Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. GPS News .




MARSDAILY
Rover Ready for Solar Conjunction and Period of Curtailed Operations
by Staff Writers
Pasadena CA (JPL) Jun 09, 2015


File image.

Opportunity is on the west rim of Endeavour Crater at the 'Spirit of St. Louis' crater near the entrance of 'Marathon Valley.' The rover is now configured for Solar Conjunction with all sequences onboard for the next three weeks.

Solar conjunction is when the Sun comes between Earth and Mars, which occurs about once every 26 months. During this time there will be diminished communications to Opportunity. More on solar conjunction here.

The last drive was on Sol 4031 (May 27, 2015). The rover moved 19 meters to approach a surface target that will be the subject of investigation during solar conjunction. On Sol 4034 (May 30, 2015), the robotic arm was used to collect a Microscopic Imager (MI) mosaic of the surface target. Then, the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) was placed for a multiple hour integration.

The next robotic arm activity will actually occur during Solar Conjunction on Sol 4047 (June 12, 2015). On that sol, Opportunity will perform a small, less than an inch (1 cm) offset of the APXS placement and perform another long integration. As of the entry into the Solar Conjunction communication moratorium, Opportunity was in good health operating in persistent RAM-mode to avoid the use of Flash memory.

As of Sol 4037 (June 2, 2015), the solar array energy production was 500 watt-hours with an atmospheric opacity (Tau) of 0.952 and a solar array dust factor of 0.688.

Total odometry is 26.33 miles (42.37 kilometers), more than a marathon.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
Mars Exploration Rovers
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
Rover Restored to Normal Operations After a Reset
Pasadena CA (JPL) May 26, 2015
Opportunity is on the west rim of Endeavour Crater at the 'Spirit of St. Louis' crater near the entrance of 'Marathon Valley.' The rover had been exploring the outcrops inside the Spirit of St. Louis crater. On Sol 4018 (May 14, 2015), the project attempted to restore the rover to master sequence control after an unexplained reset on Sol 4017 (May 13, 2015). However, an operational e ... read more


MARSDAILY
Researchers work to minimize drought impact on food crops

New herbicide-resistant weeds emerge in Australia

Expensive espresso: Thailand's elephant dung coffee

Bees are 'sick of humans' but man will feel the sting

MARSDAILY
Exploiting the extraordinary properties of a new semiconductor

Futuristic components on silicon chips, fabricated successfully

New chip makes testing for antibiotic-resistant bacteria faster, easier

A chip placed under the skin for more precise medicine

MARSDAILY
Kuwait wants to buy Airbus helicopters for air force

Northrop Grumman unveils first NATO ISR aircraft

U.S. orders components for 94 F-35s

The rise and fall of giant balloons on the edge of space

MARSDAILY
China tech giant Baidu to develop driverless car: media

Tesla boss downplays government subsidy as 'pittance'

Self-driving cars vulnerable to cyberattack, experts warn

Can virtual drivers resembling the user increase trust in smart cars

MARSDAILY
EU business confidence in China at new low: survey

China to have 'veto power' over infrastructure bank: report

Israel says China demands no workers in settlements

Archaeologists find evidence of prehistoric gold trade

MARSDAILY
Japanese tree plantations causing nitrogen pollution

Conservationists press Jakarta to follow industry lead on forests

Not all national parks are created equal

Native-American settlement modified Western New York forests

MARSDAILY
NASA Releases Detailed Global Climate Change Projections

Apple dispatches fleet of cars to get map service data

Yahoo folding up map site as priorities shift

Egypt Mulls Buying Russian Satellite Images After EgyptSat 2 Loss

MARSDAILY
Scientists observe photographic exposure live at the nanoscale

Measuring the mass of molecules on the nano-scale

Novel X-ray lens sharpens view into the nano world

Engineering phase changes in nanoparticle arrays




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news 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 All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.