Post-Conjunction at Home Plate North, Getting ready to leave |
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Post-Conjunction at Home Plate North, Getting ready to leave |
 Dec 15 2008, 07:12 PM
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#1
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 Senior Member  Group: Moderator Posts: 2262 Joined: 9-February 04 From: Melbourne - Oz Member No.: 16  |
Conjunction is over, so it is probably a good time to start a new thread.
I just saw this update from Scott via Twitter QUOTE ('marsroverdriver') Out of solar conjunction & planning to drive Spirit again. Woo-hoo! Come on, little hill-climber, you can do it! 
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Dec 15 2008, 07:32 PM
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#2
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 Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 3431 Joined: 11-August 04 From: USA Member No.: 98 |
QUOTE (jamescanvin @ Dec 15 2008, 12:12 PM)  Conjunction is over, so it is probably a good time to start a new thread. That's great news. I was starting to get a little worried about Spirit (again). Looking forward to a status update. |
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Dec 15 2008, 08:07 PM
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#3
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 Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 4260 Joined: 17-January 05 Member No.: 152 |
Still no new images at exploratorium, though. I hope we can interpret that somewhat ambiguous twitter message as meaning that they've actually heard from Spirit...
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Dec 15 2008, 08:16 PM
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#4
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 3431 Joined: 11-August 04 From: USA Member No.: 98 |
Hmmm. Good point.
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Dec 15 2008, 09:18 PM
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#5
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 Member Group: Admin Posts: 978 Joined: 29-September 06 From: Pasadena, CA - USA Member No.: 1200 |
QUOTE (fredk @ Dec 15 2008, 12:07 PM) Still no new images at exploratorium, though. I hope we can interpret that somewhat ambiguous twitter message as meaning that they've actually heard from Spirit... We heard from both rovers. MER-A is around 190Wh I heard. Today's drive was postponed for several reasons. Time is running out on our attempts to climb uphill. Paolo -------------------- Disclaimer: all opinions, ideas and information included here are my own,and should not be intended to represent opinion or policy of my employer.
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Dec 16 2008, 05:39 AM
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#6
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 Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3419 Joined: 9-February 04 From: Minneapolis, MN, USA Member No.: 15 |
OK, I'll admit my ignorance -- what was wrong with the idea of driving downhill and making our way around Home Plate on the ground below? As I recall, the parking spot was selected with the idea of driving down, not up, in mind.
-the other Doug -------------------- “The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right.” -Mark Twain
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Dec 16 2008, 06:39 AM
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#7
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 Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2173 Joined: 28-December 04 From: Florida, USA Member No.: 132 |
QUOTE (dvandorn @ Dec 16 2008, 12:39 AM) OK, I'll admit my ignorance -- what was wrong with the idea of driving downhill and making our way around Home Plate on the ground below? The trip to the post winter objectives south of Home Plate would be quicker if Spirit could cut across the top -- more direct, easier terrain. |
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Dec 16 2008, 03:21 PM
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#8
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Member Group: Admin Posts: 978 Joined: 29-September 06 From: Pasadena, CA - USA Member No.: 1200 |
QUOTE (centsworth_II @ Dec 15 2008, 10:39 PM) The trip to the post winter objectives south of Home Plate would be quicker if Spirit could cut across the top -- more direct, easier terrain. Not to mention we have already driven on it and we have ground based imaging. Paolo -------------------- Disclaimer: all opinions, ideas and information included here are my own,and should not be intended to represent opinion or policy of my employer.
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Dec 16 2008, 03:25 PM
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#9
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 Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2922 Joined: 14-February 06 From: Very close to the Pyrénées Mountains (France) Member No.: 682 |
How much do we have to drive to get the solar panels leveled?
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Dec 16 2008, 04:32 PM
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#10
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Member Group: Admin Posts: 978 Joined: 29-September 06 From: Pasadena, CA - USA Member No.: 1200 |
QUOTE (climber @ Dec 16 2008, 07:25 AM) How much do we have to drive to get the solar panels leveled? One or two drives worth. The ramp were we are parked is quite short, maybe 1-1.5 mt? I don't recall exactly. Paolo -------------------- Disclaimer: all opinions, ideas and information included here are my own,and should not be intended to represent opinion or policy of my employer.
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Dec 16 2008, 09:17 PM
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#11
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 Member Group: Members Posts: 571 Joined: 20-April 05 From: Silesia Member No.: 299 |
Everything indicates that we are after the solar conjunction. I'm not sure, but the time in the name of the files is significantly higher.
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/spirit/navcam/2008-12-16/ -------------------- Free software for planetary science (including Cassini Image Viewer).
http://members.tripod.com/petermasek/marinerall.html |
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Dec 16 2008, 09:30 PM
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#12
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Member Group: Members Posts: 548 Joined: 19-March 05 From: Princeton, NJ, USA Member No.: 212 |
I just got word from a team member that signal has been reacquired for both Spirit and Opportunity
Spirit is up to about an amazing 200 WHRs. way better than 89 !! The next new adventures are on TARGET. The girls are ready to roll !! more at my NJ lecture later this week at AAI astro club ken |
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Dec 16 2008, 09:47 PM
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#13
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Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 3431 Joined: 11-August 04 From: USA Member No.: 98 |
We've already heard that about seven posts up, but it's still good. 200 Wh would be news.
There is a Navcam pair on Exploratorium from Spirit Sol 1761, which is today (soon to be yestersol). No move yet. There is an existing Navcam image from back on Sol 1724, and comparing the two seems to show some changes due to wind, although it's hard for me to say how much of it is due to the lighting. The sol 1724 image was taken almost an hour later in the day. Onward and upwards! Both in elevation, and Wh's. |
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Dec 16 2008, 11:38 PM
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#14
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 4260 Joined: 17-January 05 Member No.: 152 |
We were doing around 170 Whrs before conjunction, so 190 or 200 is pretty good. I'm not sure, but that seems like too big an increase to be due to just the increase in sunlight as we head into spring. So maybe dust is clearing from the air (tau is dropping) faster than the dust is falling onto the arrays, raising the dust factor. Or maybe we had a small cleaning event?...
I've been wondering about the optimal tilt for the arrays. Is anyone keeping track of the maximum solar elevation these days? If we drove onto level ground now, would that improve or worsen the power situation? |
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Dec 22 2008, 08:54 PM
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#15
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Member Group: Members Posts: 571 Joined: 20-April 05 From: Silesia Member No.: 299 |
Unfortunately, rover is increasingly pushed to the right. This tendency worried me.
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/spirit/fo...cam/2008-12-21/ -------------------- Free software for planetary science (including Cassini Image Viewer).
http://members.tripod.com/petermasek/marinerall.html |
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