[X] My Assistant

[kungpostyle]

Oppy has moved in to position to examine the festoon cross beds.

http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...KSP1214L0M1.JPG

[RNeuhaus]

Oppy won't be moving from around Olympia site until after the third week of Feb. That is what I have heard in the other topic of Opportunity. That is due to long time miniTES, APXS and MB integration on Roosevelt is taking.- That is due to the increased isotope decay of MB (it containw with two 57Co/Rh Mössbauer sources) and APXS (it contains six Curium-244 alpha sources). The APXS together with the Mössbauer Spectrometer (MB), the Microscopi Imager (MI), and Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT) was and will be used to make in-situ measurements of soils and rocks to determine their chemicaol, mineralogical, and textural compositions. In addition to the major elements, the new APXS will also yield data of minor elements such as Na, P, S, Cl, K, Ti, Cr, Mn and some trace elements such as Ni and Zn.

On the other hand, The Mössbauer spectrometer is specially designed to study minerals that contain iron, which are common on the Martian surface. It can determine the composition and abundance of iron-bearing minerals to a high degree of accuracy. One Mössbauer measurement takes about 12 hours. Because the Mössbauer instrument has its own microcontroller, measurements can be performed at night while the rover is "asleep."

Because Mössbauer spectra vary dramatically with changing temperature, measurements will be performed over a range of temperatures spanning both the daytime highs and the nighttime lows.

Most APXS measurements will be taken at night and will require at least 10 hours of accumulation time, although just x-ray alone will only require a few hours. But, that instrument is older and has greater decay of radioactive and the required time to integrate might be twice longer. That point is not sure.

Now, after two years, APXS and MB are taking twice or four time longer to complete the integration when MER landed on Mars.

Rodolfo

P.D.
MER-A 'Spirit'
MB status: Operational
Total number of dataproducts: 144
Separate Targets: 95

MER-B 'Opportunity'
MB status: Operational
Total number of dataproducts: 179
Separate Targets: 114
http://iacgu32.chemie.uni-mainz.de/

[djellison]

Now, after two years, APXS and MB are taking twice or four time longer to complete the integration when MER landed on Mars.

Yes - MB is taking longer - but go and listen to or read the SDteve QnA - the APXS doesnt suffer the same problem.

Doug