Back to work, Post-hiatus but pre-entry |
Back to work, Post-hiatus but pre-entry |
Aug 25 2007, 04:10 PM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 4249 Joined: 17-January 05 Member No.: 152 |
I think the return to driving deserves a new topic for Oppy. According to this new release, Oppy is back up to 300 Whrs, and had a small cleaning event!
The release also gives a surprizing reason for the drive to the rim: QUOTE One reason the rover team chose to drive Opportunity closer to the crater rim was to be prepared, if the pace of dust accumulation on the solar panels increases, to drive onto the inner slope of the crater. This would give the rover a sun-facing tilt to maximize daily energy supplies. The drive was also designed to check performance of the rover's mobility system, so it included a turn in place and a short drive backwards. That explains why they drove to this point on the rim - if they enter they'll face south, as it's still southern summer.
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Aug 28 2007, 06:31 PM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 4249 Joined: 17-January 05 Member No.: 152 |
And some news from New Scientist:
QUOTE Opportunity has also started driving and was expected to arrive as early as Monday at a spot on Victoria crater's rim, where it will make some new observations. These will help the team evaluate science targets in the crater and possible routes to get inside.
Opportunity is getting about 300 watt-hours of energy per day, more than twice the level it was getting during the worst part of the storms. But it is still not enough to start the descent into the crater, Arvidson says: "We want to make sure if we have some mobility problems that there's energy to spare to get out of the problem areas." |
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Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 3rd June 2024 - 05:34 PM |
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