Mars Exploration Rovers (MER)

Palomar · 2005-04-20 05:24:15

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/mars-mer … tml]Spirit has a bad week

*On Sol 450 it lost track of which direction its high-gain antenna was pointed. The daily uplink was missed. On Sol 453 Spirit took photos of its surroundings, in preparation for an attempted drive on Sol 454. On Sol 454 they tried to get Spirit to climb uphill; not good, with lots of slippage. They're going to try a different approach.

Instead of going up, Spirit would go down and cross the slope a bit. They will send Spirit cross slope until an easier path to the summit is identified.
Sol 456 (April 15, 2005): This sol's plan consists of a small drive forward to a soil target where Spirit will use its front wheels to churn up a bit of Mars. The plan is to then examine this soil with instruments on the robotic arm.

Oppy still having problems with wheel/steering (as per post above this one).

--Cindy

Palomar · 2005-04-22 05:50:39

*Spirit has always possessed an extra bit of fondness in my heart...and especially so now.

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/mars-mer … html]Movie clip of dust devils

Obtained April 15 and 18. Yay.

Clips consisting of a few frames of two different dust devils are available online at JPL. These were taken on April 15 and April 18, and capture more movement as seen from the surface than any previous imaging of martian dust devils.

--Cindy

aldo12xu · 2005-04-22 09:50:33

Are those f_in' cool or what??

If you're still into checking out some animations, I've completed my Spirit video using front cam images from sol 200 to 400, accompanied by some cool Canadian surf music.

Cheers,
Aldo.

Palomar · 2005-04-25 07:58:14

*Hi Aldo. Yep, I'd say that pretty much sums it up.

Must be lots of devils buzzing the vicinity of Spirit, because it's catching even more on camera.

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/mars-mer … tml]Spirit update

Is still having troubles driving, but has been doing soil studies (via "scuffing"), snapping pics of dust devils of course, and also drove to a "piece of outcrop" which they're calling "Methuselah" (so named because scientists think this outcrop is rather old).

Sol 456: Spirit drove toward a soil target to perform a maneuver that engineers and scientists call a "scuff." To scuff the soil, Spirit rotates and backspins one of its front wheels, creating a very shallow trench.
Sol 457, 458, 459: The scuffmark that Spirit created gave the science team a chance to do some soil studies. Spirit used its full complement of science instruments over the weekend (April 16 and 17, 2005) to learn about the soil.

Spirit is doing the boot-scuff boogie. :laugh:

Last note was they were going to try and drive Spirit 13 feet closer to "Methuselah" on April 21.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2005-04-27 14:02:48

*Spirit has always possessed an extra bit of fondness in my heart...and especially so now.
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/mars-mer … html]Movie clip of dust devils
Obtained April 15 and 18. Yay.
Clips consisting of a few frames of two different dust devils are available online at JPL. These were taken on April 15 and April 18, and capture more movement as seen from the surface than any previous imaging of martian dust devils.
--Cindy

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050426.html]From Astropix

*No need to download anything. Just click.

--Cindy

Shaun Barrett · 2005-04-27 17:39:17

Good news!
It seems that the same roadside maintenance crew, who recently cleaned up Spirit's solar panels, have now repaired its broken wheel:-

Summary - (Apr 26, 2005) Since arriving at the Columbia Hills, Spirit, one of the Mars Exploration Rovers, has encountered some mysterious phenomena. The rover’s right front “arthritic” wheel that plagued Spirit’s 2-mile trek across the plains is now suddenly working perfectly and the once dust-covered solar panels whose power output was cut in half have now been miraculously wiped clean. But the biggest mystery of the Columbia Hills may lie in the angled rock outcrops that Spirit has found in the vicinity of “Larry’s Lookout” on Husband Hill.

