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Rocks And Cobbles On The Way To Erebus
The Opportunity team's current strategy for driving alternates segments of using visual odometry to check for slippage with segments of blind driving for less than 5 meters (16 feet). The strategy and hard work designing and commanding drives through troughs between ripples contributed to the rover making 89 meters (292 feet) of progress over three drive plans. Rocks and cobbles have begun appearing in images of Opportunity's new surroundings, for the first time in many weeks of traversing through rippled terrain. The rover's power team reported a dust-cleaning event on Opportunity between sols 524 and 526. Daily power output from solar panels increased from about 500 watt hours to about 650 watt hours.
Sol-by-sol summaries: Sol 524 (July 15, 2005): The uplink team planned and executed a successful 27-meter (89-foot) drive. This signified the first use of a combination of short segments of blind driving followed by small slip-check drive segments. One small rock was seen in imaging. Sol 525: Opportunity performed remote sensing and repeated a right-front steering actuator diagnostic test from sol 435. The actuator moved slightly more than in the last test, but there was no significant change. Sol 526: Rover planners used the drive technique established on sol 524 to complete a successful 32-meter (105-foot) drive. Small cobbles were seen in imaging. Sol 527: Opportunity used the sol for remote sensing and battery recharging. Sol 528: The uplink team planned a drive of 30 meters (98 feet), continuing in the troughs and crossing one ripple crest. The crest was estimated at 8.5 percent slope. However, the drive did not succeed because of a timeout on the first turn command. The duration was set to 15 seconds for a 15-degree turn. The rover made 14.9 degrees of progress before using up the allotted time. Sol 529: On this second sol of a two-sol plan, the rover performed remote sensing. Sol 530 (July 21, 2005): The uplink team repeated the planned drive from sol 528, with changes to the timeout durations of turn and waypoint commands. The drive succeeded in covering 30 meters (98 feet). It brought Opportunity's total odometry to 5,555 meters (3.45 miles). Related Links Mars Rovers at JPL Mars Rovers at Cornell SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express 
Spirit Scampering Up Husband Hill
Pasadena CA (JPL) Jul 22, 2005Spirit has had a pretty remarkable week. Back when we were climbing the lower reaches of Husband Hill, getting anywhere was a real struggle. The terrain wasn't all that steep, but the soil was very loose and slippery. Five meters of forward progress was a good day, and some days it was less than that as we slipped and slid and clawed our way up the slope.
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