You are browsing the archive for Ryan Anderson.
10 April 2016
Sols 1307-1308: Deja vu all over again
On Sol 1305, the rover straightened its wheels in preparation for a drive, but then the fault that prevented driving earlier this week occurred again, and the vehicle did not move. The engineers are preparing to send parameter changes that will eliminate mobility actuator sensitivity to the transient power spikes. Fortunately, there are some rocks in front of the rover that are suitable for contact science, so the arm will …
6 April 2016
Sols 1305-1306: Deja vu
Once again, the Sol 1303 drive stopped during wheel steering, apparently due to another short in the RTG. While the power and mobility engineers investigate the fault and ways to respond to them, another drive will be attempted on Sol 1305. The remote science observations made on Sol 1303 went well, so only one ChemCam/Mastcam observation is planned before the Sol 1305 drive, of a rock with interesting surface texture …
4 April 2016
Sols 1303-1304: Driving Again
The Sol 1301 drive halted after only 4.5 meters of progress, apparently due to a short in the RTG that caused a steering actuator fault. This type of fault has occurred before, so we are planning a drive toward the northwest on Sol 1303. Before the drive, lots of remote sensing science is planned, starting with a Right Mastcam mosaic of an outcrop toward the southwest dubbed “Rasthof.” Then ChemCam …
3 April 2016
Sols 1300-1302: Approaching the Edge of the Plateau
Everything went well in Wednesday’s plan, and we are near the edge of the Naukluft plateau, driving across “Stimson” bedrock. The weekend plan begins on Sol 1300 with three ChemCam observations of the bedrock target “Bero” and fracture targets “Iona”, “and “Arco” along with Mastcam documentation. This is followed up by some MAHLI and Mastcam images of Bero before and after brushing off the dust. MAHLI also has some images …
30 March 2016
Sols 1298-1299: Drive cut short
The Sol 1296 drive was halted after only 4 meters of progress because the suspension on the left side of the rover was more tilted than expected. Suspension checks are routinely included in drive sequences, to keep the vehicle safe, and MSL is indeed safe. So the Sol 1298 plan includes a drive to the same location as previously planned. We were also able to squeeze in some pre-drive remote …
28 March 2016
Sols 1296-1297: Driving Across Rough Terrain
MSL drove about 17 meters on Sol 1294, continuing over rough terrain. Some of the images that have been recently received show delicate features that have apparently been formed by windblown sand abrasion. The path ahead is over more rough terrain, but it looks like we will be able to drive ~50 meters on Sol 1296. Before driving, ChemCam and Mastcam will observe bedrock targets “Bloedkoppie,” “Blaubeker” and “Blaubock,” and …
24 March 2016
Sol 1292: Gnarly terrain ahead
Data was recovered from the missing MRO pass on Sol 1290, and we confirmed that the 23 m drive went well. Today’s plan is to keep driving across the Naukluft Plateau. The terrain looks pretty rough, so we’re plotting our course carefully. Science activities in today’s plan include ChemCam and Mastcam observations to assess the local bedrock, and a Mastcam mosaic to document the sedimentary structures exposed here. The plan …
23 March 2016
Sol 1291: Another curveball
Mars is certainly keeping us on our toes this week, and reminding us how challenging it can be to do remote operations on another planet. We use two satellites in orbit around Mars to relay data: Mars Odyssey (ODY) and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). On Sol 1290, the ODY pass relayed data that showed the rover status was healthy. However, the MRO pass was not received due to an …
22 March 2016
Sol 1290: A good vantage point
The drive on Sol 1290 was successful, and Curiosity drove ~15 m to the north. We are currently sitting on top of a ridge in the Stimson formation, which provides a good view of the surrounding terrain and will enable us to plan the upcoming drives better. The goal this week is to keep making our way across the Naukluft Plateau. Today’s plan follows a similar structure: remote sensing, drive, …
21 March 2016
Sol 1289: Third time’s the charm?
The science that we planned over the weekend went smoothly, and we acquired some beautiful MAHLI and Mastcam images. However, the drive that was planned for Sol 1288 did not occur because the rover determined that a planned arm move would exceed a safety limit.. Because this fault is understood, we are going to try once again to drive onto a ridge just north of the rover. Today’s plan includes …
