Elaina McCartney, SOWG Documentarian
Jack Farmer, SOWG Chair

August 16, 2002

Sol 19 was planned as Spectroscopy sol on the excavated trench and its surrounding area.

Resources predicted: 691 WHr, 13.38 Mb DTE, 49.1 Mb UHF, 90 minutes FIDO time, 70m coverage (expect another 34m sol on Sol 24).

Mission Success report: FIDO has traversed 143 meters as of beginning of Sol 19 (57m to go), Pancam panorama, 2 of 3 locations, and one trench.

Uplink review:

Atmospheric Pancam sky survey spectral spot, MiniTES and IPS, front Hazcam of unknown purpose (different lighting?), MiniTES observations, IPS calibrations, IPS as close as possible to area of MiniTES spectra (reduced to 1000 coadds from requested 2000 coadds), arm work (mosaic CMI plus two rounds of APXS and Moessbauer—short integrations of Moessbauer and APXS outside the trench, confirmation front Hazcam of Moessbauer placement on DTE, then MB and APXS long integrations inside trench. The UHF allocation was busted during the CMI mosaic, so we don't know exactly what will come down.

LTP options being considered associated with a traverse toward Camelback:

• Traverse as far as possible (undocumented), setting up for second sol of traverse.
• Traverse with stops for remote sensing at waypoint(s).
• Veer off to include dark polygons as waypoint and do "trench and go" (rationale: more science on material and more knowledge about future traverse from imaging at new site).
• Take two days to target dark polygons or black rock (rationale against: may be that there are other similar rocks closer to Camelback).

Assignments:

• Each theme group should appoint a lead to coordinate with Long Term Planning to plan this drive sol.
• Mineralogy & Geology: Look for MiniTES targets that were requested, and MiniTES state of health.
• Atmos: Look for aerosol data on DTE
• Soils: Confirm placement of IDD; expect CMI images according to number of steps sequenced.
• Long Term Planning: Looks like drive sol, but details need to be worked out with other theme leads.

Science Assessment Meeting

Tactical Downlink Assessments:

DTE downlink contained confirmation of IDD deployment as requested. Received short-integration APXS and Moessbauer; data is good for Moessbauer, and a subsequent check showed the APXS to be identical to that previously received. IPS spectra on Mudflats have signature for carbonate in four spectra. Other IPS spectra from the same grid had clays, but no carbonate signature.

Do we want to drive to another target? We have not confirmed all the data, but there is good probability that the data have been acquired.

Long Term Planning group had ascertained that there was agreement among the other groups to Trench & Go, doing only one wheel turn on a dark polygon, acquire remote sensing, then drive. But then carbonate signature was found in the IPS at the polygon site, raising the question of possibly doing longer integrations at that site. Questions were raised about deployment of instruments at the dark polygon site. It would take two sols to accomplish this, and we're down to the wire in accomplishing mission success in the remaining sols. To determine carbonate, need overnight integration. These polygons may not be mud cracks, they may be exfoliated sandstone. Carbonate may not be intrinsic part of those polygons, or an aqueous process, so the feasibility of additional scientific characterization at that site in a reasonable amount of time with the suite of instruments was questioned. The two remaining options appear to be

• Go now and get something at the end?
• Stay here two more sols and try to get to a black rock?

Although we would be "blind" targeting, can we still hit the target? MiniTES FOV is too small to be accurate without prior Navcam pointing knowledge, since the carbonate material appears to be scattered among material without that signature. Could look at building big grid of IPS with supporting Navcam, but not MiniTES, because of inaccurate pointing knowledge and limit of six Mini-TES spectra.

Atmospheres wants halo imaging and photometry.

Assignments:

Prioritize observations, try to reach consensus about general sol plan to trench, back up, image, then go—tag up with Long Term Planning. Start writing the sequences (drive target has been chosen).

SOWG Meeting

Tactical Operations Summary:

Rover state of health: All systems are nominal, all instruments are good to go. There are no changes in resource predicts.

Science Observation Plan:

Mini-TES requests are all from area where carbonates were detected previously (Mineralogy).

Long Term Planning led discussion on Trench&Go plan. General plan is from current trench location, drive to triangular dark rock named trench1, turn wheel, back off 1.5 m, acquire IPS, Pancam, Navcam. Drive would be in the direction of Camelback via waypoints (with Hazcams) around rock hazards, toward target Road to Camelback, acquire necessary navigational imaging. There was much discussion of tradeoffs about documenting existing trench before driving over it.

Soils wants Pancam of existing trench before driving over (stereo pair will show depth, and motor currents will add information). Post bedrock trench imaging and pre-new-trench Mini-TES are highest priorities of Soils and Mineralogy, respectively. Can try to turn, raise the mast, take both pictures to get both trenches in. Note: can't move more than three meters without acquiring Hazcams.

Runout must include 360 Navcam (120 top priority) and sun finding to localize, so Engineering recommends planning the drive to be shorter (using traveribility index of 3 to account for degradation of actuators at this point in the mission. Need to take into account the "stutter stop" for imaging work volume of IDD. Want to make sure there is Navcam even if runout sequence is not executed. Request made for Hazcam movie along traverse.

Summary: Do remote sensing, pull forward 1.4 m, trench, back up 1.5 m, turn, acquire IPS and Pancam in the blind of both spots, drive to Camelback by way of sightseeing waypoint.

Atmosphere group are willing to forego sky surveys for less interesting ground area. Atmosphere group would like cal target after drive (monochrome—this is also of interest for localization). Pre-drive, request 4 Pancam under the sun of weather coming in, but if weather is gone, will capture halo with same imagery. IPS, and moon photometry (last chance due to timing, also last priority).

Preliminary estimates indicate that all requested IPS would eliminate drive because of time allocation, so may eliminate pre-trench IPS, at least reducing 5x5 to 3x3 (according to priorities discussed above). Drive distance may be estimated by time determined to be available in IST.

Tactical Uplink Summary:

In order to drive, all IPS requests were dropped for lack of time (it was either IPS or drive). Got 2 of the 4 Pancam sky frames plus the moon photometry. All the Mini-TES requests were included in the uplink. Drove forward, trenched, back drive, turn in place, acquired two Pancam mosaics to capture images of both trenches. Then a drive of approximately 20 m was designed, followed by 360 Pancam and image of the Pancam cal target . On DTE, 120 degrees of the Navcam plus 1 extra wedge in the upper tier, plus front and rear Hazcam at end of drive and all the Mini-TES observations. We're busted in UHF again, and will receive everything up to the second trenching experiment (the rest is due on Sol 22). Pancam on next sol will verify trench structure.

Notes: Methods of rover localization: by looking at shadows or sun itself, or celestial navigation. Also some triangulation using the maps. Graph of errors by different methods in good agreement, need to account for in planning (add 40 degrees to heading until we get the next shadow post measurement; atmosphere group confident of these results). We are not getting sun sensor data from the rover.

See Long Term Planning notes for discussion on larger hypotheses (transgressive vs. regressive and unconformities; possible marine, fluvial and aeolian processes, caprock, volcanic middle interval) and relation of stratigraphic, mineralogic and soil findings, and where we go from here

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