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TOPIC: The Opportunity rover


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Image taken by the Opportunity rover on Sol2251

OPPSol2251craterb.jpg
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Credit:    NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell University



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Panarama taken by the Opportunity rover on Sol2251

OPPSol2251b.jpg
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Credit:    NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell University


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Endeavour crater
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OPP280410b.jpg
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Credit:    NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell University


NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its panoramic camera (Pancam) to capture this view of the rim of Endeavour crater, the rover's destination in a multi-year traverse along the sandy Martian landscape. The image was taken during the 2,226 Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's mission on Mars (April 28, 2010).
Endeavour is 21 kilometres in diameter, about 25 times wider than Victoria crater, the last major crater Opportunity visited. This image shows an outcrop of rocks at the foot of the rover and beyond these rocks rippled dunes, which are about 20 centimetres tall. The west rim of Endeavour, about 13 kilometres away, appears on the left on the horizon. The rim of smaller, more-distant Iazu crater, which is 7 kilometres in diameter and about 35 kilometres away, is on the far right. On the horizon in between is a blanket of material ejected from the impact that created Iazu crater, and darker features that are portions of the west and southwest rim of Endeavour.

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Mars Rover Examines Odd Material at Small, Young Crater

Weird coatings on rocks beside a young Martian crater remain puzzling after a preliminary look at data from examination of the site by NASA's Opportunity rover.
The rover spent six weeks investigating the crater called "Concepción" before resuming its long journey this month. The crater is about 10 metres in diameter. Dark rays extending from it, as seen from orbit, flagged it in advance as a target of interest because the rays suggest the crater is young.

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NASA Mars Rover Getting Smarter as it Gets Older

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, now in its seventh year on Mars, has a new capability to make its own choices about whether to make additional observations of rocks that it spots on arrival at a new location.
Software uploaded this winter is the latest example of NASA taking advantage of the twin Mars rovers' unanticipated longevity for real Martian test drives of advances made in robotic autonomy for future missions.

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Opportunity Surpasses 20 Kilometres of Total Driving

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity today surpassed 20 kilometres of total driving since it landed on Mars 74 months ago.
The drive taking the rover past that total covered 67 metres southward as part of the rover's long-term trek toward Endeavour Crater to the southeast. It was on the 2,191st Martian day, or sol, of the mission and brought Opportunity's total odometry to 20.0433 kilometres. To reach Endeavour, the healthy but aging rover will need to drive about 12 kilometres farther.

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OPPORTUNITY UPDATE:   Driving Away From 'Concepción' Crater - sols 2172-2177, March 03-09, 2010:

Opportunity finished the circumnavigation campaign around "Concepción" crater.
Numerous targeted images were taken of rocks around the crater but no new rock targets were chosen to be analysed using the in-situ (contact) instruments of the rover's robotic arm (IDD).
During the last leg around the crater on Sol 2172 (March 4, 2010), the third and final checkout for the AEGIS automated targeting software was successfully run. For this checkout, AEGIS analysed a Navigation Camera (NavCam) image and searched for "cobbles" using a profile that prioritised rocks based on rock size and brightness. The top target found was an excellent example of a cobble. AEGIS then took a high quality, quarter-frame, 13-filter, Panoramic Camera (PanCam) image of this target.
Opportunity drove away from Concepción crater on Sol 2177 (March 9, 2010), and has driven about 130 metres. Opportunity has now returned to the original path to Endeavour crater.
As of Sol 2177 (March 9, 2010), the solar array energy production was 278 watt-hours with an atmospheric opacity (tau) of 0.446 and a dust factor of 0.504. Total odometry is 19,492.84 metres.

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This image was taken by the Opportunity rover on Sol 2167.

OPPSol2167b.jpg
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Credit: NASA/JPL

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OPPORTUNITY UPDATE:   Investigating Material Ejected From Young Crater - sols 2158-2165, February 18-25, 2010:

Opportunity is located near the very young crater "Concepción."
The rover has been investigating the ejecta material around the crater, with some rocks exhibiting a dark rind. On Sol 2158 (Feb. 18, 2010), Opportunity continued the in-situ investigation of the rock target, "Chocolate Hills." The robotic arm (IDD) was used to collect a Microscopy Imager (MI) mosaic of the surface target "Dano" before placing the Mössbauer (MB) spectrometer on the target "Tears." On the next sol, the robotic arm was retracted from the rock and a panoramic camera (Pancam) image was taken, before the Mössbauer spectrometer was placed down on the target Dano.
On Sol 2161 (Feb. 21, 2010), Opportunity drove away from Chocolate Hills rock and headed toward one of Concepción's dramatic ejecta rays. The rover drove about 12 metres towards some rocks exhibiting the interesting dark rinds. A 4.6-metre closer approach was performed on Sol 2163 (Feb. 23, 2010). Because the terrain would not permit a closer approach for in-situ work, Opportunity drove away on Sol 2165 driving 8.6 metres further along the crater's ejecta ray.
As of Sol 2165 (Feb. 25, 2010), the solar array energy production was 278 watt-hours with an atmospheric opacity (tau) of 0.396 and a dust factor of 0.481. Total odometry is 19,360.14 metres.

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This image was taken by the Opportunity rover on Sol 2159.

oppSol2159b.jpg
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Credit: NASA/JPL

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