Extricating Spirit, Digging out from Troy Options

[Guest_cassioli_*]

Go here:

http://www-mars.lmd.jussieu.fr/mars/time/martian_time.html

Enter today's date, convert to Mars Date and Solar Longitude, and check out the explanation of Solar Longitude in the link at the top of the page.

Phil

Thanks,
I also found this:
http://users.zoominternet.net/~matto/Java/...rsion%202_0.htm

But they give different result: first site says it's month 6 ("scorpius" month, as per table in second site), but second site gives day 10 of "Sagittarius" month , which is 7th.

Does this mean june-equivalent?(or july-equivalent)
Shouldn't it be march- or april-equivalent?

[Phil Stooke]

There are a large number of different Mars calendars, and they divide months up in different ways- roughly equal number of sols, equal angle of solar longitude, etc. So you can't expect to find the same result, in month terms (or even in when the year starts, or which year it is), from different sites.

The site I gave is the only one in anything like common use among Mars researchers, and so it's the one I have used for Mars dates in a forthcoming book. But I ignore months and only refer to the Mars year and sol.

As for the month for Spirit - I think they need to go into early summer to get it going, not just spring.


Phil

[fredk]

From here, some dust storm activity over Spirit:

Dust storm activity was observed in Terra Cimmeria on the 18th [of October], southwest of the MER-A (Spirit) rover, appeared to dissipate slightly on the 19th, but then picked up strength again on the 22nd and quickly moved toward the rover, persisting over the rover site on the 23rd and 24th.

This could be good or bad news - cleaning events have been associated with dust storms before.