Elaina McCartney, SOWG Documentarian
Ron Greeley, SOWG Chair

August 13, 2002

Data expected from Sol 12: Mini-TES , IPS and Pancam across the top of Kaibab, IPS sky survey, cloud movie, Pancam cal target, monochrome Pancam of Bonneville, arm work on Kaibab (CMI on one target, APXS and Moessbauer on a nearby target). Sol 12 DTE downlink was limited to 4.35 Mb DTE with compressed Hazcams.

Mission Success beginning of Sol 13: 39.1 meters, 1 location (possibly 2, criteria not confirmed), Pancam panorama, 2 soil targets.

Science Assessment Meeting

Assignments:

• Need to think about the sol trees, including possibility that the arm work was not successful. Are these measurements important enough to repeat if they were not successful? DTE downlink is restricted to 4.05 Mb on this sol; we can use data already received for planning.
• The Geology group needs to assess whether they still think this an aqueous sedimentary environment.
• The Mineralogy group should consider evidence for different composition of units on which we have cross sectional data.
• The Atmosphere group can consider new kinds of atmospheric sequence design.
• The Soil Properties group should discuss whether driving to Bonneville is still a good objective.
• The Long Term Planning group needs to sharpen the hypotheses to be tested over the next few sols.

Tactical Downlink Assessments:

It appears that arm did not acquire the data. Arm is hung up on the shelf of Kaibab. Contact was made with a sensor on an instrument that was not being commanded, and the sequence faulted. There are inaccuracies in range data with respect to arm kinematics. The rover was actually closer than was thought. Can we back up and try again? It's a risky deployment and would take at least two sols to acquire data using three instruments. We don't have good range data from current hazcam images, need to build more conservatism into geometry of arm sequence designs to account for range errors (at least 1.5 cm off, based on past CMI activity). Advised by engineering to pick "easier" target.

PI clarification: Definition for a location is use of at least 2 in-situ instruments, at least 20 meters distance from another location, and that this is a different location from a science perspective. From PI perspective, deploying on dirt at current site would not constitute a new location since we've already measured nearby dirt; rock measurements could make this a new location.

SOWG Chair asks for poll for stay or go at this site. Engineering says there is a 50% probability of successful placement on this rock unless more than two sols are burned. There may be other outcrops like this one, but there may be similar placement problems on the walls of such features. For relating composition at this site, APXS and Moessbauer are more critical than CMI. Pancam already shows grain size. Compositional analysis would enhance knowledge of this site. The groups caucus and reconvene with their votes:

Geo: Go
Min: Go
Atm: Go
Soil: Go
LTP: Stay

Rationale for staying includes learning more about instrument placement on these kinds of outcrop shelf targets, which may be encountered again later in the mission. Other science rational for staying includes

APXS for cement composition (carbonate or silicate). Science rationale for leaving is that we have good enough knowledge of this rock composition from spectral information. A pre-drive remote sensing campaign could be designed. With stereo ranging out of spec, more engineering analysis is needed, which might be done using a safer rock target.

Consensus is to design plans incorporating a drive away from this feature toward Bonneville. The SOWG Meeting is slipped 15 minutes to allow this discussion. IST meeting shortened by 15 minutes, and the number of Mini-TES targets is thus limited to 4 instead of 6 because of FIDO field time constraints.

SOWG Meeting

Tactical Operations Summary:

Rover state of health: The engineering team is designing a sequence to back the arm off shelf of Kaibab and stow it. Rover is otherwise healthy.

No changes in resource predicts.

Science Observation Plan:

Pre-drive remote sensing:

Four MiniTES observations:

• middle stratigraphic unit of Coles Point (Chipaka)
• middle of landslide to target upper units which have fallen
• soil patch to complement IPS and APXS (Boulder Cave is the name of the soil target)
• sky observation north azimuth and 30 degrees elevation

Navcam of the way1 waypoint including a boulder in the field of view

IPS on Chipaka (two observations, 1000 coadds each)

IPS on Mayfield 3x3 grid

IPS on Boulder Cave (soil target)

3 azimuth sky scans (same design as previous sol) to get spectra of cumulus clouds

Pancam on cal target for dust settling

Drive to Bonneville (approximately 20 meters) with waypoint

Front and rear Hazcams at waypoint

End-of-drive remote sensing:

• Front and rear Hazcams at destination
• 360 Navcam
• IPS 3x3 grid at 45 degrees on soil on front of rover
• supporting Navcam
• 360 monochrome Pancam
• request that Hazcams during drive be downlinked as before, for cloud movie

Hypotheses to be tested at Bonneville:

1. looking at outcrop, exposed bedrock (sandstone vs. carbonate), possible trenching, possible link to Kaibab

2. looking at exposed older valley fill, petogenic activity, past and present climatic effects,

3. looking at recent deposition, biofilm, recent wetting events contrasted with ancient environment

Rationale: by traversing up the narrow valley area, may have access to caprock for remote sensing.

Bonneville may be a unique region in the landing site area.

Tactical Uplink Summary:

• Data on DTE: Front Hazcams, 120 degree Navcam panorama, and 3 IPS spectra.
• This is primarily an engineering day to get arm stowed, back away, and drive to Bonneville. Were able to retain three Mini-TES observations, with associated IPS and Navcam support. Drive will be to Waypoint 1 with front and rear Hazcams to destination in the vicinity of Bonneville, with some uncertainty
• Arm stow based on numerical telemetry rather than imagery, for the first time. Engineers needed to establish waypoints for drive. Risk that we may not be where we think we want to be.
• Rest of 360 Navcam panorama will come down on UHF. There will be no IPS at end of drive.

Notes during PI debrief: Full contingency Hazcam downlinked, rather than planned compressed Hazcam. Lesson learned: Need for more communication between science and engineering, in this case regarding the questions on ranging information, and probabilities of successful placement of arm.

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