Daily Updates - March 1, 2004
Spirit Status at end of sol 57

During its 57th sol on Mars, ending at 7:12 PST on March 1, Spirit observed the area on "Humphrey" that was thrice brushed by the rock abrasion tool. An area just to the right of the brushed area, where the team intends to grind, was also examined.

The morning hours found Spirit using its alpha particle X-ray spectrometer on the intended grinding target to verify its similarity to the pre-brushed areas of the rock. The arm then switched out tools to the microscopic imager to get close-up views of the grinding target and the area to the right of it. The Moessbauer spectrometer was then placed on the brushed area for another observation.

Panoramic camera images were taken of the rock abrasion tool magnets to study dust accumulation. The miniature thermal emission spectrometer performed a diurnal characterization on the nearby soil. This allows scientists to look at the temperature difference from day to night, revealing information about particle sizes within the soil.

Next sol, the plan calls for Spirit to grind into "Humphrey" and then use its arsenal of instruments to analyze the interior of the rock.

Spirit Daily Update Archive