Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Space Travel News .




MARSDAILY
Opportunity Picks up the Pace With Several Drives This Week
by Staff Writers
Pasadena CA (JPL) Jul 27, 2012


As of Sol 3022 (July 24, 2012), the solar array energy production was 507 watt-hours with an elevated atmospheric opacity (Tau) of 0.772 and an improved solar array dust factor of 0.727.

Opportunity is roving at the north end of Cape York on the rim of Endeavour Crater.

Progress was again impacted by a second safe mode entry by the Mars Odyssey orbiter. With normal Ultra-High Frequency relay with Odyssey restored, Opportunity was able to drive on Sol 3019 (July 21, 2012).

That drive, of over 138 feet (42 meters), was a "V" trajectory with the rover first driving toward the small impact crater named "Sao Gabriel" for mid-drive imaging, then a near reverse drive away toward the geologic cut called "Whim Creek."

On Sol 3021 (July 23, 2012), Opportunity drove across Whim Creek with a 33 foot (10 meter) drive toward some surface targets.

On the next Sol, the rover collected a Microscopic Imager mosaic of the target "Mons Cupri" before placing the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer down on the same.

The plan ahead is some more driving before the operational stand-down around the time of the landing for Curiosity.

As of Sol 3022 (July 24, 2012), the solar array energy production was 507 watt-hours with an elevated atmospheric opacity (Tau) of 0.772 and an improved solar array dust factor of 0.727.

Total odometry is 21.52 miles (34,633.40 meters)

.


Related Links
Mars Rovers at JPL
Mars Rovers at Cornell
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








MARSDAILY
Slow-Going at Cape York for Opportunity
Pasadena CA (JPL) Jul 25, 2012
Opportunity is roving at the north end of Cape York on the rim of Endeavour Crater. However, her progress has been impacted by the recent safe mode entry by the relay orbiter, Mars Odyssey. On Sol 3010 (July 12, 2012), Opportunity drove just over 180 feet (55 meters) south towards a small impact crater, named "Sao Gabriel," for investigation. On Sol 3011 (July 13, 2012), the rover's Alpha ... read more


MARSDAILY
The Intelsat 20 integrated on to Ariane 5 for upcoming flight

Arianespace's Ariane 5 receives its HYLAS 2 payload

Initial build-up is underway for Arianespace's fifth Ariane 5 launch in 2012

U.S. Bank Helps Fuel Future Space Flight as Bank behind SpaceX

MARSDAILY
Mars Orbiter Repositioned to Phone Home Mars Landing

Opportunity Picks up the Pace With Several Drives This Week

Taking the Heat Lockheed Martin Aeroshell Will Protect Mars Science Lab Descent

Mystery of missing Mars signals solved

MARSDAILY
Another Small Step for Mankind

Russia starts building Moon spaceship, eyes Lunar base

Plans to revisit Moon impeded by financial difficulties

Russia says no manned moon shots till 2018

MARSDAILY
Hubble Discovers a Fifth Moon Orbiting Pluto

Hubble telescope spots fifth moon near Pluto

New Horizons Doing Science in Its Sleep

It's a Sim: Out in Deep Space, New Horizons Practices the 2015 Pluto Encounter

MARSDAILY
RIT Leads Development of Next-generation Infrared Detectors

UCF Discovers Exoplanet Neighbor

Can Astronomers Detect Exoplanet Oceans

The Mysterious Case of the Disappearing Dust

MARSDAILY
NASA's Space Launch System Passes Major Agency Review, Moves to Preliminary Design

A Summer of Records for Engine Testing

NASA Tests Hypersonic Inflatable Heat Shield

United Technologies to sell Rocketdyne unit to GenCorp

MARSDAILY
Looking Forward to Shenzhou 10

Argentina, China ink space cooperation deal

Looking Forward to Shenzhou 10

Astronauts in good shape after return

MARSDAILY
Planetary Resources Announces Agreement with Virgin Galactic for Payload Services

Explained: Near-miss asteroids

The B612 Foundation Announces The First Privately Funded Deep Space Mission

Ex-NASA astronauts aim to launch asteroid tracker




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement