Mars Rover Spirit Mission Update Thread

[silylene old]

Jon: Sounds fun, good luck! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature" align="center"><em><font color="#0000ff">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</font></em> </div><div class="Discussion_UserSignature" align="center"><font color="#0000ff"><em>I really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function.</em></font> </div> </div>

 

[JonClarke]

It certainly will be! Hard work too.....<br /><br />Cheers<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[fangsheath]

Here we go! The rover is beginning to climb West Spur in earnest. The view will improve markedly as we gain altitude.

 

[fangsheath]

According to the JPL site, this rock, called Sabre, is softer than any previously RATed at Gusev. I am anxious to hear about its chemical composition.

 

[dtb99]

<br />Sabre is also much lighter (i.e., higher albedo) than the basalts when RATted. <br /><br />Generally, the post-RAT color images show a dark grey or dark blue patch for the RAT hole and the dust that was thrown out. (Dark blue due to the blue exposure being longer than the others -- dark grey is almost certainly the "true" color).<br /><br />For sabre, the hole and tailings are brighter than the dust-covered rock surface, and this for an outcrop that already was one of the relatively bright features around.<br /><br />You can especially see this in the red images: the clean basalt and tailings were always much darker than the raw dust covered surfaces; for Sabre, the RAT and tailings are brighter at all visual wavelengths (but, much darker in IR, interestingly). In that sense, it is more like pot-of-gold than the earlier basalt boulders.<br /><br />That combined with the "much softer than other rocks" comment does suggest it isn't just another big hunk of basalt, though what else it might be I have no idea (beyond my earlier impact brecca suggestion).<br />

 

[centsworth_II]

I'm curious as to why they would drill two rat holes so close together on the same rock. Did they see something unusual in the first and drill a second to see if it showed up again? Or was the first unsatisfactory in some respect and they tried again? Or, they belatedly saw some surface feature they wanted to grind away and see what lay below? Create a larger grind-dust area to examine with the mini-tes? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[thechemist]

<font color="yellow">dtb99 : <i> Sabre is also much lighter (i.e., higher albedo) than the basalts when RATted.</i> </font><br /><br />Maybe we have found the source of the bright dusty material already found under Spirit's wheels lower in the Pot of Gold area ?<br />In this PanCam image there is a pot-of-gold like rock right in the center !<br />Let me remind you JPL has made no comment yet on the chemical structure of the bright dusty material. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>I feel better than James Brown.</em> </div>

 

[thechemist]

centsworth_II : <font color="yellow"> <i> I'm curious as to why they would drill two rat holes so close together on the same rock. Did they see something unusual in the first and drill a second to see if it showed up again? </i> </font><br /><br />I think Sabre was much softer than expected, and they wanted to make sure the hole was ok.<br />Spirit has moved uphill 16 meters on Sol 200, according to JPL .<br />This image shows the back/ahead view from the new position, with "S" marking where I think Sabre was, although I am usually orientationally-challenged, so don't take my word for it. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>I feel better than James Brown.</em> </div>

 

[centsworth_II]

<i>"I think Sabre was much softer than expected..."</i><br /><br />As usual, between press briefings the questions are starting to build up. As you said in a previous post, they didn't address (in the last briefing) the substance that crumbled to a white powder when crushed by the rover. And now, if Sabre was softer than expected, the implication is that it is a different type of rock than expected. I hope they don't skip over anything in the next briefing.<br /><br />Looking ahead, it looks like Spirit will come across many outcrops. I wonder how many different rock types will be found. Will there be different masses or mass layers of different rock types? Will West Spur be found to be composed of essentially one large, homogenious formation, beneath the rubble? And salt concentrations: As Opportunity decends into Endurance, it has found intriguing changes in elemental salt constituents. Will Spirit find the same as it climbs the Columbia Hills? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[fortytwo]

I think your ahead and back view are reversed. I'm pretty sure the back view has that reflective hood at the top and not the front.

 

[aaron38]

Spirirt is traveling backwards because of the wheel problem. So the rear hazcam is now "ahead" while the front hazcam is labeled "behind".<br /><br />To quote an old teacher of mine, Clear as mud right?<br />

 

[fortytwo]

Ah...thanks for the clarification. Anybody know a good site to get daily Rover updates so I'm up to date? <br /><br />http://www.space.com/marsrover is really out of date...did their writer quit?

