Extricating Spirit, Digging out from Troy Options

[ChrisC]

thanks to all for the text updates - hope someone can make an mp3 available later?

I also couldn't listen live, but would like to catch up now. I've read the whole thread from the teleconference up to here. Does anyone have a pointer to an mp3 of the news conference?

I saw the mentions of the iPlayer feed, but as I understand it that was just a related interview.

Edit: downloading now, thanks dshaffer!

[ugordan]

Miles O' Brien has a short interview with Steve Squyres re/ Spirit on This Week In Space. The segment starts at around 01:30.

[dshaffer]

I also couldn't listen live, but would like to catch up now. I've read the whole thread from the teleconference up to here. Does anyone have a pointer to an mp3 of the news conference?

I saw the mentions of the iPlayer feed, but as I understand it that was just a related interview.

Last evening I stumbled across the mp3 here (top of the page):

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mer/news...el20100126.html

[alan]

@marsroverdriver pointed to a less depressing rewrite of the XKCD comic.

[ddeerrff]

Like that one *much* better.

[Hungry4info]

From http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&a...7&start=240

[alan]

Pointy rock on left?
http://207.7.139.5/mars/spirit/forward_haz...Z8P1254R0M1.JPG

edit, oops that's to far to the left, never mind.

This post has been edited by alan: Jan 31 2010, 09:31 PM

[jamescanvin]

Looks like a good drive from a tilt perspective.

[fredk]

Indeed, it does look like a big improvement in tilt. Based on how far the horizon rose/dropped in the front/rear hazcams, I estimate an improvement in tilt of about 2.5 degrees towards the north on sol 2161 compared with sol 2158. The LR wheel has risen up quite a bit again.

She made less distance on 2161 than on previous backwards drives. I suspect the problem might be the RF wheel being stopped by the rock immediately to its rear (south). That rock is not very big, but itself might be caught by other rocks invisible under the belly. I wonder if wiggling (steering left and right) the RF wheel might nudge the rock it's against to one side.

[NW71]

Fredk, should that lead to a boost of 12-15W powerwise?

[fredk]

Yes, according to the figure of 5-6Whrs per degree of tilt that Callas gave at the briefing. But the big question is did the tilt improve by 2.5 degrees. The hazcams produce a lot of distortion so I could be a fair bit off.

[Hungry4info]

Last couple of drives or so. The change in drive strategy is readily apparent.

(animation)

Attached thumbnail(s)

 

[NW71]

At first glance what strikes/surprises me is how the RF wheel appears to have started to dig in. I hope others can tell me if this is deliberate (If so, how?) or a reflection of possible change in the surface underneath the wheel?

I take it, based on earlier comments from Fredk and others, this is good news re tilt.

Neil

[alan]

The RF wheel is moving into soil that was broken up by the RM in its initial pass, could be a good place to dig the wheel in if that's the plan.

[fredk]

The change in drive strategy is readily apparent.

The plan as they discussed at the briefing was to continue with backwards drives, and as far as I know no change in strategy has happened yet. They said they may try to wiggle the RF to dig it in, but there's no sign from the images that they've tried that yet. We'll just have to wait and see as always...