I detect a double standard here - more than a little hypocrisy on your part. If you sow flame expect to reap flame. Meltdown_dingbat can't simply respond with an intellectual argument. She has to start with an insult. This isn't the first time she's gone this route - I do believe she was the one who threatened to shoot me a couple of months ago although I could be wrong. It's not worth the effort to look up.
That which you subsidize, you will get more of. I, for one, would rather subsidize and produce more engineers and scientists than "welfare mothers"
If those were the only two choices and it were one or the other I'd agree.
My a$$ she was, and Bill Clinton didn't have sex with "that woman" either.
I am not into flame wars, nor will I get drawn into one
Then why did you stick your nose into one? More hypocrisy on your part.
"Intense discussions" implies folks taking diverse positions. We don't want final answers. Might be decades. We just want to know what they're thinking. Do they see the same things we see? Wonder if NASA/JPL monitors boards such as this to get the benefits of extra eyes and imaginations?
Both seemed to work by crossing my eyes and merging images in the middle, but the bottom one was easier to look around in. Too cool.
I am developing a slight headache, though.
Pahdun me, Suh, but if you're going to post from the Sacred Soil of Dixie, it's incumbent upon you to maintain at least a modicum of Southern Courtesy even when dealing with Yankees!
Wow! This one's even worse... and to a lady to boot. How are we going to get these heathens to learn some manners when we stoop to their level?
Because YOU pinged me. If you don't want me to chime in, don't ping me.
and to a lady to boot.
She aint no lady. If you want to turn the other cheek you can offer them your cheek, not mine.
Hope that ain't me you're considering dropping!
I notice you aren't nearly as vile or repulsive with the men on this forum.
And BTW, yes, you paid for your computer and part of your purchase price included past R&D. However, NASA has had a hand in its current incarnation as either a laptop or a desktop model. Thus, public funding helped to provide you the opportunity to slander me over the internet.
I suppose you feel this a fair exchange for your tax dollar.
Admin Moderator: You can check my past posts. I have NEVER threatened anyone with violence. I leave any remedy in your capable hands for "from occupied ga's" disgusting behavior.
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