Skip to content

Unexplainable.net

Watching The World Change

  • UK Woman Visited by Horrifying Creature Cryptology and Monsters
  • New Discovery Could Make Electricity from Thin Air Technology Articles
  • Fasting for Spiritual Growth Meditation And Spirituality
  • Saturns Moon Iapetus Bulges From It’s Sides Space and Astrology
  • Helium 3 May Answer Energy Crisis Technology Articles
  • Living in the Moment Self Improvement
  • Girl in Coma Wakes Fluent in German Simply Unexplainable
  • Eight Facts About Charlemagne Ancient Civilizations

Spirit probes deeper into ‘Clovis’ outcrop

Posted on August 26, 2004 By jim No Comments on Spirit probes deeper into ‘Clovis’ outcrop

SPIRIT UPDATE: Spirit probes deeper into ‘Clovis’ outcrop –

Spirit continued work over the past nine sols at a rock called “Clovis.” The rover used its rock abrasion tool, microscopic imager, alpha particle X-ray spectrometer, and Mössbauer spectrometer to probe deeper into the history of this rock. Clovis is the most altered rock encountered by Spirit to date. It is part of a rock outcrop located on the “West Spur” of the “Columbia Hills,” roughly 55 meters (180 feet) higher than Spirit’s landing site about 3 kilometers (2 miles) away.

Spirit also successfully performed a couple of communications tests with the European Space Agency’s Mars Express orbiter last week. The tests demonstrated the two spacecraft’s ability to work together to transmit data collected by the rovers to Earth via the Mars Express communications relay. NASA’s Mars Odyssey and Mars Global Surveyor orbiters also have this capability. More than 85 percent of the data from the rovers has been transmitted to Earth via the Odyssey orbiter.

On sol 209, Spirit experienced an unexpected reboot of the flight software. This incident was not a threat to the spacecraft. It is a known bug in the system that the rover team is working around.

On sol 210, Spirit drove up steep terrain to reach the exact spot on Clovis for work with the science instruments at the end of the robotic arm.

Between sols 211 and 216, Spirit completed an alpha particle X-ray spectrometer reading of a spot on Clovis called “Plano,” which had been brushed off using the rock abrasion tool. Spirit then placed the rock abrasion tool on Plano again and drilled for 2.5 hours, creating a hole 8.9 millimeters (0.4 inch) deep, which is a new record! Spirit also continued a campaign to capture a color 360-degree panoramic camera image from this location. Spirit captured additional segments of the panorama on sols 217 and 218.

On sol 217, Spirit took microscopic images of the rock abrasion tool hole, and then placed the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer in the hole for an early morning observation.

On sol 218, Spirit placed the Mössbauer spectrometer in the rock abrasion tool hole and started a 48-hour observation. This is a longer than normal integration time, with a goal of resolving in more detail the makeup of this highly altered rock.

Spirit remains in excellent health.


OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: Opportunity Team Decides Against Dunes

On sol 200 Opportunity was commanded to perform some remote sensing and some rock abrasion tool diagnostics in response to an activity that faulted out on sol 199. During these diagnostics on sol 200, the tool failed to respond as desired to a command to calibrate the grind motor. Analysis of this event suggests that there is a piece of debris (probably a rocky chunk of Mars) trapped between the grind bit and the brush bit. The rover team believes that it can be freed by turning the bits in reverse, but they are still evaluating the best approach to remedy the situation. There are several options available. The team decided to continue the investigation of this anomaly while pressing on with other objectives.

On sol 201 the rover was commanded to stow its arm and drive to a position about 12 meters (about 39 feet) clockwise around the crater. The intent is to head towards a dune tendril that reaches out of the bottom of the crater and may be accessible without having to drive into terrain that is too sandy for the rover to safely traverse. The drive went very well, and the rover ended up in the expected place.

On sol 202 the rover was commanded to proceed a little ways downslope. Team members were not able to command the drive the rover as far as they might have liked because they did not get all the data they hoped to get in the afternoon downlink pass on sol 201. The terrain around the rover is heavily coated with sand and dust, so each traverse requires careful evaluation to make sure there is enough rock material to drive on with confidence. From the images available, the team determined it could safely command only about a 1-meter (3.3-foot) drive. This drive proceeded as expected. At the end of the drive, panoramic camera images were acquired directly in front of the rover and out to the dune tendril. These images will be used to assess traversability to this sandy feature.

