OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: The Challenges of RAM Mode, sols 4099-4105, August 05, 2015-August 11, 2015
Opportunity is in Marathon Valley on the west rim of Endeavour Crater exploring for clay minerals. The rover is operating in persistent RAM mode (not using Flash memory for data storage). In RAM mode, it is sometimes challenging to collect images at the right time of day to send them back to Earth via the orbital relay passes. On Sol 4099 (August 5, 2015), Pancam images were taken of the North Wall within Marathon Valley. On Sol 4100 (August 6, 2015) the robotic arm was used to conduct contact science on a surface target. The Microscopic Imager (MI) collected a mosaic and then the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) was placed for a multi-hour integration. Navcam panoramas are also being collected from this site. On Sol 4102 (August 8, 2015), another set of MI images along with an offset placement of the APXS were performed. The APXS integration was sequenced on the next sol. On Sol 4104 (August 10, 2015), more Pancam images of the North Wall were taken. Then on Sol 4105 (August 11, 2015), Opportunity turned just slightly more than 1.5 degrees using a tank turn to allow the robotic arm to reach an exposed outcrop that will be brushed by the Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT) on a subsequent sol. Other than the Flash, Opportunity is in good health. As of Sol 4105 (August 11, 2015), the solar array energy production was 420 watt-hours with an atmospheric opacity (Tau) of 0.736 and a solar array dust factor of 0.608. Total odometry is 26.41 miles (42.51 kilometers) more than a marathon. ______________________________________________ Visit our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/meteoritecentral and the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com https://pairlist3.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
