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RE: The Opportunity rover

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Image of Cabo Verde taken by the Opportunity rover on June 13, 2007 (Sol 1203)

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Credit NASA

-- Edited by Blobrana at 13:31, 2007-06-14

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NASA's principal investigator for the Mars rover project says a careful safety review has to be completed before Opportunity rolls down the slope of Victoria crater.
Steve Squyres says determining Opportunity's next assignment will mean taking a new load of colour stereo images to determine how steep the slopes are at the crater entrance ramp, as well as understanding the distribution of rock and soil on those slopes.

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Image taken of channels on Burns cliff in Endurance crater, by the Opportunity rover on Nov 17, 2004 (Sol 290)

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Credit: NASA

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Image taken by the Opportunity rover on Sol 1199

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Image taken by the Opportunity rover on Sol 1197

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OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: Checking Out New Driving Capabilities - sol 1194-1199, June 7, 2007:

Opportunity is healthy and continues to circumnavigate "Victoria Crater" back toward "Duck Bay."
On sol 1194, Opportunity performed a Visual Target Tracking (VTT) technology checkout (drive software) on a target called "Paloma." This VTT checkout tested VTT in combination with other drive software, Autonav and Visodom. The first segment was a blind (no Autonav or Visodom) VTT drive to back away from the target. The second segment combined VTT and Visodom to drive towards the target. The third segment combined VTT and Autonav to continue driving towards the target.

Sol-by-sol summary:

Sol 1194: Opportunity took a tau measurement then had a look at the sky and ground with its miniature thermal emission spectrometer. The rover then stowed its arm and conducted a test of its new drive software, VTT (visual target tracking). The VTT drive checkout was about 6.8 metres. Post-VTT drive, the rover took navigation camera images of its tracks then drove about 30 metres and unstowed its arm. After that drive, the rover took navigation camera images and a post-drive panoramic camera image in the drive direction. Before the Mars Odyssey pass, the rover took another tau measurement. During Odyssey's pass, the rover again used its miniature thermal emission spectrometer to look at the sky and ground

Sol 1195: On the morning of this sol, Opportunity took thumbnail images of the sky with its panoramic camera. The rover then did a tau measurement and followed that with an observation of the sky and ground by the miniature thermal emission spectrometer.

Sol 1196: Opportunity took a morning panoramic camera image of the horizon. The rover then took a tau measurement and used its miniature thermal emission spectrometer to observe the local sky. Opportunity then stowed its arm, drove and then unstowed its arm. After the drive, the rover took navigation and panoramic camera images. Before the Odyssey pass, the rover took a panoramic camera image. During the Odyssey pass, the miniature thermal emission spectrometer had a look at the sky and ground.

Sol 1197: In the morning of this sol, Opportunity monitored for dust. Some regular checks were completed on the much-used miniature thermal emission spectrometer.
Opportunity took a tau measurement and then used the miniature thermal emission spectrometer to look at the sky. The panoramic camera then looked at the local foreground using all 13 of its filters. The miniature thermal emission spectrometer also had a look at the foreground and, again, at the sky. The panoramic camera did a sky survey at midday.

Sol 1198: On this sol, Opportunity took a tau measurement, then calibrated its miniature thermal emission spectrometer. The rover then stowed its arm, drove and took images with its hazard avoidance cameras. Opportunity then unstowed its arm and took post-drive navigation and panoramic camera images. During the Odyssey pass, Opportunity conducted a routine utility test on its miniature thermal emission spectrometer.

Sol 1199: Opportunity's miniature thermal emission spectrometer took a sky and ground observation. The panoramic camera took a tau measurement. The miniature thermal emission spectrometer continued a day of hard work, completing a systematic ground stare and a 7-point sky and ground observation. The panoramic camera also conducted a systematic ground survey of the local area using its 13 filters.

Opportunity's total odometry as of sol 1197 is 11,108 metres.

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The position of the Opportunity rover.
The rover is heading towards Bottomless Bay, where it will attempt to find a route into Victoria crater.

