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ZL2VAL > ROVERS 04.03.04 12:31l 83 Lines 3410 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 090590ZL2VAL
Read: GUEST
Subj: Rovers status, 3rd March
Path: DB0FHN<DB0RGB<OK0PPL<DB0RES<ON0AR<ZL2BAU<ZL2BAU<ZL1AB<ZL2AB
Sent: 040304/1011Z @:ZL2AB.#46.NZL.OC #:37021 [New Plymouth] FBB7.00g
From: ZL2VAL@ZL2AB.#46.NZL.OC
To : ROVERS@WW
Update: Spirit and Opportunity
SPIRIT UPDATE: Rock Abrasion Tool Back in Action - sol 59, Mar 03, 2004
Waking up to "One More Time" by The Real McCoy, Spirit completed a
successful, 2 millimeter-deep grind (.08 inches) into a target slightly
left of the depression it made yestersol during its abbreviated
operation. A five-minute brush to clean the hole followed.
Completing the sol, which ended at 8:31 p.m. Wednesday, March 03,
Spirit's arm then switched instruments so the Moessbauer spectrometer
could examine "Humphrey's" new shallow cavity.
Before this sol's four-hour grinding, the microscopic imager and the
alpha particle X-ray spectrometer finished observations of yestersol's
rock abrasion tool depression. To document Spirit's current position -
about halfway to the "Bonneville" crater rim - the panoramic camera
snapped the first of several images that, together, will provide a
360-degree view.
Engineers identified the software issue that caused the rock abrasion
tool to terminate its original planned grinding on sol 58. The minor bug
will be fixed when new flight software is loaded at the end of March.
In the coming sols, Spirit will complete the alpha particle X-ray
spectrometer observations of the rock abrasion tool hole and get an
up-close view with the microscopic imager. The final images will be
obtained for the full panoramic view of Spirit's current position. After
miniature thermal emission spectrometer and panoramic camera
observations of the hole are conducted, Spirit will continue on toward
"Bonneville" crater.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: Opportunity Hits Pay Dirt - sol 38, Mar 03, 2004
On sol 38, which ended at 8:13 a.m. PST on Wednesday, March 3,
Opportunity awoke to "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" by Creedence
Clearwater Revival in honor of the confirmation that liquid water once
flowed through the rocks at Meridiani Planum.
In the morning of sol 38, Opportunity observed the atmosphere with the
panoramic camera and miniature thermal emission spectrometer. Then, the
rover turned the miniature thermal emission spectrometer to stare at the
ground for science observations. Later, Opportunity took stereo
microscopic images and Mössbauer spectrometer readings of the soil
target dubbed "Pay Dirt."
In the early afternoon Local Solar Time, Opportunity stowed the rover
arm, took a panoramic camera image of "Last Chance," and drove a very
short distance of 0.4 meters (16 inches) toward "Last Chance" to prepare
for the deployment of the robotic arm.
The proposed plan for sol 39, which will end at 8:52 a.m. PST on
Thursday, March 4, is to start the morning by taking images of a rare
solar transit of the martian moon, Deimos. The solar transit of Deimos
causes a solar eclipse only twice per Mars year (one Mars year equals
roughly two Earth years). Later in the sol, Opportunity is scheduled to
take a microscopic panorama of the layers in the "Last Chance" rock
formation.
=========================
73 de Alan, (Sysop ZL2AB).
AX25:ZL2VAL@ZL2AB.#46.NZL.OC
APRS:!3903.34S/17406.45E]
IP :zl2val@qsl.net
Message timed: 23:05 on 2004-Mar-04 (NZT)
Message sent using WinPack-AGW V6.80
Points to ponder
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marriage
~~~~~~~~
When a man steals your wife, there is no better revenge than to let
him keep her.
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