Mars Exploration Rovers (MER)

Palomar · 2005-11-22 08:37:56

Happy Birthday Spirit!
And long live the DustDevils, making this all possible

*Yep, happy birthday! Especially after Spirit nearly died shortly after rolling off its lander. Remember how we were all holding our breath, hoping it wasn't so? MER team managed to fix the problem, thank goodness.

Oppy update

Oppy's passed the 4-mile mark, on Sol 645. It too got a "cleaning," and now its average solar array energy is 720 watt hours. Still around Erebus Crater, and recently RAT did work on a cobble named "Antistasi."

At the bottom of the article are photos of "Kalavrita."

--Cindy

SpaceNut · 2005-11-22 09:08:43

Yes Happy Birthday indeed..
Shows how far we have come with the
Mars rover comes alive with Hollywood special effects from all the images beamed back to us. One can almost feel like they are there.

Rxke · 2005-11-22 15:50:18

One Martian year... One Martian year... I *still* can hardly believe it, this is the most incredible mission ever, in my book.

*Wild-eyed mode on* Imagine a fleet of these, maybe even ditch some of the camera's and focus on prospecting... JPL has learned how to operate them more efficiently over the months, now they literally far from their headquarters(!)
those missions would be incredibly cheap, compared to the original ones...

Palomar · 2005-11-29 07:34:03

Oppy and "Scylla"

*Scylla is described as a wind-blown ripple. Photos obtained Sols 644-645. Other nearby ripples are seen; also bright rocks and dark cobbles. The upper left image is false color.

The blue-tinted colors associated with the scours and ripple crests are probably due to the presence of basaltic sands mixed with hematite-rich spherules.

--Cindy

SpaceNut · 2005-12-06 10:57:03

Far out living expectaions of just the first winter, the rovers have managed even against the terrian, elements and sand dunes. Opportunity is only just now showing signs that it has developed arthritis of the arm. Hopefully this will not slow the rover badly.

[url=http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_3282301]Rover develops bad shoulder
Motion loss could be major hit to mission[/url]

SpaceNut · 2005-12-09 10:15:05

Here is some solar power level information on output power to dust accumilation charts.

Chart Shows Variation In Solar Power Available For Mars Rovers

Rxke · 2005-12-10 15:13:12

The flurry of papers being published... Most of them are $30 if you want them, Ack!

But... some googling throws up masses of info. For example:

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2005/pdf/2239.pdf
http://ivis.eps.pitt.edu/courses/mars/p … __2004.pdf

(Both pdfs... Just google for Fe3D3 to find lots more.)

Palomar · 2005-12-14 16:24:22

Spirit is no slacker

*The MER has been busy, driving to an outcrop named "Algonquin." Then it'll be traveling downhill for "Comanche." Spirit's also been observing Phobos at night, snapping pics of a dust devil, etc. RAT still in use, this time on "Iroquet" for 25 minutes.

Total odometry is 3.42 miles.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2005-12-16 07:19:57

MER engineers regain...

*...use of Oppy's robotic arm. That's good to know; the troubles have been ongoing for about a month now.

they've since deduced that the motor glitch appeared to be the result of a broken wire in one of nine windings, or coils, in the arm.

Bottom of article includes Spirit update which I previously posted.

--Cindy

Rxke · 2006-01-05 16:13:00

It's a sad thing no-one thought about Spirit darting around on Mars for more than two Earth years and counting... :cry:

Palomar · 2006-01-06 06:45:45

It's a sad thing no-one thought about Spirit darting around on Mars for more than two Earth years and counting... :cry:

*I noticed. Didn't post about it; a lot of odd/unexpected stuff in my life is continually getting in the way lately, especially computer troubles. Right now I'm tempted to give anything which plugs into an outlet a good, swift kick. Okay, enough off-topic.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2006-01-09 10:02:47

Festoon pattern in Meridiani outcrop

This image from the panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the best examples yet seen in Meridiani Planum outcrop rocks of well-preserved, fine-scale layering and what geologists call "cross-lamination."

--Cindy

REB · 2006-01-23 07:49:06

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/ … 3L7M1.HTML

Big Rock!

