Mars Exploration Rover Update - July 1, 2005

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

SPIRIT UPDATE: Spirit Observes 'Independence' - sol 524-531, July 1,
2005

Spirit has had an extremely successful week. On June 24, 2005 (sol
524),
the rover drove 26 meters (85 feet). The following two sols, Spirit
performed remote sensing. On June 27 (sol 527), Spirit completed
another
tricky drive and progressed 22.5 meters (74 feet). At this new site,
scientists found an intriguing rock target they informally named
"Independence Rock." Spirit will observe this layered rock with
instruments on the robotic arm over the long Fourth of July weekend.
The
rover team commanded a small move positioning Spirit in front of this
target, and the rover has begun the science observations. The first
attempt to brush Independence Rock with the rock abrasion tool was
unsuccessful because contact switches didn't connect. However, the
rover
team picked a new target in the same general area for Spirit to brush
with the rock abrasion tool and analyze with the alpha particle X-ray
spectrometer and Moessbauer spectrometer over the weekend.

Sol-by-sol summaries:

Sol 524 (June 24, 2005): Spirit completed an extremely successful
drive,
advancing 26 meters (85 feet).

Sol 525: On this remote sensing sol, Spirit made observations with the
panoramic camera and miniature thermal emission spectrometer.

Sol 526: Spirit checked for dust devils with the navigation camera,
took
readings with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer and observed
the sunset with the panoramic camera.

Sol 527: Spirit drove 22.5 meters (74 feet), evidence of successful
work
by rover planners.

Sol 528: Spirit executed a small drive of 2.8 meters (9 feet) to
position itself to have an interesting rock target, dubbed "Franklin,"
within the work volume of the robotic arm.

Sol 529: The team planned a sol of using the microscopic imager, rock
abrasion tool brush, and alpha particle X-ray spectrometer in
preparation for the long weekend plan. However, the rock abrasion
tool's
contact switches didn't trip, and software responded properly by
precluded the robotic arm from doing the subsequent work with the alpha
particle X-ray spectrometer.

Sol 530: This plan was difficult and long because it was part of a
three-sol plan in preparation for the weekend. Engineers had to
re-enable the robotic arm quickly. Spirit performed a 22.5-hour
Moessbauer spectrometer integration on Franklin.

Sol 531 (July 1, 2005): This will be the second sol of a three-sol
plan,
with another long Moessbauer spectrometer integration (23 hours) on
Franklin.

Total odometry as of the end of sol 528 (June 28, 2005) is 4,583.38
meters (2.85 miles).