[The above is included in a roundup of Spirit's latest adventures in the Columbia Hills - at http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish … .html]THIS SITE.]
I suppose all the shimmying up the slopes has been the MER equivalent of 'thumping the T.V. set' to get it working again! :laugh:
I don't know how it happened but it's very welcome news because apparently the geologists are drooling over what they think may be stratified sedimentary rock formations within Spirit's reach:-

They say they'll be analyzing this outcrop for some time in order to get a clear idea of its origin and that it may be one of the highlights of the whole mission.
These MERs just have to be the best probes ever .. the megastars of robotic space exploration! Fantastic!! :up:
[No disrespect to Cassini-Huygens, of course. I guess I'm just biased toward Mars.]

By the way, yet again, I wonder if NASA has any longer term plans to investigate that Ultreya depression/cave, a few nice pictures of which are featured at marsgeo.com.
e.g.:-

This enhanced image is just soooo inviting! As a kid, I just wouldn't have been able to help myself - that mysterious dark cave(?) would have attracted me like a magnet! And the truth is ... I haven't changed much since then! :-

I hope the MERs just keep on keepin' on.

Palomar · 2005-04-28 06:10:14

*Hi Shaun.

Summary - (Apr 26, 2005) Since arriving at the Columbia Hills, Spirit, one of the Mars Exploration Rovers, has encountered some mysterious phenomena. The rover’s right front “arthritic” wheel that plagued Spirit’s 2-mile trek across the plains is now suddenly working perfectly

I saw this news item yesterday, but was short on time and couldn't tackle it. You sure did a splendid job of covering "the latest."

The black and white diagram you included in your post -- I'd not seen that before. It's terrific.

Yep, let's hope our babies keep on keepin' on. :up:

--Cindy

Yang Liwei Rocket · 2005-04-29 04:08:11

These Rovers have been doing wonderful work

sadly heres some bad news
opportunity sinking in sand

http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/05 … pdate.html

pic of rover
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opport … ...0M1.JPG
http://qt.exploratorium.edu:16080/mars/ … ...2M1.JPG
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/ … ...0M1.JPG
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opport … ...0M1.JPG
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opport … ...0M1.JPG

???

the MerRlproject people who did website pics, have pages of discussion on the event here

http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/inde … wtopic=947

will it be ok ???

Palomar · 2005-04-29 04:55:57

WHOOPS! Geez, I didn't read YL Rocket's post carefully enough the first time, I guess -- upon checking this thread again. So the following is unintentionally redundant; YLR broke the news before I did. *SORRY*!

Better get my eyes examined. :-\ Or quit posting so damned early in the a.m.!

Here's what I posted, previously, before typing what's above:

http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/05 … -oh...Oppy stuck in sand

*All six wheels, apparently deeply sunk into a "large ripple of soil."

They're confident Oppy can get unstuck. Also, of course, wondering what's different about the soil in this area. Squyres says they'll be extremely patient, take lots of photos of the area, etc.

"A note to all you Opportunity fans: Get used to the current scenery, because we’re going to be here awhile," said Steve Squyres..."All of this is going to take a lot of time. But this is a very precious vehicle up there, in excellent health, and there’s no reason to rush anything," Squyres said. The main message now, he added, "is to be very, very patient."

Will keep my fingers crossed.

--Cindy

Shaun Barrett · 2005-04-29 19:42:28

Yes, bad news indeed. But who knows? .. Something of importance may result from this unexpected problem.
The question of what's different about the sand Oppy's stuck in might lead to new knowledge about the Martian surface .. perhaps something we hadn't thought of previously. I know I can be a bit of a dreamer at times but still I wondered about sand lubricated by liquid water, like quicksand here on Earth.
I don't think of Mars as being quite as bone-dry as it's been depicted over the last quarter century. In line with more recent findings, and bearing in mind the work of Dr. Gilbert Levin, it seems likely to me that small amounts of liquid water exist in (or even on) the regolith for brief periods during the day at certain times of the year. Local topography - i.e. areas facing the Sun and/or sheltered from the dessicating winds by crater walls, for example - might amplify the effect, especially in local summertime.
I'm still mindful, also, of the mud-like appearance of the topsoil when Spirit's airbag was retracted at the beginning of its mission. Explanations not requiring water were put forward to explain the cohesion of the surface material and I admit there's no compelling reason to doubt those explanations. But I still wonder whether we were actually looking at the Martian equivalent of Earthly mud in those tantalizing pictures(?). ???

