Mars Exploration Rover Update - February 11, 2005

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

OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: Examining a Trench and Scuff - sol 367-373,
February 11, 2005

Opportunity is in good health after more than a year on the martian
surface. The rover completed its investigation of a trench and soil
materials on sol 373 and is ready for a software patch, which will be
uploaded over next few sols. There have been no recent dust storm
events, and tau -- a measurement of atmospheric opacity -- has remained
close to 0.9 for the past two weeks.

Sol-by-sol summaries:

For sols 367 and 368, a two-sol plan focused on investigation of a
trench that Spirit had dug with its wheels on sol 366. Opportunity
awoke
on sol 367 at about 7:30 a.m. local solar time after a night in the
deep-sleep mode. It made some early-morning photometry measurements,
then napped until the morning uplink window from 10:40 to 11:00 a.m.
local solar time. After this, the rover acquired microscopic images of
the trench wall, performed a short reading with the Mossbauer
spectrometer, and then positioned the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer
for data collection. After an afternoon communications relay session
via
Mars Odyssey, the rover slept until the sol 368 morning relay pass, at
which time it started the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer
integration.
In the morning of sol 368, Opportunity acquired more photometry
observations, gathered more microscopic images, performed another short
Mossbauer integration, and then positioned the alpha particle X-ray
spectrometer for an overnight integration.

On sol 369, Opportunity completed more trench investigations. It
gathered additional microscopic images on new targets in the trench,
completed another short data-collection session with the Mossbauer
spectrometer, and placed the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer for
another overnight integration.

On sol 370, the rover acquired more microscopic images, more Mossbauer
data and a variety of remote-sensing observations before using the
deep-sleep mode overnight.

On sol 371, after waking from deep sleep, Opportunity restarted the
Mossbauer integration. The rover made remote-sensing observations
during
the middle of the day. Later, it gathered the last microscopic images
on
the trench, stowed its robotic arm and used its left front wheel to
scuff the soil. Opportunity then bumped backwards to put the scuffed
area into the arm's work volume.

On sol 372, Opportunity completed microscopic imaging of the scuffed
area, collected Mossbauer data, and switched to the alpha particle
X-ray
spectrometer. The rover did not use the deep sleep mode overnight so
that it could perform an overnight reading with the alpha particle
X-ray
spectrometer.

On sol 373, Opportunity completed the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer
work and then changed tools back to the Mossbauer for more integration
during the day. In the afternoon the rover acquired some final
microscopic images of the scuff, used the hazard avoidance camera to
inspect wear on the grinding teeth of the rock abrasion tool, and then
stowed the arm. Opportunity then bumped back about 1.5 meters (about 5
feet) to position itself for observing the trench with the instruments
on the mast. It turned to a heading of 250 degrees to be in good
position for four hours of high-gain antenna tracking for receiving an
upload of improved flight software. Sol 373 ended on Feb. 10.