InSight Surface Operations, 26 Nov 2018- 21 Dec 2022 Options

[atomoid]

not much going on mole-wise, so looking for environmental subtleties, here's ten frames from 14 sols: 383//385//387/388/389/390/391///394/395/396 all are taken at within one second of each other 15:53:49 to highlight any wind effects as well as some unexpectedly noticeable seasonal illumination changes.

[Explorer1]

Seems like the scoop is getting a bit dusty?

[atomoid]

pretty much all was deposited between sol383 and sol385 must have been a particularly windy sol to have kicked up that much, but unfortunately the date range has cycled out (where to find full data?) so cant tell if those sols had anything above the normal max gusts...

[PaulH51]

Hammer attempt? Sol 400 Scoop movement, but I don't see any obvious movement by the mole.

Processed frames used to assemble this animated GIF using the three frames where there was movement. I guess other frames maybe in the pipeline?

[Phil Stooke]

Putting more pressure on the mole at this stage, I think, with a hammer to follow.

Phil

[kungpostyle]

and back up again : (

[JRehling]

This time they got some imagery of the mole coming back up while the mole's unintended ascent was happening. That may not lead to a solution but at least it's more informative than hammering for a long time and then seeing that it backed far out of the hole.

[atomoid]

Such frustrating antics, seems to just be jumping atop the infill it dislodges by hammering, that soil behavior might not be any different even if it were able to get a dozen or more centimeters deeper, so what now? Since the arm pressure cant follow as the mole and pit conditions change, they might be able to instead just go about it very slowly, repositioning the arm after even very small hammering sequences, who knows..
Here's a gif of that sol407 sequence:

[nprev]

Frustrating as hell to be sure, but in the long run instructive. Figuring out exactly why something didn't work that should have is always useful.

[Phil Stooke]

Apart from the problem with the heat flow instrument, another casualty of the current situation is the lack of a full panoramic image of the landing site. The arm can't point its camera around the site to image it while it is staring at the ground. There were plans for full panoramas with different lighting conditions, but they must be on hold.

However, lots of images have been taken, certainly a full horizon panorama which has been reported here already. Has anyone gone beyond the basic horizon panorama to extend it into the workspace?

Phil

[HSchirmer]

Hmm, not sure if I asked this before but-

1) What is the maximum downward force that the arm can generate?
Both continuous (push) or and impulse (punch)?

2) How deep a hole CAN the arm dig?

3) How far down is the caliche / duricrust layer estimated to be?
Any data about delta-T and the quantify heat loss, that might suggest regolith depth, which might imply duricrust depth?

I'm figuring this is the "Andy Dufresne" segment of the mission...
"All it takes is pressure, and time"...

[algorithm]

Hi,

I don't wish to sound rude but that smacks of repeating the same thing over and over ...etc

Currently the mole is next to useless, so personally I would give it until the end of the month then attempt to put the arm under the tether close to the mole and try to lift it up then reposition.

It might work/might not, suppose it depends on how high the arm can go and which is heavier, the mole or the tether, can't be any worse than now though.

I know it's a bit left field but heh, as Delboy said many times "He who dares wins Rodney, he who dares wins"

[serpens]

Initially the team believed that the obstruction causing the mole to bounce back out of the ground could not be a buried rock because there were so few rocks on the surface and these were small. However the rock excavated by the lander exhaust exhaust as illustrated below raises a few doubts. The mole was designed to veer around a small obstruction but if it encountered a buried rock of similar size and shape this would explain the current angle of attack and repeated bounce back. Perhaps moving the mole as Algorithm suggests would be high risk and aligning it vertically and keeping it stable for initial penetration without damaging the ribbon would seem near impossible. But the current approach is not achieving much and who dares wins. (sometimes).

Attached thumbnail(s)

 

[HSchirmer]

I don't wish to sound rude but that smacks of repeating the same thing over and over ...etc

That's ok, not rude at all -
But I'm suggesting that it may be time to begin a stress-strain-cohesion analysis of the surface crust, subsurface rocks and deeper "duricrust". Dig a few sample holes at different depths, sift out the contents into piles to check the cohesion/angle of repose. Compress the sample piles with the bucket to get some actual values for the material at the site. Then, act based on the evidence gathered.

Currently the mole is next to useless, so personally I would give it until the end of the month then attempt to put the arm under the tether close to the mole and try to lift it up then reposition. It might work/might not, suppose it depends on how high the arm can go and which is heavier, the mole or the tether, can't be any worse than now though.

After doing some soil horizon analysis, proceed with "Operation-Archie" ("Red Dwarf-Kryten Reference)
Let the mole back itself all the way out of the dry-hole and tip over horizontal.
Use the arm to dig a new hole, and pile up the hole tailings to make 2 guide berms leading to the new hole.
Let the mole skitter over and tip into the new hole.

[fredk]

if it encountered a buried rock of similar size and shape this would explain the current angle of attack and repeated bounce back.

From what we've heard from the team, the behaviour so far is consistent with bouncing back due to lack of friction, not hitting a rock. The crucial question is: can pressure be applied by the scoop until the mole gets deep enough that it can "get a grip" on its own?