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Credit NASA

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Image of a rock at Victoria crater taken by the Opportunity rover on May 30, 2007 (Sol 1190)

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Credit NASA

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OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: Opportunity Studies Rocks Representative of Crater Wall - sol 1171-1177, May 25, 2007:

Opportunity is healthy and continues to circumnavigate "Victoria Crater" back toward "Duck Bay." While stationed at the "Madrid/Guadarrama" outcrop on the "Cape of Good Hope," Opportunity has been studying a cobble with unusual spectral characteristics as measured by the panoramic camera.
The cobbles appear to be similar to two rock faces, nicknamed "Madrid" and "Guadarrama," exposed in the wall of the crater. Because the crater walls are hard to reach, scientists hope to get an idea of their composition by examining similar cobbles nearby. These rocks have different colour properties from other materials seen at Victoria Crater and are believed to be crater ejecta. They are chock full of "big blueberries" -- small, round rocks.
On the rover's 1,172nd sol, or Martian day (May 11, 2007), Opportunity performed a thermal inertia experiment on a soil target to complete measurements inside and outside of the dark streaks on the northern side of the crater. This experiment measured temperature-related properties of the soil.

Sol-by-sol summary:
In addition to daily observations that included measuring atmospheric dust with the panoramic camera and surveying the sky and ground with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, Opportunity completed the following activities:

Sol 1171 (May 10, 2007): Opportunity acquired panoramic camera images of Guadarrama and Madrid and stowed the robotic arm. The planned drive to a cobble called "Pedriza" ended prematurely after about 0.86 metres when Opportunity's left middle wheel snagged a rock. The rover unstowed the robotic arm, acquired post-drive navigation camera images, and measured atmospheric argon with the alpha-particle X-ray spectrometer. Opportunity scanned the sky for clouds with the navigation camera.

Sol 1172: In the morning, Opportunity surveyed the horizon with the panoramic camera. The rover acquired panoramic camera images of targets known as "Cercedilla" and "Fuenfria" as well as Guadarrama. The rover studied Cercedilla as well as the rover's own external calibration target and another target known as "Navacerrda" with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer. Opportunity acquired panoramic camera images of Guadarrama, searched for clouds with the navigation camera, and studied thermal inertia of soil during the day and overnight.

Sol 1173: Opportunity started the day with continued studies of thermal properties of the soil. Then Opportunity stowed the robotic arm, completed the previously planned drive, and unstowed the robotic arm. The rover acquired navigation camera images to the front and to the rear following the drive. Opportunity measured atmospheric dust levels at sunset and scanned the sky for clouds using the navigation camera.

Sol 1174: Opportunity spent the day acquiring detailed scans of the sky, ground, and rover mast with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer and measuring atmospheric dust. The rover also scanned the sky for clouds with the navigation camera.

Sol 1175: In the morning, Opportunity took panoramic camera images of the sky. The rover stowed the robotic arm, inched backward toward Cercedilla, acquired panoramic camera images of Cercedilla, and unstowed the robotic arm. Opportunity acquired navigation camera images after the drive and surveyed targets known as "Cardosillas," "Quintanar," the rover's external calibration target, "Machotas," and "Hierro" using the miniature thermal emission spectrometer. The rover surveyed the sky at low sun and acquired thumbnail images of the sky using the panoramic camera.

Sol 1176: Opportunity searched for morning clouds with the navigation camera and acquired stereo microscopic images of a particular exposure of Cercedilla known as "Penota." The rover placed the alpha-particle X-ray spectrometer on Penota, surveyed Hierro with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, and acquired post-drive images with the navigation camera in support of observations with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer. The rover surveyed targets known as "Matabueyes," "Morcuera," "Carpetanos," and "Somosietta" with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer. Opportunity then proceeded with alpha-particle X-ray spectrometer observations of Penota.

Sol 1177 (May 17, 2007): Opportunity monitored dust on the rover mast, conducted a seek/grind procedure with the rock abrasion tool, and acquired post-drive images as well as images of Mataueyes, Morcuera, Carpetanos, Somosierra, and Pedriza with the panoramic camera. The following morning, the rover was to acquire thumbnail images of the sky using the panoramic camera.

Odometry:
As of sol 1177 (May 17, 2007), Opportunity's total odometry was 10,791 metres.