 

[Leovinus]

I wonder if they have a better backup system than SDC. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[fangsheath]

My suspicion is that they have found clear evidence of the action of water in the Columbia Hills. When such evidence was found at Meridiani Planum, they sent the data out for review before saying much at press briefings. I think this may be what is happening now, and could explain why this week's briefing was cancelled. The reason 2 holes were drilled close together may have been because unequivocal evidence of water-mediated processes was found, and they wanted to get another data point from that location before they moved on. Of course, there are alternative explanations, but we have already seen tidbits: hematite, rocks with hard rinds and soft interiors, even statements such as this one on the JPL site "Scientists believe the rocks exposed in Hank's Hollow may have been generated or modified by water-rich fluids." Sabre may have provided the clincher.<br /><br />As for heterogeneity in the hills, I think we will see diverse geologies juxtaposed. These hills are obviously quite old. If there are deposits laid down by water, in some areas they have probably been blasted by impacts. The dark area south of Husband Hill looks quite distinct to me. I certainly hope we can at least get a look at that area before the rover dies. Now that we have access to north-facing slopes for a while, I am optimistic.

 

[centsworth_II]

<i>"The reason 2 holes were drilled close together may have been because unequivocal evidence of water-mediated processes was found..."</i><br /><br />As has already been noted, the white powder produced by the double RATing superficially resembles the white substance crushed under the rover's wheels earlier. I noticed in the NASA rover update that the RATed area was targeted by the mini-tes. Hopefully we will eventually find what the mysterious white stuff is, and if it's the same in both locations. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[centsworth_II]

<i>"Anybody know a good site to get daily Rover updates so I'm up to date?"</i><br /><br />I don't know about daily, but this is the NASA/JPL rover update page:<br />http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status.html<br /><br />You can get to that page as well as other rover images and press releases through the main NASA rover site:<br />http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html<br /><br />Spirit hazcam images are going to be really confusing from now on. While on the roll, the rear hazcam is likely to be looking ahead, but of course while using the instument arm on a target, the front hazcam will be viewing the action. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[radarredux]

> <i><font color="yellow">Anybody know a good site to get daily Rover updates so I'm up to date?</font>/i><br /><br />I use the Exploratorium site, but for some reason they haven't posted anything for several days.<br /><br />This size of each image is listed, and in general the photos requiring the most memory (i.e., hard to compress) tend to be the clearest (most in focus). The primary exceptions are the "noise" photos of the sky.<br /><br />http://www.exploratorium.edu/mars/<br />http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/spirit/<br />http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportunity/<br /></i>

 

[thechemist]

No new images since 26-7-04 (3 days) in either JPL or Exploratorium <img src="/images/icons/frown.gif" /><br />Let's be optimistic and hope for something big to be announced soon, instead of ... you know, bad things <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>I feel better than James Brown.</em> </div>

 

[thechemist]

Since there are no science news from JPL, why not look at the literature ?<br />Here is what I found in Pathfinder's Science results :<br /><br /><font color="yellow"><i> "During its traverse to Yogi the rover stirred the soil and exposed material from several cm in depth. During one of the turns to deploy the APXS (inset and white arrow), the wheels dug particularly deeply and <font color="orange"> exposed white material </font> Spectra of this white material show it is virtually identical to Scooby Doo, and such white material may underly much of the site"</i></font>/i><br /><br />The white material image was posted by rlb2 in the "Images of Mars" thread in S&A, and for completeness you can see it here (center tracks and blown up at the white arrow).<br /><br />The chemical composition of Scooby Doo from the same web page :<br /><font color="yellow"><i> Scooby Doo, which appears to be a sedimentary rock composed primarily of compacted soil, also exhibits a few chemical differences from the surrounding soils. </i></font>/i> <br />From the above APXS analysis graph Scooby Doo appears to differ in having more K and less Al, Fe, Mg than other soils in the Pathfinder site. Cl is about the same.<br />So what is this bright material ?<br />Could it be the same as Spirit's ? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>I feel better than James Brown.</em> </div>

 

[fangsheath]

Wow! According to today's flight director's update, the rover has moved no less than 140 feet in the last 2 sols and is examining a new rock target. It may be up near the ridgetop of West Spur now. Hopefully we will get some new images soon.

 

[thechemist]

Exploratorium alert: new Spirit images 30-7-04 .<br /><br />Anyone afraid of heights here ? <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/spirit/rear_hazcam/2004-07-30/2R144391541EFF8000P1313R0M1.JPG<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>I feel better than James Brown.</em> </div>

 

[exoscientist]

What's to explain the fact that almost all rocks appear near the summit appear cracked and/or flat?<br /> Frost wedging?<br /><br /> Bob Clark <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[fangsheath]

The most recent Navcam images show the vehicle perched on the slope above Hank's Hollow, quite close to the large outcrop that was visible from there. In this shot we can see the tracks the vehicle made as it came in from the west, those from its activities in Hank's Hollow, and those of its departure to the north.

 

[fangsheath]

And this is the large outcrop of which I spoke. It was visible from thousands of meters away and must be one of the largest west-facing outcrops on West Spur. They seem determined to get a close look at it.

 

[earth_bound_misfit]

what back-up system <img src="/images/icons/frown.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p> </p><p>----------------------------------------------------------------- </p><p>Wanna see this site looking like the old SDC uplink?</p><p>Go here to see how: <strong>SDC Eye saver </strong>  </p> </div>