Mars rover news - Page 13

ToSeek · #**361** (**permalink**) 03-January-2007, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by antoniseb

What is the largest number of meters Spirit has travelled in one day since the front wheel froze up? It looks like it's about 6. If the rover manages a six meter run twice a week, it should make the 800 meters in only 67 weeks... Just in time for the next Martian Winter, assuming no further breakdowns or interesting sidetrips.

Has there been reason for Spirit to go any significant distance in one day since the wheel froze up? I'm just wondering if it's capable of doing better - they just haven't had any reason to push it.

ToSeek · #**362** (**permalink**) 03-January-2007, 05:48 PM

Mars rover tries to weather dust storm

Quote:

NASA's newly upgraded Spirit rover will celebrate its third anniversary on the Martian surface hunkered down to weather a dust storm.

The rover parachuted down to Mars's Gusev Crater on 3 January 2004. Its twin, Opportunity, caught up and landed on the other side of the planet 21 days later.

Early last week, Spirit's instruments detected hazy conditions due to a large dust storm to the south that was churning up fine dust grains high in the atmosphere.

Because the storms block some sunlight from reaching the planet's surface, they could be dangerous for the rovers, which rely on solar power to generate electricity.

So on Thursday, ground controllers had Spirit stop taking scientific measurements of an igneous rock named Esperanza and scurry over to a slope tilted 7.4° to the north to maximise the amount of sunlight falling on its solar arrays.

"We had to boogie on out of Esperanza," says Ray Arvidson, deputy principal investigator for the rovers' science instruments at Washington University in St Louis, US.

Swift · #**363** (**permalink**) 03-January-2007, 06:22 PM

Quote:

So on Thursday, ground controllers had Spirit stop taking scientific measurements of an igneous rock named Esperanza and scurry over to a slope tilted 7.4° to the north to maximise the amount of sunlight falling on its solar arrays.

Of course the rover's idea of "scurry" is equivalent to a 200 year old turtle with back problems.

JonClarke · #**364** (**permalink**) 03-January-2007, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Swift

Of course the rover's idea of "scurry" is equivalent to a 200 year old turtle with back problems.

With a broken foot

Blob · #**365** (**permalink**) 04-January-2007, 05:03 PM

Images of igreja, and joacaba rock, taken by the Opportunity rover on Sol 1046 (Jan 2, 2007).

Credit NASA

ToSeek · #**366** (**permalink**) 04-January-2007, 06:07 PM

Mars Rovers: Picture Perfect Robots -- An Interview with Jim Bell

Quote:

There’s majesty on Mars. Through the lenses of two wheeled robots—Spirit and Opportunity—the red planet’s austere but stunning landscape has been captured in thousands of images relayed back to Earth.

Before humans on Mars pose themselves for those take home photographs, our eyes have already been firmly planted on that time-weathered world.
Both NASA rovers remain hail and hardy as they near three years of rolling about within their respective exploration zones after setting down to business on Mars in January 2004.

Each rover made the trip with carry on luggage: science instruments and cameras. And now thanks to a new book, Postcards from Mars (Dutton, 2006), an extraordinary gallery of hand-picked images shows Mars in first-time format.

Swift · #**367** (**permalink**) 04-January-2007, 06:11 PM

Cool. Just added Postcards from Mars to my amazon wishlist.

Blob · #**368** (**permalink**) 08-January-2007, 06:31 PM

SPIRIT UPDATE: Martian Weather Delays Travel Plans - sol 1063-1069, January 05, 2007:

The dust storm season has apparently arrived at Gusev, causing delays in Spirit's fourth Earth year of exploring the Red Planet. Spirit spent most of the holiday season of 2006 and 2007 keeping an eye on the sky, measuring atmospheric dust that could prevent sunlight from reaching the rover's solar panels.

Sol 1069 (Jan. 5, 2006): Plans called for Spirit to approach Montalva, acquire full-colour panoramic camera images of a spongy-looking lava rock known as "Esperanza," and acquire panoramic camera images of Montalva and another layered rock exposure known as "Riquelme."

