Mars Exploration Rover Update #2 - August 31, 2004

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status.html

OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: 'Look Mom, no pebble!' - sol 209-210, August 31, 2004

Sol 209 activities for Opportunity focused on recharging its batteries
and downlinking data through both an afternoon communications link with
NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter and an overnight Odyssey pass (early morning
sol 210). The rover also made some remote sensing observations. The sol
209 plan was constructed without benefit of the sol 208 downlink (due to
the restricted nature of the planning at this point in the cycle of Mars
days progressing relative to Earth days). For that reason, activities
were limited to remote sensing, which did not depend upon knowledge of
the exact position of the rover. All went fine, and about 165 megabits
of data were returned through relay by Odyssey.

On sol 210, which ended on Aug. 27, the rover was commanded to image the
rock abrasion tool in a variety of positions to get better knowledge of
a pebble that appeared to be jammed between rotors in an earlier image.
Then the rover used its microscopic imager to survey several spots on a
rock called "Escher." In addition, it took panoramic camera images for
assembling into a mosaic of the dune field at the bottom of "Endurance
Crater." The diagnostic images of the rock abrasion tool brought good
news with the revelation that there is no longer a pebble jammed between
the grind bits! Apparently, sometime after the last previous images of
the tool were acquired on sol 200, the pebble fell out, perhaps due to
thermal cycling or vehicle motion. The team will proceed next with
diagnostic actions to confirm that the abrasion tool is functioning
normally again. Those activities are planned for sol 212.