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




MARSDAILY
Opportunity Rides Into History For Offworld Drive
by Staff Writers
Pasadena CA (JPL) May 21, 2013


File image.

Opportunity has set a new off-world driving record for a U.S. spacecraft having surpassed the record previously held by Apollo 17 in the Sol 3309 (May 15, 2013) drive.

Prior to that, Opportunity finished off analysis of the 'Esperance' rock target with a full overnight Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) integration of the rock abrasion tool (RAT) hole on Sol 3305 (May 11, 2013).

Early analysis seems to confirm that this is a clay that had been intensely altered by relatively neutral pH water - representing the most favorable conditions for biology that Opportunity has yet seen in the rock histories it has encountered.

A local dust storm had cause us some concern as we saw the atmospheric opacity (tau) increase to the neighborhood of 1.5 for several sols, but the storm seems to have dissipated and is no longer constraining activities to any great degree.

Solar array energy on Sol 3309 (May 15, 2013), was 431 watt-hours with an atmospheric opacity (Tau) measurement of 1.21, and a dust factor of 0.576. All systems are nominal.

Total odometry is 22.22 miles (35.76 kilometers).

.


Related Links
Mars Rovers at JPL
Mars Rovers at Cornell
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
Nine-Year-Old Mars Rover Passes 40-Year-Old Record
Pasadena CA (JPL) May 17, 2013
While Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt visited Earth's moon for three days in December 1972, they drove their mission's Lunar Roving Vehicle 19.3 nautical miles (22.210 statute miles or 35.744 kilometers). That was the farthest total distance for any NASA vehicle driving on a world other than Earth until yesterday. The team operating NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opp ... read more


MARSDAILY
3-D modeling technology offers groundbreaking solution for engineers

NASA Seeks High-Performance Spaceflight Computing Capabilities

SPUTNIX is granted a license for space activity

Stanford Engineers' New Metamaterial Doubles Up on Invisibility

MARSDAILY
US Navy And Lockheed Martin Deliver Secure Communications Satellite For Mobile Users

Making frequency-hopping radios practical

Northrop Grumman Proves Concept for New B-2 Satellite Communication System

US Navy and Lockheed Martin Deliver Newest Secure Communications Satellite for Mobile Users

MARSDAILY
O3b Networks Launcher and payload integration are underway at Kourou

Arianespace underscores strong partnership with Japan during Tokyo meetings

O3b Networks' initial satellite is fueled for Arianespace's upcoming Soyuz launch from the Spaceport

Ariane Flight VA214's launch vehicle marks a preparation milestone

MARSDAILY
NASA Builds Unusual Testbed for Analyzing X-ray Navigation Technologies

Pakistan adopts Chinese rival GPS satellite system

China's BeiDou satellite navigation system has broad commercial uses

Fourth Boeing GPS IIF Satellite Joins Constellation on Orbit

MARSDAILY
Saab upgrading bid for Brazil FX-2 contest

China 'will not accept' carbon tax on EU flights: report

F-35A Completes High Angle Of Attack Testing

India commissions first MiG-29K fighters

MARSDAILY
Bright Future For Photonic Quantum Computers

New magnetic graphene may revolutionize electronics

Flawed Diamonds Promise Sensory Perfection

Scientists develop device for portable, ultra-precise clocks and quantum sensors

MARSDAILY
NASA Helps Pinpoint Glaciers' Role in Sea Level Rise

New Animation Marks Arrival of NASA's LDCM Satellite to its Final Orbit

Team Wins Cubesat Berth to Gather Earth Energy Imbalance Measurements

NRL's MIGHTI Slated for Launch on ICON Mission

MARSDAILY
Frog once imported for pregnancy testing brought deadly amphibian disease to US

Hong Kong launches plan to tackle waste crisis

Nearly 1,000 protest against China chemical plant

Making gold green: New non-toxic method for mining gold




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