Posted on 01/10/2004 1:21:24 PM PST by demlosers
Spirit Rises to the Occasion
JPL engineers played Bob Marley's "Get Up, Stand Up" in the control room as they watched new images confirming that the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit successfully stood up on its lander late Thursday night Pacific time, a major step in preparing for egress. This image from the rover's front hazard avoidance camera shows the rover in the final stage of its stand-up process. The two wheels on the bottom right and left are locked into position, along with the suspension system. The martian landscape is in the background. With a deflated airbag partially blocking one exit route, engineers will decide whether Spirit should use a different route to roll off the lander.
Spirit Rises to the Occasion (Animation)
This animation strings together images from the rover's front hazard avoidance camera taken during the stand-up process of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit. The first frame shows the rover's wheels tucked under in pre-stand-up position. The following frames show the stages of the stand-up process. The rover first elevates itself and unfolds the wheels. It then lowers, lifts and lowers again into its final position. Note the changing camera perspectives of the martian landscape, indicating the rover's heightened and lowered positions.
From Spirit's Perspective
This is a perspective from the navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit prior to beginning the stand-up process.
From Spirit's Perspective (Animation)
This animation shows the perspective from the navigation camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit before and after its automated stand-up process. After standing up, the rover is approximately 12 inches higher off of the lander, resulting in a better view of the surrounding terrain.
Rover Senses Bound Water
This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of an as-of-yet unidentified mineral that contains bound water in its crystal structure. Minerals such as gypsum and zeolites are possible candidates.
Rover Senses Carbonates
This graph, consisting of data from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signatures of carbonates - organic molecules common to Earth that form only in water. The detection of trace amounts of carbonates on Mars may be due to an interaction between the water vapor in the atmosphere and minerals on the surface.
Image credit: NASA/JPL/Arizona State University
Rover Senses Carbon Dioxide
This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide makes up the bulk of the thin martian atmosphere.
Image credit: NASA/JPL/Arizona State University
Dust Spectra from Above and Below
Spectra of martian dust taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer are compared to that of the oribital Mars Global Surveyor's thermal emission spectrometer. The graph shows that the two instruments are in excellent agreement.
Image credit: NASA/JPL/Arizona State University
Rover Senses Silicates
This graph, consisting of data acquired on Mars by the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, shows the light, or spectral, signature of silicates - a group of minerals that form the majority of Earth's crust. Minerals called feldspars and zeolites are likely candidates responsible for this feature.
NASA/JPL/Arizona State University
Mars Through Infrared Eyes of Spirit
This image shows the martian terrain through the eyes of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, an instrument that detects the infrared light, or heat, emitted by objects. The different colored circles show a spectrum of soil and rock temperatures, with red representing warmer regions and blue, cooler. A warm and dusty depression similar to the one dubbed Sleepy Hollow stands out to the upper right. Scientists and engineers will use this data to pinpoint features of interest, and to plot a safe course for the rover free of loose dust. The mini-thermal emission spectrometer data are superimposed on an image taken by the rover's panoramic camera.
Image credit: NASA/JPL/Arizona State University/Cornell University
Image credit: NASA/JPL/Arizona State University/Cornell University
Mars Through Infrared Eyes of Spirit-3
This image shows the martian terrain through the eyes of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's mini-thermal emission spectrometer, an instrument that detects the infrared light, or heat, emitted by objects. The different colored circles show a spectrum of soil and rock temperatures, with red representing warmer regions and blue, cooler. Clusters of cool rocks stand out to the left, and a warm, dusty depression similar to the one dubbed Sleepy Hollow can be seen to the upper right. Scientists and engineers will use this data to pinpoint features of interest, and to plot a safe course for the rover free of loose dust. The mini-thermal emission spectrometer data are superimposed on an image taken by the rover's panoramic camera.
Image credit: NASA/JPL/Arizona State University/Cornell University
America On Board
Nestled atop an electronics module on a lander side petal of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, a miniature American flag accompanies a patch bearing the names and signatures of U.S. officials including President George W. Bush and NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe. This image was taken on Mars by the rover's panoramic camera.
Image credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell University
This image taken at JPL shows engineers testing the rover stand-up motions. The rover is in an elevated pose, preparing to fold down its wheels, descend and stand up.
Image credit: NASA/JPL/Arizona State University/Cornell University
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