Opportunity Still Progressing Through Dune

MARSDAILY

Recent photo of Opportunity's left front wheel making slow but steady progress through soft dune material.

Pasadena CA (JPL) May 30, 2005
Opportunity continues to make slow progress through the sand dune, at a slip rate of roughly 99.5 percent. From the time Opportunity resumed driving after digging into the dune until May 26, drives totaling 64.8 meters (about 213 feet) of wheel rotations have been commanded and executed, producing 34.8 centimeters (1.1 feet) of forward progress.

According to MER Prinicpal Investigator, Steve Squyres, "We're seeing slow, steady progress, at a remarkably constant rate. For every meter of wheel turns that we command, we get half a centimeter of actual motion.

"It's been like this since the start of the extraction process. We're typically doing 12 meters of wheel turns a day, and typically seeing about six centimeters of motion. We'll get out of here eventually, but it's a slow, laborious process," he wrote in his online diary.

Opportunity has also been performing atmospheric observations. Each sol the rover takes two measurements of how clear the sky is, checks for clouds, and does a Sun survey. A few sols ago a daily horizon survey was added, and Opportunity also imaged its magnets with the panoramic camera.

Sol-by-sol summaries

Sol 469 (ending on May 20): Two meters (6.6 feet) of commanded motion, resulting in 1.1 centimeters (0.4 inch) of progress.

Sol 470: Twelve meters (39 feet) of commanded motion; about 6 centimeters (2.4 inches) of progress.

Sol 471: Twelve meters (39 feet) of commanded motion; about 6 centimeters (2.4 inches) of progress.

Sol 472: Twelve meters (39 feet) of motions was commanded. Only the first 2 meters were executed. After that step, the rover stopped the drive by itself due to uncertainty about its own position. One centimeter (0.4 inch) of progress was made.

Sol 473: Planning was suspended today due to issues with the ground data system. The rover executed a pre-loaded science sequence.

Sol 474: Eight-meter (26-foot) drive planned, yielding 3.7 centimeter (1.5 inches) of progress.

Sol 475 (ending on May 26, 2005): Ten-meter (33-foot) drive planned; 8.8 meters (29 feet) executed; 3.5 centimeters (1.4 inches) of progress

Looking ahead

Thursday, May 26, the team planned two sols (476 and 477), and Friday, May 27, the team was planning three sols to cover the holiday weekend. Sol 476 will command 12 meters (39 feet), and every other sol will require a "go/no-go" decision that will allow for 0 meters, 2 meters (7 feet), or 12 meters (39 feet) of commanded motion per sol.

MARSDAILY

NASA's Rovers Continue Martian Missions

Pasadena CA (JPL) May 25, 2005
NASA's Mars rover Opportunity is trying to escape from a sand trap, while its twin, Spirit, has been busy finding new clues to a wet and violent early Martian history.

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.