Mars Exploration Rover Update - March 19, 2006

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/missi...ml#opportunity

OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: Parting With 'Payson' - sol 757-763, Mar 19, 2006:

Opportunity has finished science observations at the "Payson" outcrop.
Since the rover was operating in restricted mode, the team could plan a
drive only every other day. Even so, Opportunity started the journey
away from the rim of "Erebus." Back on the regular schedule, the team
next plans to drive the rover farther south.

Sol-by-sol summaries:

Sol 757 (March 11, 2006): At the start of the sol, Opportunity was
perched at an entrance to a second "half-pipe," the team's term for
shallow troughs near the Payson outcrop in Erebus crater. There was
more
rubble and less nicely layered outcrop than at the previous half-pipe,
and a dune blocked the exit to the south. The team decided to drive
part-way in for outcrop imaging. Before the drive, Opportunity's
panoramic camera acquired images of a target called "Yuman." The rover
drove roughly 20 meters (66 feet) and then acquired standard post-drive
imaging plus a panoramic camera mosaic of target "Hokan," and a
miniature thermal emission spectrometer scan of the same target. The
next morning the rover collected part two of the Hokan panorama.

Sol 758: Opportunity drove about 17 meters (about 56 feet) back out of
the half-pipe, with a quick stop mid-way to collect a small panoramic
camera mosaic of target "Yavapai." At the end of this sol, Opportunity
had completed all planned science at Erebus and was ready to start
driving south.

Sol 759: This sol was a recharge day, with a few atmospheric and cloud
observations.

Sol 760: On the road again! This sol, Opportunity completed a
33.5-meter
(110-foot) drive south over a patch of outcrop, then down the trough of
two dunes.

Sol 761: The rover conducted observations of the atmosphere and the
ground with the panoramic camera and the miniature thermal emission
spectrometer.

Sol 762: Opportunity started the sol in front of a long, flat trough.
The team planned a drive of approximately 50 meters (164 feet) south
along this path.

Sol 763 (March 17, 2006): The team planned atmosphere and cloud
observations.

Total odometry as of sol 761 (March 15, 2006): 6735.31 meters
(approximately 4.2 miles).