Desert rocky reddish yellow is the ultimate goal of Opportunity, Mars probes. Endeavour crater 23 kilometers wide is estimated to save rock and sand materials are much older.
Two months after the death of Spirit, its twin, Opportunity robotic vehicle, continued to roam the Martian surface. Vehicle owned by the United States space agency, NASA, is now entering the Endeavour crater edge to initiate new exploration.
Commands sent to the six-wheeled robot Opportunity directing it to make a final push toward the Endeavour crater, basin wide as 23 kilometers near the Martian equator. The crater it will most likely be the final goal of the spacecraft.
With its speed and its movement which now often choked, Opportunity took several days just to reach the crater's edge. The finish line is a point along the embankment, dubbed the "Spirit Point" by NASA in honor of Opportunity's twin brother who has been missing since May last contact.
"I'm very excited. We have been driving for so long," said Ray Arvidson of Washington University in St. Louis, which became part of a team to control a vehicle.
The investigation into the new crater adds to the spirit of adventure in missions that have been sent color photographs of the panoramic camera to capture both rides the red planet's landscape. Spirit and Opportunity also helps reveal the past Mars was warm and wet.
When the two robotic explorers were deployed by parachute into two diametrically opposed locations on Mars in 2004, they only planned to carry out the mission for three months. But both the robotic vehicle that proved capable of operating far longer than predicted to NASA scientists.
Spirit journey ended last May when NASA stopped their efforts to contact the probe. Six-wheeled robot is stuck in the sand and no longer audible signal for more than a year.
Since the roll out of a small crater in 2008, Opportunity had not actually have a huge task again. The robot just continues to the south toward the Endeavour, occasionally stopping to admire the surrounding natural conditions, and examine the rocks on the Martian surface.
In early 2009, Opportunlty beginning to grasp the edge of the crater on the horizon mound. But at that time the NASA researchers are not sure whether the explorers are able to journey toward the crater is 25 times larger than Victoria Crater is examined in 2008.
Travel along the 11 kilometers it takes much longer than the original plan about two years. To prevent the front right wheel wear, Opportunity had to walk backwards.
The robot also can not slide as fast as usual because of the dangerous terrain conditions. Opportunity even forced to take a circuitous route and have to travel twice as far.
John Callas, project manager of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, said the Endeavour crater is the most important scientific target to be explored since the robot landed on the red planet. The crater was formed by an asteroid or comet that crashed into the surface of Mars and explore the various layers of the planet's geological history from a variety of different points.
Endeavour is the fourth crater that will be explored by Opportunity. The crater is estimated to save the oldest deposits than other sites.
Opportunity, which has traveled over 32 miles since landing seven years ago, will surround the crater for several months to take pictures of the crater edge and what's inside. Part of the crater filled with rocks and sediment.
The write off the possibility of controlling a robot walking across the crater Opportunity fearing the craft will be stuck like his twin brother. "The robot will be along the edge of the crater to the south to find the estimated clay mineral formed when water flowed on the planet was in ancient days," Callas said.
Clay minerals that have actually been studied by spacecraft orbiting the planet, but Opportunity will be the first spacecraft to examine the material directly.
"Soon we will have an opportunity to take samples of rock types that have never seen a robot that," said Matthew Golombek, a member of the Mars Exploration Rover science team at JPL. "Clay minerals formed under wet conditions so that we can learn a potentially habitable environment."
Callas reveals the possibility that the craft will spend many years in that location. "The location is incredible," said Callas. "The crater is not just a single point. There are tens of kilometers of geology is very interesting to explore."*** [TJANDRA DEWI | SPACE | AP | NASA | KORAN TEMPO 3624]
"I'm very excited. We have been driving for so long," said Ray Arvidson of Washington University in St. Louis, which became part of a team to control a vehicle.
The investigation into the new crater adds to the spirit of adventure in missions that have been sent color photographs of the panoramic camera to capture both rides the red planet's landscape. Spirit and Opportunity also helps reveal the past Mars was warm and wet.
When the two robotic explorers were deployed by parachute into two diametrically opposed locations on Mars in 2004, they only planned to carry out the mission for three months. But both the robotic vehicle that proved capable of operating far longer than predicted to NASA scientists.
Spirit journey ended last May when NASA stopped their efforts to contact the probe. Six-wheeled robot is stuck in the sand and no longer audible signal for more than a year.
Since the roll out of a small crater in 2008, Opportunity had not actually have a huge task again. The robot just continues to the south toward the Endeavour, occasionally stopping to admire the surrounding natural conditions, and examine the rocks on the Martian surface.
In early 2009, Opportunlty beginning to grasp the edge of the crater on the horizon mound. But at that time the NASA researchers are not sure whether the explorers are able to journey toward the crater is 25 times larger than Victoria Crater is examined in 2008.
Travel along the 11 kilometers it takes much longer than the original plan about two years. To prevent the front right wheel wear, Opportunity had to walk backwards.
The robot also can not slide as fast as usual because of the dangerous terrain conditions. Opportunity even forced to take a circuitous route and have to travel twice as far.
John Callas, project manager of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, said the Endeavour crater is the most important scientific target to be explored since the robot landed on the red planet. The crater was formed by an asteroid or comet that crashed into the surface of Mars and explore the various layers of the planet's geological history from a variety of different points.
Endeavour is the fourth crater that will be explored by Opportunity. The crater is estimated to save the oldest deposits than other sites.
Opportunity, which has traveled over 32 miles since landing seven years ago, will surround the crater for several months to take pictures of the crater edge and what's inside. Part of the crater filled with rocks and sediment.
The write off the possibility of controlling a robot walking across the crater Opportunity fearing the craft will be stuck like his twin brother. "The robot will be along the edge of the crater to the south to find the estimated clay mineral formed when water flowed on the planet was in ancient days," Callas said.
Clay minerals that have actually been studied by spacecraft orbiting the planet, but Opportunity will be the first spacecraft to examine the material directly.
"Soon we will have an opportunity to take samples of rock types that have never seen a robot that," said Matthew Golombek, a member of the Mars Exploration Rover science team at JPL. "Clay minerals formed under wet conditions so that we can learn a potentially habitable environment."
Callas reveals the possibility that the craft will spend many years in that location. "The location is incredible," said Callas. "The crater is not just a single point. There are tens of kilometers of geology is very interesting to explore."*** [TJANDRA DEWI | SPACE | AP | NASA | KORAN TEMPO 3624]
