The Top of Vera Rubin Ridge Part 2, Site 67-73, sol 1944-2297, 24 Jan 2018-22 Jan 2019 Options

[djellison]

I wonder if there is a common cause for both failures.

No.

[Guest_Actionman_*]

No.

You know more then you're letting on? maybe

[djellison]

One is a lack of solar power. One is a flash memory problem.

Even with just publicly available information it's really quite obvious that they're unrelated.

[Guest_Actionman_*]

One is a lack of solar power. One is a flash memory problem.

Even with just publicly available information it's really quite obvious that they're unrelated.

The one is dust related, why can't the other with the memory lose not be in any way dust related?

[djellison]

See mcaplinger's comments above.

[nprev]

Because the dust would have to a- make it inside of the MSL body enclosure, b- also make it inside of the processor chassis and c- somehow manage to cause this seemingly quite specific flash memory issue instead of shorting out and physically destroying the electronics, which would be a much more serious and obvious failure mode.

Spirit had flash memory issues only 8 sols after landing, and in clear conditions. They were resolved via software methods. Dust did not cause that.

Moving on...

[ngunn]

Come to think of it both rovers have had flash memory problems. Maybe that's the link. Or could it be cosmic rays? Perhaps they cause dust storms as well as memory problems. (Just joking. Any two points can be joined by a straight line but that doesn't make a trend.)

EDIT: nprev got there first

[Guest_Actionman_*]

Because the dust would have to a- make it inside of the MSL body enclosure, b- also make it inside of the processor chassis and c- somehow manage to cause this seemingly quite specific flash memory issue instead of shorting out and physically destroying the electronics, which would be a much more serious and obvious failure mode.

Spirit had flash memory issues only 8 sols after landing, and in clear conditions. They were resolved via software methods. Dust did not cause that.

Moving on...

I agree dust in the components less then zero chance of happening.

there is more then enough time to wonder what has happened to Curiosity.

I was just wondering what were the preparation that were made for Curiosity before and during the dust storm.

[djellison]

I was just wondering what were the preparation that were made for Curiosity before and during the dust storm.

Not many really. Take more environmental observations to monitor the storm. Take more NavCam sky-flat observations to track dust deposition on the front of the optics ( like https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/ra...65M_&s=2160 ) Leave a little extra margin in the planned activities to allow for exposure times to run longer as it got darker during the storm.

It's surprising just how little it impacted ops on MSL.

[djellison]

FHAZ, RHAZ and NCAM images from the A Side cameras just made it to the ground - https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/raw/

They've not been used in, basically, 2000 sols.

Attached thumbnail(s)

 

[nprev]

Impressive. Looks like they didn't suffer from such prolonged downtime very much if at all.

The shadows still look pretty bright so there's still quite a lot of suspended dust in the air, clearly.

[RoverDriver]

Today we are planning Sol 2209 and 2210. Once we get the downlink from Sol 2210 MSL will be the second longest lasting rover mission on Mars.

Paolo, who is not much fond of Halloween spirits, more into scotch and rover Spirits.

[atomoid]

Curious if the switchover to the A-side engineering cameras suggests they are hardwired to their respective computers, else i'm assuming that is just the default config so can be reassigned if it were necessary at some point (after the 20th mission extension!)

[mcaplinger]

Curious if the switchover to the A-side engineering cameras suggests they are hardwired to their respective computers...

Yes. Making them cross-strapped would have added more complexity.

[djellison]

Curious if the switchover to the A-side engineering cameras suggests they are hardwired to their respective computers, else i'm assuming that is just the default config so can be reassigned if it were necessary at some point (after the 20th mission extension!)

As mcaplinger said - they're hardwired.

When we swapped from the A to B side after Sol 200 - we found the stereo data we were getting out of the NavCams was quite different to the A side cameras, and had to execute an investigative campaign of characterizing the stereo data over a wide range of temperatures. From that the team derived temperature dependent camera models. (look at the same patch of ground....all day - https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/ra...amera=NAV_LEFT_ )

We don't THINK that's a problem on the A side ( the B cameras are sort of on brackets hanging off the bottom of the A side cameras, and they're oriented differently ) - but we're going to do the same thermal characterization to make sure - generating the sort of data volumes usually reserved for our friends from San Diego . Keep an eye out for Sol 2209-2210 NCAM, FHAZ, RHAZ.