So, when I first read about Oppy getting bogged down, the thought crossed my mind that maybe the sand isn't always just dry compacted sand at all. Maybe subsurface briny ice, during those brief periods in the early afternoon when it warms up enough to melt, could change the characteristics of the surface and allow the MER's wheels to sink into it.
Pure unsupported speculation, I know, but I find it fascinating to consider these possibilities.

Palomar · 2005-04-30 05:02:23

*Perhaps already a bit of a benefit to Oppy's predicament:

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=16776]Tiny craters discovered

-The- smallest yet seen of any Mars robotic mission. Both are less than 1 foot wide and less than 1 inch deep. They're speculating these must be recently created as they've not been covered by sand. However, someone is quoted as saying that could be a million years as well. :hm: It might take a million years to fill up these little fellows??

-*-

Spirit is approaching "Methuselah." A new panoramic photo has been released.

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.htm … alse-color "rendering"

Spirit having to zig-zag. They're on the look-out for potato-sized rocks (to avoid getting another one jammed in Spirit's wheels...which occurred months ago). Spirit is currently "camped" on more level ground.

Spirits]http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=16774]Spirit's vista from "Lookout" Point

--Cindy

Shaun Barrett · 2005-04-30 17:30:07

That 'false-color rendering' panoramic picture is just great.
Every now and then, they give us some real scenery to look at and this is a marvellous example. The scene looks so 'real' and so inviting. I can easily imagine stepping into this picture and wandering around the rock outcrops with a hammer in hand.

God, I'd love to go to Mars!!

Palomar · 2005-05-03 06:35:27

I can easily imagine stepping into this picture and wandering around the rock outcrops with a hammer in hand.
God, I'd love to go to Mars!!

*I'm going to start calling you The Hammer Guy. :;): Certainly agree with your sentiments.

http://www.space.com/imageoftheday/imag … .html]View from atop Larry's Lookout

Obtained over a 4-day period of time, beginning Sol 410.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2005-05-05 05:57:01

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/mars-mer … tml]Update on Spirit

*Is studying "Keystone." Also targets named "Abigail" and "Priscilla."

--Cindy

Michael Bloxham · 2005-05-09 21:59:29

I reckon they drove oppy into the sand on purpose. It somehow seems suspicious... :;):

REB · 2005-05-11 06:48:22

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/ … .HTML]This is a weird one

I am guessing it was taken after sunset and those bright objects are clouds.

Palomar · 2005-05-11 07:13:04

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/ … .HTML]This is a weird one
I am guessing it was taken after sunset and those bright objects are clouds.

*Geez. Seems like a very low quality photo; so grainy. I'm surprised they posted it to the MER homepage.

Maybe clouds, but I'm wondering about artifact.

--Cindy

Grypd · 2005-05-11 17:44:37

Seems that NASA have spent the time trying various ways for "Oppy" to get itself out of the quagmire

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/mars-mer … pportunity to make its great escape, a spacedaily article

Well heres fingers crossed

Palomar · 2005-05-12 04:41:27

*Yeah, good luck to Oppy.

:+:Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the planet:+:

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/mars-mer … l]Wiggling the wheels near Pittsburgh

At one point the left front wheel wasn't touching the ground; they figure it was "perched on a pebble." Spirit executed the shortest drive on Mars (2 inches) to get off this pebble and wiggled its wheels.

--Cindy

C M Edwards · 2005-05-12 14:17:05

Odd. :hm:

Opportunity has been in the same location for two weeks, a sand dune of completely unknown composition, unlike anything encountered before.

Why haven't they attempted to use the microscopic imager?

There are no imager photos and no hazard camera images of the imager in use. The simulants they are using for their terrestrial research model are reportedly unsatisfactory. (They can't get the duplicate rover here on earth to dig itself in.) However, nobody's bothered to take a look at what they're actually stuck in.

