|
||||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
Spirit prepares to cruise; Opportunity in science mode BY JUSTIN RAY SPACEFLIGHT NOW Posted: February 8, 2004 The Mars Exploration Rover Spirit will leave its first rock subject late Sunday and begin the long journey toward an impact crater, a day later than planned after a self-imposed software hold. Meanwhile, Opportunity has commenced its examination of the rock outcropping at its landing site by taking amazing microscopic images.
"On Spirit we intended to drive today but we weren't able to accomplish that. We did a lot of remote sensing," mission manager Jim Erickson told reporters in a teleconference. "One of the things we did accomplish was Pancam and Mini-TES of the RAT'ed part of the rock, the RAT hole." In the upcoming workday, Sol 36, a single command will be sent to Spirit to clear the software hold placed against driving. "It turned out back on Sol 18 when we had the original anomaly, one of the things the vehicle did was safe itself and it marked a flag that said 'don't drive until you really mean to.' It will know that you really mean to by resetting the flag. It looks like we missed that when we were getting everything back in order for driving on Spirit," Erickson said. "Not a big a deal, but unfortunate." Roughly 20 meters could be traversed on the first day of driving to a large impact crater nearby. "We are intending to drive around the lander and beginning to drive to an area called Bonneville," Erickson said.
"On Opportunity today we just finished pretty much a great day," Erickson said. "We were basically acquiring images in preparation for driving, and using the instrument arm. We got some magnificent images through the Microscopic Imager of one of the areas we are in right now -- both soil and the first part of the outcrop." The latest highly detailed microscopic images show the bizarre sphere-like materials as were seen in other patches of soil that Opportunity has examined in recent days. "They are showing up both in the soil and in the outcrop," Erickson said. Other imagery taken by Opportunity appears to show the backshell and parachute resting on the Meridiani plains outside the crater. "We'll have to wait and see if that's really what's in the image," Erickson said.
"One of the things that science wants to weigh in on is exactly how often we stop as we cruise down the outcrop, examine it, and begin to set the overall context for what we will then return and take specific observations. "I think of this as just cruising past the buffet and coming back and sampling later," Erickson quipped. "We are beginning to do the long-term study of this rock outcrop, which is the first one we've ever seen on Mars. We will be here a while, taking lots of data trying to understand the area that it is in as well as the rock itself."
|
Status quicklook Check the status center for complete coverage. Apollo 11 special patch Special collectors' patch marking the 35th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 moon landing is now available.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Inside Apollo mission control
An insider's view of how Apollo flight controllers operated and just what they faced when events were crucial.U.S. The ultimate Apollo 11 DVD This exceptional chronicle of the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing mission features new digital transfers of film and television coverage unmatched by any other.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Next ISS crew
Own a little piece of history with this official patch for the International Space Station's Expedition 11 crew. We'll ship yours today!U.S.
An insider's view of how Apollo flight controllers operated and just what they faced when events were crucial.U.S. STS-134 Patch Free shipping to U.S. addresses! The final planned flight of space shuttle Endeavour is symbolized in the official embroidered crew patch for STS-134. Available in our store!Final Shuttle Mission Patch Free shipping to U.S. addresses! The crew emblem for the final space shuttle mission is now available in our store. Get this piece of history!Apollo Collage This beautiful one piece set features the Apollo program emblem surrounded by the individual mission logos.STS-133 Patch Free shipping to U.S. addresses! The final planned flight of space shuttle Discovery is symbolized in the official embroidered crew patch for STS-133. Available in our store!Anniversary Shuttle Patch Free shipping to U.S. addresses! This embroidered patch commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Program. The design features the space shuttle Columbia's historic maiden flight of April 12, 1981.Mercury anniversary Free shipping to U.S. addresses! ![]() Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Alan Shephard's historic Mercury mission with this collectors' item, the official commemorative embroidered patch. Fallen Heroes Patch Collection The official patches from Apollo 1, the shuttle Challenger and Columbia crews are available in the store.Gemini 7 Gemini 7: The NASA Mission Reports covers this 14-day mission by Borman and Lovell as they demonstrated some of the more essential facts of space flight. Includes CD-ROM.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Apollo patches The Apollo Patch Collection: Includes all 12 Apollo mission patches plus the Apollo Program Patch. Save over 20% off the Individual price. U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Mars Rover mission patch A mission patch featuring NASA's Mars Exploration Rover is available from our online.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Apollo 9 DVD On the road to the moon, the mission of Apollo 9 stands as an important gateway in experience and procedures. This 2-DVD collection presents the crucial mission on the voyage to the moon.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Apollo 12 tribute DVD set ![]() New! Featuring the jovial crew of Pete Conrad, Dick Gordon and Alan Bean, the Apollo 12 mission was struck by lightning shortly after liftoff but proceeded on the second successful exploration voyage to the lunar surface. This three-disc DVD brings the mission to life with extraordinary detail. U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Fallen Heroes special patch This special 12-inch embroidered patch commemorates the U.S. astronauts who made the ultimate sacrifice, honoring the crews of Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Women in Space Women of Space: Cool Careers on the Final Frontier is for girls, young women, and anyone else interested in learning about exciting careers in space exploration. Includes CD-ROM.U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Mars rover poster This new poster features some of the best pictures from NASA's amazing Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity.U.S. Get e-mail updates Sign up for our NewsAlert service and have the latest news in astronomy and space e-mailed direct to your desktop (privacy note: your e-mail address will not be used for any other purpose). |
||||||
|
MISSION STATUS CENTER INDEX | PLUS | NEWS ARCHIVE | LAUNCH SCHEDULE ASTRONOMY NOW | STORE ADVERTISE © 2012 Spaceflight Now Inc. |
|||||||