REB · 2006-01-26 08:43:31

Interesting

Rxke · 2006-01-26 08:54:36

That's an Opportunity picture, I guess? Judging from the BB's down left?

REB · 2006-01-26 09:39:25

Yes, that is Opportunity. In an area lacking in Blueberries, there seems to be some around this particular outcrop.
Here is one up close;
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/ … 7M2M1.HTML

Here is the above feature from the Front Hazcam;

Rxke · 2006-01-27 09:57:27

Spirit update: http://www.marsdaily.com/reports/Spirit … es_On.html

whoa:

Spirit had a bit of difficulty driving out of the sandy area near Arad. Rover instruments recorded slip rates as high as 92 percent on the wheels before Spirit's drivers designed a command strategy that took Spirit away from the sand dunes and closer to Home Plate.

92%, imagine it got stuck too, as it is in restricted mode now, due to less power from the sun (JPL: "On sol 715, Spirit enters restricted sols and will be able to drive only every other day, so the team made a large effort to maximize driving prior to this.")

That would've caused some headscratching..

REB · 2006-02-08 07:27:49

The layered rocks at home plate remind me of slate, where as the layered rocks Opportunity has encountered reminds me of limestone.
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/spirit … 26L0M1.JPG

However, check out the laying at the bottom of this picture. It sort-of resembles the laying Opportunity has found. Looks much different from the slate-like layering. http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/spirit … 85R0M1.JPG

Here is the rim of Home Plate. http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/spirit … 85L0M1.JPG

What is Home Plate- an old crater?

Whatever it is, I get the feeling Spirit has hit the jackpot at this location.

SpaceNut · 2006-02-10 21:32:14

Mars rover slides into Home Plate mystery ‘Spectacular’ layered rock has scientists scratching their heads

060210_plate3_hmed.h2.jpg

A wide-angle view taken by the Spirit Rover's hazard avoidance camera shows the robot's instrument-laden arm being lowered to check out layered rock at Home Plate.

Thanks for the other Image REB..

They all show signs that the loss soil gets blown in all directions since there are low spots bound by higher rocks and crevaces..

Julius Caeser · 2006-02-11 09:16:07

Certainly its the most interesting area that Spirit could come to at Gusev crater.Looks like finally, we get to view various layered rocks as was possible at Meridiani and shed light on various processes at work on Mars over time.

Did anyone at Nasa mention anything about the composition of the layered rocks?Home Plate is perhaps THE place to show us what happened prior to the flooding of Gusev with lava.Lets hope so..fingers crossed!

Rxke · 2006-02-11 12:14:24

it's an interesting site, allright. (How's that for an understatement?) Aaah finally reaching Home plate and then discovering it is as exciting as hoped, I bet there's a lot of happy people at JPL!
They keep finding new stuff, like the salt-layers, just beneath the surface, that was in fact a coincidental finding (Spirit 'kicking' up some dust)
... Waiting excitedly for some serious Mini-Tessing

REB · 2006-02-14 07:40:53

New picture;

I was hoping this layering we see would be from a water process, but this picture looks more like the dune cross bedding I have seen out in petrified dune sandstone.

This is probably sitting on courser volcanic ash deposits.

I hope I am wrong. I was hoping these would be mud deposits.

[/url]

Rxke · 2006-02-14 09:41:40

Latest reports I read is that JPL geologists lean to volcanic origin...

Julius Caeser · 2006-02-15 15:25:13

If Home plate deposits turn out to be volcanic in origin,that would pose a big question mark as to the true origin of the meridiani deposits observed by opportunity.We still have to identify the composition of the layered rocks thou..the origin of the sulphate rock in meridiani have recently been attributed to volcanic rather than water origin.Any thoughts about this? :?

Rxke · 2006-02-15 15:51:25

Vulcanic as in ash-layers, which doesn't rule out water. Au contraire, the salt deposits they found nearby were the errr... saltiest ones found till now, IIRC, it pointed not to puddles but to masses of water

BTW, I bet unmannedspaceflight.com's MER section will be a good place (I mean, it will be even more than it already is, once the chem. analyses come in) to get some good discussions....Already some great stuff there, only by judging the pictures. Most involve water.

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