On sol 203 the team decided to scratch the approach to the dune tendril and, instead, headed the rover back towards “Axel Heiberg” and another target named “Ellesmere” for some soil observations. The terrain between the rover and the dune tendril did not present clear evidence of rocky plates to give the rover sufficient traction. Rather than spend more time in an attempt to scout further for an approach path, the decision was made to abandon the quest for the dune tendril. A drive of approximately 14 meters (46 feet) positioned the rover where it will be able to zero in on Ellesmere next. There was an apparent combination of slip or induced heading change, or both, due to the sandy terrain, which resulted in the rover ending up about 3 meters (about 10 feet) farther left than expected. This also caused Opportunity to unintentionally run over a patch of fine soil with some small dune-like ripples in it. The team will be assessing this traverse error, but it is par for the course when driving this far on such sandy, sloped terrain.

Mars Coverage

Post navigation

Previous Post: The Face On Mars Seems To Dissapear Occasionally
Next Post: Celestial equivalent of a geode – Rare Space Photo Captured

Related Posts

  • Martian Social Experiment Ends After 500 Days Mars Coverage
  • Sol 180 marked a grand accomplishment for Spirit Mars Coverage
  • Mars Rovers visualization and simulation software Honored Mars Coverage
  • NASA’s Mars Announcement- Perchlorate Found in Martian Soil **UPDATE** Mars Coverage
  • NASA Announces Life Very Possible On Mars!!! Mars Coverage
  • Darwin Could Change Mars Mars Coverage

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • The Meat Eater couple arrested for child abuse
  • The Meat-Eater boxer kidnapped and raped a young school Girl
  • Carnist man arrested for 198 years for raping and shooting a woman
  • Mitch McConnell- Eating Cow Corpses
  • Animal Flesh Eater Arrested: Felony Charges Serious Injury To 3 Month Old!

Recent Comments

No comments to show.

Archives

  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • May 2020
  • June 2018
  • February 2018
  • July 2016
  • May 2016
  • February 2016
  • September 2015
  • July 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • July 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008
  • December 2007
  • November 2007
  • October 2007
  • September 2007
  • August 2007
  • July 2007
  • June 2007
  • May 2007
  • April 2007
  • March 2007
  • February 2007
  • January 2007
  • December 2006
  • November 2006
  • October 2006
  • September 2006
  • August 2006
  • July 2006
  • June 2006
  • May 2006
  • April 2006
  • March 2006
  • February 2006
  • January 2006
  • December 2005
  • November 2005
  • October 2005
  • September 2005
  • August 2005
  • July 2005
  • June 2005
  • May 2005
  • April 2005
  • March 2005
  • February 2005
  • January 2005
  • December 2004
  • November 2004
  • October 2004
  • September 2004
  • August 2004
  • July 2004
  • June 2004
  • May 2004
  • April 2004
  • March 2004
  • February 2004
  • January 2004
  • December 2003
  • November 2003
  • October 2003

Categories

  • Ancient Civilizations
  • Benjamin Fulford Story
  • Corrupt Carnivores
  • Cryptology and Monsters
  • Eating Healthy
  • Ghost And Demons
  • Information and Theories
  • Mars Coverage
  • Meditation And Spirituality
  • Mysteries
  • NASA Articles
  • Other Exciting News
  • Personal Accounts
  • Pictures And Multimedia
  • Political Conspiracies
  • Recent Submissions
  • Religion Articles
  • Self Improvement
  • Simply Unexplainable
  • Space and Astrology
  • Technology Articles
  • True Stories
  • UFOs and Aliens
  • Unexplainable Video Library
  • Unexplainable Weather
  • Neuroscience and the Military Technology Articles
  • Ancient Chinese Creation Myth with Pangu Ancient Civilizations
  • Herbs that Treat Your Bodily Systems: Respiratory System I Information and Theories
  • Gravitational Propulsion Data Site Technology Articles
  • Bird Mystery Leaves “Trauma” Questions Simply Unexplainable
  • Earthlight Theory – UFOs and a natural product of the Earth UFOs and Aliens
  • Ancient Aryan Traditions: The Bindi Ancient Civilizations
  • Patron Saints associated with Medicine II Information and Theories

Copyright © 2023 Unexplainable.net.

Powered by PressBook News Dark theme