Mars Exploration Rover Update - May 11, 2005

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

SPIRIT UPDATE: Spirit Checking Out Pittsburgh - sol 471-476,
May 11, 2005

After finishing robotic-arm work at a rock called "Keystone" in the
"Methuselah" outcrop, Spirit backed off to image the rock with the
panoramic camera and miniature thermal emission spectrometer. Spirit
then scooted forward and to the left to another Methuselah target,
informally called "Pittsburgh" (taking the name from Pennsylvania, the
"Keystone State"). The rover executed the drive perfectly, however the
left front wheel was not quite in contact with the ground, and was
presumably perched on a pebble. Since there was a possibility of
slipping off of this pebble during work with the robotic arm, the
engineering team reworked the sol's plan to bump backwards 5
centimeters
(2 inches, the shortest planned drive on Mars) and wiggle the wheels.
Work using the instruments on the robotic arm commenced the next sol,
when the rover was stable once again. For sol 476 (May 6, 2005), the
team planned a bump back to image Pittsburgh with the miniature thermal
emission spectrometer and a drive towards "Jibsheet." Since Jibsheet is
at least a 2-sol drive away, the team planned the drive to a standoff
distance to collect panoramic camera images and do robotic arm work on
a
soil target.

Sol-by-sol summaries:

Sol 471 (May 1, 2005):
Spirit took pictures of Keystone with its microscopic imager and its
panoramic camera after the rock was scrubbed with the brush on the rock
abrasion tool. Spirit also took a reading of Keystone with the
Mossbauer
spectrometer.

Sol 472:
Spirit took more Mossbauer spectrometer readings on Keystone.

Sol 473:
Spirit stowed the robotic arm, drove a short distance backwards and
finished imaging Keystone. Then, Spirit drove to the target dubbed
Pittsburgh.

Sol 474:
Spirit bumped back 5 centimeters (2 inches) to a stable configuration,
and then made coordinated observations with the panoramic camera and
the
miniature thermal emission spectrometer.

Sol 475:
Spirit took pictures of Pittsburgh with the microscopic imager both
before and after the target area was brushed with the rock abrasion
tool. Spirit then took a reading on Pittsburgh with the alpha particle
X-ray spectrometer.

Sol 476 (May 6, 2005):
Spirit stowed the robotic arm, bumped backwards and finished imaging
Pittsburgh, then drove toward Jibsheet.

Total odometry as of the end of sol 476 (May 6, 2005) is 4,339 meters
(2.70 miles).