Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Space Industry and Business News .




MARSDAILY
Opportunity Gets To Work On Interesting Rock
by Staff Writers
Pasadena CA (JPL) Nov 30, 2012


File image: Sandcherry.

Opportunity, after completing the local area survey around the location called "Matijevic Hill" (named in honor of Jake Matijevic) at the inboard edge of Cape York on the rim of Endeavour Crater, has started conducting an in-situ (contact) science campaign on some high-value surface targets.

On Sol 3137 (Nov. 19, 2012), Opportunity began her in-situ investigation on the surface target, called "Sandcherry" with a Microscopic Imager (MI) mosaic, followed by the placement of the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS).

The plan on Sol 3139 (Nov. 22, 2012), was the use the Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT) to brush the target. However, the robotic arm experienced a stall in the shoulder elevation joint and stopped all further robotic arm activity.

The sequenced APXS measurement on Sol 3140 (Nov. 23, 2012), then fortuitously became an atmospheric argon measurement. The joint stall had been experienced before with Opportunity when slow moves are commanded as in this instance.

However, the engineering team did review all the associated telemetry and found no indication of any change in the health of the joint.

As a further step, a diagnostic move was included at the start of the plan on Sol 3144 (Nov. 27, 2012). That diagnostic showed a nominally functioning joint.

The subsequent activity on Sol 3144 (Nov. 27, 2012), included a successful RAT brushing of the target followed by a MI mosaic and placement of the APXS.

Also, over the last several sols, the rover has been collecting an extensive color panorama (Pancam), called the "Matijevic pan."

As of Sol 3145 (Nov. 28, 2012), the solar array energy production was 559 watt-hours with an atmospheric opacity (Tau) of 0.793 and a solar array dust factor of 0.608.

Total odometry is 22.01 miles (35,429.63 meters).

.


Related Links
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
HiRoc at Arizona
CRISM at APL
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








MARSDAILY
Matijevic Hill Survey Complete And Rover Passes 22 Miles Of Driving!
Pasadena CA (JPL) Nov 27, 2012
Opportunity has completed the local area survey around the location called "Matijevic Hill" (named in honor of Jake Matijevic) at the inboard edge of Cape York on the rim of Endeavour Crater. Now, the rover is focusing on conducting an in-situ (contact) science campaign on some high-value surface targets. The rover drove 81 feet (24.6 meters) on Sol 3133 (Nov. 15, 2012), approaching a cand ... read more


MARSDAILY
The music of the silks

NASA Technologists Test 'Game-Changing' Data-Processing Technology

UTC Aerospace Systems Selects Headwall Hyperspectral Imaging Sensor For SYERS-2 Program

Samsung launches new Internet-connected camera

MARSDAILY
General Dynamics Awarded Contract Under New U.S. Army Rapid-Acquisition Communications Program

Astrium to provide military X-band satcoms to six UK Royal Navy vessels

Lockheed Martin to Demonstrate Key Component of Tactical MilSat Communications System

The Skynet 5D secure telecom satellite is received in French Guiana for Arianespace's December Ariane 5 mission

MARSDAILY
Japan Schedules Radar Satellite Launch

Arianespace ready for next Soyuz and Ariane missions

Who will challenge Dragon? Dragon spaceship postponed until March

South Korean rocket launch suspended

MARSDAILY
East Riding Of Yorkshire Council Selects Ctrack For Specialist Vehicle Tracking Solution

Researchers Use GPS Tracking to Monitor Crab Behavior

US Navy, Raytheon receive Pentagon engineering award for GPS-guided precision landing program

Lockheed Martin Completes Critical Environmental Test on GPS III Pathfinder

MARSDAILY
Sandy adds to global air traffic gloom: IATA

India to buy nearly 130 Su-30 fighter jets from Russia

French police fire tear gas anew on airport protest

Owls' ability to fly in acoustic stealth provides clues to mitigating conventional aircraft noise

MARSDAILY
Research discovery could revolutionise semiconductor manufacture

Engineers pave the way towards 3D printing of personal electronics

Antenna-on-a-chip rips the light fantastic

Fabrication on patterned silicon carbide produces bandgap to advance graphene electronics

MARSDAILY
NASA's TRMM Satellite Confirms 2010 Landslides

GOES-R Satellite Program Undergoes Successful Review

TerraSAR-X image of the month - the Santorini volcano expands

Satellites used to track global smog level

MARSDAILY
Italy holds talks on polluted steel plant's future

Italian steel plant suspends operations in pollution row

Scientists pioneer method to predict environmental collapse

Degraded military lands to get ecological boost from CU-led effort




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement