MARSDAILY
Over Six Months Without Word From Opportunity
by Staff Writers
Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 24, 2018

Fading memories. Sunrise 5000 - February 16, 2018.

Mars atmospheric opacity (tau) over the rover site remains at a storm-free range around 1.0.

No signal from Opportunity has been heard since Sol 5111 (June 10, 2018). Opportunity likely experienced a low-power fault, a mission clock fault and an up-loss timer fault.

Since the loss of signal, the team has been listening for the rover over a broad range of times, frequencies and polarizations using the Deep Space Network (DSN) Radio Science Receiver.

They have been commanding "sweep and beeps" throughout each daily DSN pass with both right-hand and left-hand circular polarization to address a possible complexity with certain conditions within mission clock fault on the rover.

The team has expanded the breath of sweep and beep commanding covering more times of day on Mars.

Mars is now in the seasonal period of past dust clearing events for the rover. Since loss of signal, 456 recovery commands have been radiated to the rover.

Total odometry is unchanged at 28.06 miles (45.16 kilometers).


Related Links
Opportunity Archive
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more

MARSDAILY
Opportunity team performs more frequent communication attempts throughout each day
Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 17, 2018
Mars atmospheric opacity (tau) over the rover site remains at a storm-free range around 1.0. No signal from Opportunity has been heard since Sol 5111 (June 10, 2018). Opportunity likely experienced a low-power fault, a mission clock fault and an up-loss timer fault. Since the loss of signal, the team has been listening for the rover over a broad range of times, frequencies and polarizations using the Deep Space Network (DSN) Radio Science Receiver. They have been commanding "sweep and beeps" ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

MARSDAILY
Getting a glimpse inside the moon

Israeli spacecraft gets special passenger before moon journey

NASA seeks US partners to develop reusable systems to land astronauts on Moon

Learning from lunar lights

MARSDAILY
China launches first Hongyun project satellite

China's Chang'e-4 probe enters lunar orbit

China launches rover for first far side of the moon landing

Evolving Chinese Space Ecosystem To Foster Innovative Environment

MARSDAILY
Navigating NASA's first mission to the Trojan asteroids

NASA telescopes take a close look at the brightest comet of 2018

ALMA gives passing comet its close-up

Space telescope detects water in a number of asteroids

MARSDAILY
All About Ultima: New Horizons Flyby Target is Unlike Anything Explored in Space

NASA spacecraft hurtles toward historic New Year's flyby

Teledyne e2v has provided New Horizons with two specialist image sensors

Astronomers identify cycle of disturbances at Jupiter's equator

MARSDAILY
NASA Research Reveals Saturn is Losing Its Rings at "Worst-Case-Scenario" Rate

Water on Saturn's Moon Phoebe Is Out of This World

A new way to create Saturn's radiation belts

Saturn's Moon Dione Covered by Mysterious Stripes

MARSDAILY
Research reveals 'fundamental finding' about Earth's outer core

First detection of rain over the ocean by navigation satellites

New threat to ozone recovery

ICESat-2 helps scientists measure ice thickness in the Weddell Sea

MARSDAILY
Russian Cosmonaut Dismisses Rumours About ISS Crew, Hole in Soyuz Spaceship

Russian Cosmonaut Dismisses Rumours About ISS Crew, Hole in Soyuz Spaceship

2018's privatized space race reached for asteroids, Mars

Roscosmos Chief Could Visit US in Early 2019, NASA Working on Sanctions Waiver

MARSDAILY
NASA study finds sugars, key ingredient for life, can form in space

Narrowing the universe in the search for life

A young star caught forming like a planet

Planets with Oxygen Don't Necessarily Have Life