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ZL2VAL > ROVERS 01.07.04 13:13l 59 Lines 2513 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 5225-ZL2VAL
Read: GUEST
Subj: Spirit Status 30th
Path: DB0FHN<DB0RGB<OK0PPL<DB0RES<ON0AR<7M3TJZ<ZL2TZE<ZL2AB
Sent: 040701/1057Z @:ZL2AB.#46.NZL.OC #:43232 [New Plymouth] FBB7.00g $:5225-ZL
From: ZL2VAL@ZL2AB.#46.NZL.OC
To : ROVERS@WW
[¯¯¯ TST HOST 1.43c, UTC diff:5, Local time: Thu Jul 01 22:45:30 2004 ®®®]
*SPIRIT UPDATE:
Just a Little Rock Abrasion Tool - sol 167-170, June 30, 2004
On sol 167, Spirit looked at a bit of soil called "Jaws" with the alpha
particle X-ray spectrometer and microscopic imager. Then the rover
completed a drive intended to put it into position to analyze
"Pot-of-Gold" with the instruments on its robotic arm. The drive moved
Spirit farther than expected though, and the rover ended up directly
over the rock. That position prevented any observations with the
instrument deployment device.
On sol 168, rover planners commanded Spirit to "bump" backward, into a
position where the rock abrasion tool could make contact with
Pot-of-Gold. This was successful, and Spirit spent the rest of the time
taking images of the surrounding area with its panoramic and navigation
cameras.
On sol 169, Spirit successfully operated its rock abrasion tool on
Pot-of-Gold, grinding away the top .2 millimeters (.008 inches) of rock
from the high points. The procedure took 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Pot-of-Gold posed a special challenge to the rover team because it is
quite small -- only slightly larger than the rock abrasion tool
instrument itself. The rock abrasion tool inflicts about 6.8 kilograms
(15 pounds) of pressure on its rock targets, and smaller rocks aren't
necessarily stable enough to resist this.
Before and after pictures of Pot-of-Gold showed that the rock was moved
by the rock abrasion tool procedure. That movement, plus possible
slippage where the tool contacts the rock, resulted in only intermittent
contact during the grinding operation. After the grind was complete,
Spirit placed the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer on the freshly
exposed area in preparation for an operation later that night.
On Sol 170, Spirit awoke to stop the alpha particle X-ray integration,
took miniature thermal emission spectrometer and panoramic camera images
of some local track marks, took more microscopic images of the newly
exposed Pot-of-Gold, then placed the Mössbauer instrument on the site
for a 21-hour overnight observation.
=========================
73 de Alan, (Sysop ZL2AB).
AX25:ZL2VAL@ZL2AB.#46.NZL.OC IP :zl2val@qsl.net
APRS:!3903.34S/17406.45E]
Wackiest Warning Labels Ever
----------------------------
* A warning label found on a baby stroller cautions the user:
"Remove child before folding."
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