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ZL2VAL > ROVERS 13.05.04 12:21l 90 Lines 4048 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : FE0862ZL2VAL
Read: GUEST
Subj: Status, 12th April
Path: DB0FHN<DB0RGB<OK0PPL<DB0RES<ON0AR<7M3TJZ<ZL2TZE<ZL2AB
Sent: 040513/0950Z @:ZL2AB.#46.NZL.OC #:40304 [New Plymouth] FBB7.00g
From: ZL2VAL@ZL2AB.#46.NZL.OC
To : ROVERS@WW
Update: Spirit and Opportunity
SPIRIT UPDATE: Spirit Speeds to 'Lead Foot' - sol 124-126, May 12, 2004
Spirit drove 80 meters (262.5 feet) on sol 124, bringing its total
odometry to 1,909.52 meters (1.2 miles). Spirit has less than 1.2
kilometers (.75 mile) to go before reaching the base of the"Columbia
Hills," and will reach them by sol 160. Later in the martian day, after
completing the sol 124 drive, Spirit took a 360-degree afternoon
panorama of its surroundings with the navigation camera.
On sol 125, Spirit continued driving and set a new one-sol driving
record of 123.7 meters (405.8 feet). Science on Sol 125 included morning
atmospheric sky and ground remote sensing, mini thermal emission
spectrometer observation of the sol 126 instrument deployment device
work volume, imaging with the panoramic camera, and cloud observations.
After the long sol 125 drive, Spirit was in perfect position to work
with the instrument deployment device on sol 126. This included alpha
particle X-ray spectrometer, Mössbauer and microscopic imager work on a
target called "Lead Foot" (in honor of the big drive on sol 125). The
Mössbauer was used as the feeler for all these activities but touched
down on rocks rather than soil at the "Lead Foot" location, compromising
the Mössbauer and microscopic imager data (images out of focus). Spirit
also did some driving on this sol, and added 55.6 meters (182.4 feet) to
the odometer, bringing Spirit's new drive total to 2,089 meters (1.3
miles). At the end of the sol, Spirit successfully executed a sequence
that used the panoramic camera to find the Sun and correct for
accumulated rover attitude errors.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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: 21:35 on 2004-May-13 (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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