C M Edwards · 2005-05-12 15:27:14

I have a wild guess as to the composition of Opportunity's potential new home: http://www.keram.se/eng/pdf/freeze_gran … pdf]Freeze Dried Salt

A patch of salt, previously saturated with water, will create a crushable matrix of fine particles when freeze dried. The salt patch will hold its original volume until disturbed, but readily grind down to a fine dust when a wheel is rolled over the top of it. That would explain the rover team's inability to find a soil simulant that will settle properly - a freeze dried formation would never have settled at all. It's possible that this is what Opportunity is now stuck in.

If upwellings of water were frequent during the last drying stages in Meridiani, deposits like this could be common, and potentially much larger than the little dust pile Opportunity now faces. Its conceivable that Opportunity could find a freeze dried deposit large enough to swallow it whole.

This could be the Marsian equivalent of quicksand.

Incidentally, saturation would have to have been recent. Such a formation would weather very quickly, even on Mars.

I predict that the MER team will be able to back Opportunity out of this dust pile, gaining valuable experience for the many, MANY more such deposits they will encounter on their journey south. Also in my magic marsian crystal ball, I see more mini-craters like the two nearby, which I suspect are more related to the unstable dune structure than to any meteorite.

If I'm correct, Opportunity's journey just became a bit more harrowing. I look forward to the imager data needed to test this hypothesis.

Shaun Barrett · 2005-05-12 17:40:24

Extremely interesting thoughts as usual, CM. :up:
I see your point about a possibly unstable salty crust. I did a little speculating myself, earlier in this thread, about possible salty mud being the culprit responsible for Oppy's plight, but your 'dry crust' explanation may be more realistic.
As Cindy rightly suggests, shouldn't we be analyzing the soil more closely with the Rover's cameras? ???

Palomar · 2005-05-13 13:20:46

http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish … 005]Update on Oppy

*Of course they're still working with that test rover here on Earth to try and resolve the problem. Says they may not begin trying to actually drive Oppy out of the sand ripple or elongated dune it's stuck in for another week...perhaps longer.

They're describing the ripple/dune as being composed of finer/looser material than regular (?) sand.

Last week, engineers arranged a simulated dune using sand that was already at JPL's rover testing facility and put a test rover into a comparably dug-in position. The test rover had no difficulty driving away, even when sunk in belly-deep. However, that sand offered better traction than the finer, looser material that appears to make up the surface at Opportunity's current position. "We needed to do tests using material more like what Opportunity is in, something that has a fluffier texture and cakes onto the wheels," said JPL rover engineer Rick Welch, who is leading the tests.

C'mon Oppy!

Interesting to see, again, just how big a MER is. Nice pic in the article.

The dune/ripple it's stuck in is estimated to be 1 foot tall by 8 feet wide. Steeper slope too; perhaps "15 degrees on part of its face."

--Cindy

Shaun Barrett · 2005-05-15 05:24:52

.. something that has a fluffier texture and cakes onto the wheels, ..

Hmmm. ???
This sand/dust cakes onto the wheels, eh?

I'm trying to think of the kinds of terrestrial ground materials which stick to wheels. Anything I can think of .. clay, sand, volcanic ash, etc. .. it always has to be wet, or at least damp, to stick to wheels, doesn't it?
Or am I overlooking something here?
Any opinions or hypotheses?

Palomar · 2005-05-15 09:00:01

.. something that has a fluffier texture and cakes onto the wheels, ..
Hmmm. ???
This sand/dust cakes onto the wheels, eh?
I'm trying to think of the kinds of terrestrial ground materials which stick to wheels. Anything I can think of .. clay, sand, volcanic ash, etc. .. it always has to be wet, or at least damp, to stick to wheels, doesn't it?
Or am I overlooking something here?
Any opinions or hypotheses?

Looking]http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/mars_rover]"Looking through the eyes of a robot is so difficult"

*Excellent article discusses difficulties between perception and reality, regarding MER images.

Shaun: Yeah, I'm wondering too. Is that sort of sand/dust/whatever generally evenly distributed in that area and somehow formed a dune/mound in that area? How many similar dunes/mounds of that stuff are there?

Staying tuned...

--Cindy

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