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ZL2VAL > ROVERS 11.05.04 13:05l 88 Lines 3811 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : B50851ZL2VAL
Read: GUEST
Subj: Status, 10th April
Path: DB0FHN<DB0FOR<DB0SIF<DB0EA<DB0ACC<DB0GOS<DB0EEO<DB0RES<ON0AR<7M3TJZ<
ZL2TZE<ZL2AB
Sent: 040511/1041Z @:ZL2AB.#46.NZL.OC #:40219 [New Plymouth] FBB7.00g
From: ZL2VAL@ZL2AB.#46.NZL.OC
To : ROVERS@WW
Update: Spirit and Opportunity
SPIRIT UPDATE: Spirit Surpasses the One-Mile Mark! - sol 121-123, May
10, 2004
On sol 121, after a brief nap, Spirit conducted atmospheric measurements
before continuing its trek toward the "Columbia Hills." A 96.8 meter
(318 feet) drive that consisted of about half direct drive and half
auto-navigational drive broke Spirit's last one-sol distance traveled.
That drive brought the mission total to 1,669 meters (1.04 miles),
flipping the rover's odometer over the one-mile mark.
Sol 122 was a touch-and-go day, starting with a half-hour alpha particle
X-ray spectrometer integration, a one-hour Mössbauer integration and a
set of four microscopic images all on the same patch of soil. Panoramic
camera and miniature thermal emission spectrometer data were also
obtained before an afternoon nap. The bulk of the afternoon was spent
driving another 65 meters (213 feet).
Sol 123 started off with Panoramic camera and miniature thermal emission
spectrometer observations for near-field surveys, atmospheric studies,
and localization. Spirit then took a half-hour nap, followed by the
day's drive. This sol consisted of another 48-meter (about 157-feet)
direct drive, the mid-drive survey and localization remote sensing, and
then 47-meters (about 154 feet) of driving using auto-navigation. The
total was 95.2 meters (312 feet), bringing the mission total to 1830
meters (1.14 miles).
------------------------------------------------------------------------
OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: 'Deep Sleep' Gives Opportunity More Energy to Cruise
the Crater - sol 101-102, May 10, 2004
Opportunity awoke on sol 102 from its first "deep sleep." This set of
activities was initiated to conserve the energy that is being used by
the instrument arm's stuck-on heater switch. During deep sleep, rover
planners power off the main electronics at night and open the switches
that supply battery power to the main power bus, and in turn nearly all
the secondary electronics. In particular this removes power input to the
Rover Power Distribution Unit, which normally supplies power to the
stuck-on heater. With the Rover Power Distribution Unit input turned
off, the heater cannot burn any energy either. In the morning, when the
sun strikes the solar panel array, the Battery Control Board resets and
connects the batteries to the main power bus again. At this time, the
stuck-on heater again draws power, but this will only be for a few hours
in the morning instead of all night.
The most vulnerable instrument to the cold martian nights is the
miniature thermal emission spectrometer. With a cutoff of the power
electronics, its heater cannot keep it warm overnight. Data returned on
sol 102 showed the temperature reached -46 degrees Celsius (-50.8
degrees Fahrenheit), a bit warmer than the spectrometer's lowest proven
temperature for functionality, -50 degrees Celsius (-58 degrees Fahrenheit).
Rover planners commanded Opportunity to take a drive during the
afternoon of sol 102 to the south, along the edge of the crater toward a
dark rock in the vicinity.
More remote sensing was conducted, including miniature thermal emission
spectrometer measurements that confirmed the instrument is still
functioning normally after deep sleep.
Wake-up songs for the sols were "Morning has Broken" by Cat Stevens;
"Hallelujah Chorus" from George Frideric Handel's Messiah; and "Dazed
and Confused" by Led Zeppelin.
=========================
73 de Alan, (Sysop ZL2AB).
AX25:ZL2VAL@ZL2AB.#46.NZL.OC
IP :zl2val@qsl.net
APRS:!3903.34S/17406.45E]
Message timed: 22:30 on 2004-May-11 (NZT)
Message sent using WinPack-AGW V6.80
Points to ponder
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rural wisdom
------------
Forgive your enemies. It messes with their heads.
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