[meteorite-list] Rover Status Report: Opportunity Takes a Dip Into Victoria Crater

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2007 17:18:56 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <200709120018.RAA13194_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2007-99b

Rover Status Report: Opportunity Takes a Dip Into Victoria Crater
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
September 11, 2007

Today, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity entered Victoria
Crater for the first time. It radioed home information via a relay
by NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter, reporting its activities for the
day. Opportunity drove far enough in -- about four meters (13 feet)
-- to get all six wheels past the crater rim. Then it backed uphill
for about three meters (10 feet). The driving commands for the day
included a precaution for the rover to stop driving if its wheels
were slipping more than 40 percent. Slippage exceeded that amount
on the last step of the drive, so Opportunity stopped with its
front pair of wheels still inside the crater.

"We will do a full assessment of what we learned from the drive
today and use that information to plan Opportunity's descent into
the crater," said John Callas, rover project manager at NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Once Opportunity begins
its extended exploration inside the crater, the rover will
investigate layered rocks exposed on the interior slope.


Media contact: Guy Webster/JPL
818-354-6278
Received on Tue 11 Sep 2007 08:18:56 PM PDT