Extricating Spirit, Digging out from Troy |
Extricating Spirit, Digging out from Troy |
Jan 25 2010, 11:08 AM
Post
#751
|
|
Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 41 Joined: 18-September 09 Member No.: 4946 |
Holding my thumbs!!! This is so thrilling. I am trying not to bee too optimistic yet, but it's hard not to be!
I think maybe the greatest concern is if she can survive the Winter. Not much power left. |
|
|
Jan 25 2010, 12:51 PM
Post
#752
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2920 Joined: 14-February 06 From: Very close to the Pyrénées Mountains (France) Member No.: 682 |
I wrote "exactly here". I would only expect short moves trying to improve the rover's attitude. If I've not lost my orientation, left side is globaly down and right side is globaly up, so, tilt is to the West instead of North which is not ideal. So, can we say, moving a bit more so forward weels will stay down (except RF), and rear weels will rise a bit up, will be the best we can do with the power still left for moving? I feel a few more degree could make the difference between making it throught winter or not. Not sure to be correct in the orientation so, correct me if I'm wrong. -------------------- |
|
|
Jan 25 2010, 01:29 PM
Post
#753
|
|
Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 4279 Joined: 19-April 05 From: .br at .es Member No.: 253 |
Nothing to correct, I would say.
Most of the tilt is west, yes, but there's a slight north component on that; more then at the beggining of the extrication process, and that's a good thing. |
|
|
Jan 25 2010, 01:33 PM
Post
#754
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1426 Joined: 26-July 08 Member No.: 4270 |
climber, as far as I know, the geometry you describe was accurate, but with the rover having turned quite a bit, I figure much of the tilt is West or North-West.
-------------------- -- Hungry4info (Sirius_Alpha)
|
|
|
Jan 25 2010, 04:18 PM
Post
#755
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 507 Joined: 10-September 08 Member No.: 4338 |
Even with a northerly component to the tilt, a westerly component will reduce the effective area presented to the noontime sun. It will also reduce morning solar power but increase afternoon power. Taking all these into account, how much of a hit is westerly tilt? Is it worth trying hard to reduce westerly tilt by rotating in a way that gets the left side wheels out of the crater? Or does the northerly tilt component predominate and the westerly tilt is essentially irrelevant?
|
|
|
Jan 25 2010, 04:41 PM
Post
#756
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1619 Joined: 12-February 06 From: Bergerac - FR Member No.: 678 |
I've made a short sequence showin all the right FHC from Sol 2025 to 2154. I think it's a good time to post video like this .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fktBKtq3zL4 -------------------- |
|
|
Jan 25 2010, 04:54 PM
Post
#757
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 362 Joined: 13-April 06 From: Malta Member No.: 741 |
Curious to know what the Mars Rover team think now about Spirits chances of roving again!
|
|
|
Jan 25 2010, 05:53 PM
Post
#758
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 239 Joined: 18-December 07 From: New York Member No.: 3982 |
On NASA's main page,
"Media Teleconference on the Status of Mars Rover Spirit, Tues. Jan. 26, 1:00 p.m. EST on NASA News Audio." Link: http://www.nasa.gov/news/media/newsaudio/index.html |
|
|
Guest_Sunspot_* |
Jan 25 2010, 06:48 PM
Post
#759
|
Guests |
Hmmm I suppose it could go either way news wise - they think the might get out or maybe suspending attempts to get to concentrate on getting into a better position to survive winter.
|
|
|
Jan 25 2010, 07:24 PM
Post
#760
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 4247 Joined: 17-January 05 Member No.: 152 |
Based on the spaceflight now article, I'd think they will announce that they've switched from extrication drives to tilt-improving drives. From that article:
QUOTE it is likely virtually all future maneuvers will be devoted to further improving the attitude of Spirit's top solar array relative to the Sun. Another quote from that article that surprized me is: QUOTE driving backwards... provided minimal progress, except for one very significant benefit -- the back wheels tended to climb, elevating the solar array deck more directly north. I can't see how anyone could call several cms (vs the previous mms) "minimal". There's certainly been progress in terms of distance, but I think what the article meant to say is that most of the wheels are still embedded. But the improvement in tilt suggests they may continue with similar backwards drives.Another interesting quote about the tilt-improving drives to come: QUOTE "The other thing we might try once in optimum position is activate the right front wheel just to steer it back and forth to literally try and grind it into the ground. That will tend to dip the right front side of Spirit and also [point] the deck more toward the north," Callas tells Spaceflight Now.
|
|
|
Jan 25 2010, 07:31 PM
Post
#761
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 4247 Joined: 17-January 05 Member No.: 152 |
It's truly amazing how much the team has learned about operating these rovers at low power. Last winter solstice... power at 230 watt-hours... last week’s update... power at 211 watt-hours I don't think the fact they're still driving at 211 Whrs is due to anything they've learnt about operating at low power. Remember that it's much colder at winter solstice, so they need considerably more power to run the heaters than they do now. That's why they couldn't drive with 230 Whrs last winter, while they are driving now at 211. |
|
|
Jan 25 2010, 07:43 PM
Post
#762
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 4247 Joined: 17-January 05 Member No.: 152 |
|
|
|
Jan 25 2010, 07:44 PM
Post
#763
|
|
Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 3431 Joined: 11-August 04 From: USA Member No.: 98 |
Another quote from that article that surprized me is:I can't see how anyone could call several cms (vs the previous mms) "minimal". Yeah; I think that should be a question for the teleconference. I don't think a lot of people are going to understand that unless we see another drive, since she's been doing pretty well 'till now retracing her steps. |
|
|
Jan 25 2010, 10:17 PM
Post
#764
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2920 Joined: 14-February 06 From: Very close to the Pyrénées Mountains (France) Member No.: 682 |
"The other thing we might try once in optimum position is activate the right front wheel just to steer it back and forth to literally try and grind it into the ground".
I thought about this without reading Spaceflightnow but was too shy to post it here! So now, we have to find a way to lift up left rear knowing we CANNOT use th IDD to put a rock under THAT weel -------------------- |
|
|
Jan 25 2010, 10:46 PM
Post
#765
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 362 Joined: 13-April 06 From: Malta Member No.: 741 |
So if I understand correctly,they seem to be pessimistic about ever getting Spirit out of the sand trap.
|
|
|
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 6th May 2024 - 02:22 AM |
RULES AND GUIDELINES Please read the Forum Rules and Guidelines before posting. IMAGE COPYRIGHT |
OPINIONS AND MODERATION Opinions expressed on UnmannedSpaceflight.com are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of UnmannedSpaceflight.com or The Planetary Society. The all-volunteer UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderation team is wholly independent of The Planetary Society. The Planetary Society has no influence over decisions made by the UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderators. |
SUPPORT THE FORUM Unmannedspaceflight.com is funded by the Planetary Society. Please consider supporting our work and many other projects by donating to the Society or becoming a member. |