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PASSPORT TO KNOWLEDGE - To MARS with MER

Daily Updates - April 2, 2004
Spirit Status at end of sol 87

Spirit began sol 87, which ended at 3:00 p.m. PST on April 1, with some morning atmospheric science, and then took a last look at the rock "Mazatzal" with the panoramic and navigation cameras. Then the rover was off, traveling 36.5 meters (119.8 feet) down the side of "Bonneville" Crater headed south toward the "Columbia Hills."

The drive was a combination of "blind" and autonomous navigation roving. The blind segments of the drive are used when rover planners can see all possible hazards and command the rover to just "go." The autonomous navigation portion allows the rover to make decisions based on the terrain presented. While the blind segments of the sol 87 drive were successful, the second to the last autonomous navigation sequence did not complete in the allotted time, causing a drive "goal" error. As a result, Spirit was not able to execute the complete commanded drive, and roved 36.5 meters (119.8 feet) of the 65-meter (213.3 feet) planned drive.

Following the drive, Spirit took navigation and panoramic camera pictures in her drive direction and performed atmospheric and soil science with the panoramic camera and mini thermal emission spectrometer.

Spirit will spend most of sol 88, which ends at 3:39 p.m. PST on April 2, driving toward the Columbia Hills.

Spirit Daily Update Archive