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

Image taken by the Spirit rover on Sol 1070 & Sol 1071

Credit NASA

Blob · #**369** (**permalink**) 08-January-2007, 06:36 PM

OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: Opportunity Studies Unusual Rocks on Rim of 'Victoria Crater' - sol 1043-1048, January 05, 2007:

Opportunity continued scientific studies of a rock called "Santa Catarina" on the rim of "Victoria Crater." Scientists suspect that Santa Catarina may be a meteorite or a rock blasted out from beneath the surface of Victoria. Opportunity collected extensive measurements to determine the iron content of the rock using the Mössbauer spectrometer and will continue to do so during the coming week.

Sol 1048 (Jan. 4, 2006): Opportunity continued analysis of Santa Catarina with the Mössbauer spectrometer and used all 13 filters of the panoramic camera along with the miniature thermal emission spectrometer to study nearby cobbles dubbed "Videira" and "Chapeco."

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

Image taken by the Opportunity rover on Sol 1050 & Sol 1049.

Credit NASA

Nicolas · #**370** (**permalink**) 08-January-2007, 10:16 PM

Why are these pics so grainy compared to others?

Blob · #**371** (**permalink**) 08-January-2007, 10:30 PM

Hum,
perhaps its just bad image processing...(the light levels are also low)

(Ed - or that the contrast has been raised to highlight the surface patterns)

greenfeather · #**372** (**permalink**) 08-January-2007, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevinito

How many years will these things go? Energizer batteries perhaps? This is quite possibly the most successful mission NASA has ever had in remote robotics.
.

Gosh. And I can't even get flashlight batteries that won't run down after 2 months. What are these batteries running on (not solar?) and when can us Earthlings get some?

Blob · #**373** (**permalink**) 08-January-2007, 11:30 PM

@greenfeather
Hum,
you may want to consider Beta Batteries.

Quote:

Betabatt is a Houston-based company in the business of developing long-lasting reliable power sources. The Company has researched and patented a novel 3D energy conversion architecture named the DECTM Cell, based on nano-scale porous silicon. The DECTM Cell is able to convert decay electrons to electricity 10 times more efficiently than conventional 2D devices using standard semiconductor manufacturing methods. The company's first commercial product, a quarter size battery with a 12-20 year lifespan and mission critical reliability, has performance characteristics that address current problems faced by medical implant, oil and gas, and remote sensing industries, as well as military and space organizations.

http://www.betabatt.com/

Or the Self-powered torch (Neither batteries nor bulbs needed)

http://www.kador.com/torch.htm

BTW, the rovers are solar powered.

Swift · #**374** (**permalink**) 09-January-2007, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenfeather

Gosh. And I can't even get flashlight batteries that won't run down after 2 months. What are these batteries running on (not solar?) and when can us Earthlings get some?

Yes solar - the rovers are solar powered.

jt-3d · #**375** (**permalink**) 09-January-2007, 11:43 PM

With a dust devil attractor to keep the panels clean.

Blob · #**376** (**permalink**) 10-January-2007, 12:31 AM

Image taken of target mafra by the Opportunity rover with its Panoramic Camera on January 9, 2007 (Sol 1052)

Credit NASA

ToSeek · #**377** (**permalink**) 22-January-2007, 07:54 PM

NASA Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity Panorama from 'Cape Verde' (False Color)

NASA Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity Panorama from 'Cape Verde'

NASA Mars Exploration Rovers Get New Driving Capability (Animation)

NASA Mars Exploration Rovers Get New Driving Capability (Site of Test)

Quote:

Until recently, NASA's two Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, could figure only one or two steps ahead in planning a path and driving on their own. New software uploaded to the rovers onboard computers now enables them to look ahead and plan a path to a spot 50 meters (164 feet) away, evading obstacles along the way.

With this software, called "Field D-Star" path planner and developed at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, the rovers could find their way out of a maze.

Launch window · #**378** (**permalink**) 23-January-2007, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ToSeek

NASA Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity Panorama from 'Cape Verde' (False Color)

NASA Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity Panorama from 'Cape Verde'

NASA Mars Exploration Rovers Get New Driving Capability (Animation)

NASA Mars Exploration Rovers Get New Driving Capability (Site of Test)

amazing stuff !