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.
Regarding my Post 132, where I wrote:
Your bottle of Viagra includes the cost of all failed research, too.
RadioAstronomer is correct, I was using the product Viagra in a general sense, and certainly not directed at you. However, I find your reaction more than amusing.
It's been tried...especially on the crevo threads. We even came up with a rather lengthy agreement to stem the flame wars (see PatrickHenry's homepage for the agreement). However, I do not think "from occupied ga" is a signatory. I am, as is RadioAstronomer. The Agreement has had some measured success, but I rarely go to those threads anymore simply because I detest the constant bickering.
Exactly - and well put. Cut out the afraid of being wrong/secrecy BS and discuss the the possibilities of what you're seeing as the results come in. One other thing that ticks a lot of people off (including me) is that NASA presents material as if we're all school children.
I miss the old NASA with adult blow by blow commentary and briefs.
Do they see the same things we see?
Oh yea, and way before we do...
Wonder if NASA/JPL monitors boards such as this to get the benefits of extra eyes and imaginations?
FR is a VERY popular site and you can be assured that some NASA folks visit it regularly. If they put anything out with out first going through NASA's PAO then they're looking at big trouble. Likewise, NASA is probably afraid to put anything out of this magnitude with out first checking up the line as well.
No need to justify...I'm not that much of a feminist - only as far as equal pay for equal work, credit, opportunity, and so forth. :^)
I'll lead off with, "I hate . . .
. . . and the stupid wake up music . . . . etc . . .
Not sure what you mean here.
Sure you were. And there are even some who might believe it.
Jeez - get a life
Sounds a bit like Maltheus and population. But I think I see where you're going with this. Technology made Maltheus wrong, and technology is going to prove this wrong? Or am I wrong
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