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TOPIC: The Opportunity rover
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Panoramic image taken by the Opportunity rover on  Sol 2133

oppSol2133b.jpg
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Credit: NASA/JPL

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Mars rover Opportunity successfully landed at Meridiani Planum on Mars on the 25th January, 2004 05:05 Ground UTC (circa 13:15 local time), three weeks after its twin Spirit (MER-A) had landed on the other side of the planet. The rovers began missions intended to last for three months but which have lasted six Earth years, or 3.2 Mars years.

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NASA's Mars exploration rover Opportunity is allowing scientists to get a glimpse deep inside Mars.
Perched on a rippled Martian plain, a dark rock not much bigger than a basketball was the target of interest for Opportunity during the past two months. Dubbed "Marquette Island," the rock is providing a better understanding of the mineral and chemical makeup of the Martian interior.

"Marquette Island is different in composition and character from any known rock on Mars or meteorite from Mars. It is one of the coolest things Opportunity has found in a very long time" - Steve Squyres of Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. Squyres is principal investigator for Opportunity and its twin, Spirit.

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Image taken by the Opportunity rover on Sol 1792

oppSol1792b.jpg
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Credit: NASA/JPL

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OPPORTUNITY UPDATE:  Leaving Marquette Behind - sols 2118-2124, January 7-14, 2010:

Opportunity spent Sols 2118 to 2121 (Jan. 7-11, 2010; no sol number corresponds to Jan. 8 because no noon at Opportunity's location fell during that date's 24 hours Pacific Standard Time) completing the investigation of "Marquette Island," a curious rock on the plains of Meridiani. The alpha particle X-ray spectrometer (APXS) and the microscopic imager (MI) were used to examine a target on Marquette Island which was exposed by the rock abrasion tool (RAT) grind activities the previous week.

Opportunity drove away from Marquette Island on Sol 2122 (Jan. 12, 2010) continuing on the path toward Endeavour Crater. Further drives where executed on Sols 2123 and 2124 (Jan. 13 and 14, 2010).
On Sol 2124, Opportunity crossed the 19-kilometre odometry milestone. A near-term science objective along the path towards Endeavour Crater is a relatively fresh impact crater, called "Conception," approximately 250 metres to the south.

As of Sol 2124 (Jan. 14, 2010), Opportunity's solar-array energy production is 336 watt-hours, with an atmospheric opacity (tau) of 0.500 and a dust factor of 0.533. Total odometry is 19,025.92 metres.

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NASA has big plans for its Mars Exploration Program.

As it decides the future of one of the two rovers exploring the planet, the agency is looking to the launch of the newest generation of robotic explorer next year.
In addition, NASA tells CNN Radio that the agency is close to a deal to merge its Mars program with that of the European Space Agency, a big step toward manned missions.
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Marquette.jpg
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Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity took this picture of a rock informally named "Marquette Island" as the rover was approaching the rock for investigations that have suggested the rock is a stony meteorite.
Opportunity used its navigation camera to record this image during the 2,056th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's mission on Mars (Nov. 5, 2009).

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OPPORTUNITY UPDATE:  Opportunity Knocks with Another Meteorite Find - sols 2021-2028, Sept. 30 - Oct. 07, 2009:

Opportunity has discovered another large (0.5-metre) meteorite. The rover began the approach to this new meteorite, called "Shelter Island," with a 28-metre backward drive on Sol 2022.
On Sol 2024, Opportunity turned around with a 2-metre drive to face the meteorite. A final 1-metre bump on Sol 2027 put the meteorite within the work volume of the rover robotic arm (IDD). In-situ (contact) measurements are now being planned.
Motor currents in the right front wheel continue to remain well behaved.
As of Sol 2028, the solar array energy production was 449 watt-hours with an atmospheric opacity (tau) of 0.638 and a dust factor of 0.5695.
Total odometry as of Sol 2028: 17,962.44 metres

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Opportunity Finds Another Meteorite
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has found a rock that apparently is another meteorite, less than three weeks after driving away from a larger meteorite that the rover examined for six weeks.

391242main_mer20091002-516.jpg
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

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OPPORTUNITY UPDATE:  Milestone 11 - sols 2009-2014, Sept. 18-23, 2009:

Opportunity has driven four out of the last six sols, making way to Endeavour crater.

On sols 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2014 (Sept. 18, 20, 22 and 23), the rover drove 55 metres, 71 metres, 70 metres and 59 metres, respectively, passing 11 miles of total odometry. Each drive was backwards heading to the west to avoid a large region of potentially risky dune ripples. Eventually, the rover will turn south, then east, to head to Endeavour.

Motor currents in the right-front wheel remain well behaved.

As of Sol 2014 (Sept. 23, 2009), Opportunity's solar-array energy production is 477 watt-hours. Atmospheric opacity (tau) is 0.681, and the dust factor on the solar array is 0.603. Total odometry is 17,717.33 metres.

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