From Newsgroup: sci.space.news


http://mars.nasa.gov/mer/mission/status.html#opportunity

OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: Seeking Clay Minerals on Steeper Slopes - sols
4297-4303, February 24, 2016-March 01, 2016:

Opportunity is exploring steep outcrops within Marathon Valley on the
rim of Endeavour crater.

The rover is up on the very steep slopes of 'Knudsen Ridge'. The
objective is to examine specific outcrop types for evidence of clay
minerals. On Sol 4297 (Feb. 24, 2016), the rover performed its first
contact measurements of an exposed rock named 'Charles Caugee' (named
for a member of the Corps of Discovery). At this site, Opportunity used
her robotic arm to collect a Microscopic Imager (MI) mosaic and then
place the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) on the same for a
multi-hour integration. Opportunity collected Pancam and Navcam images
on the following sol of the area around the rover. On Sol 4299 (Feb. 26,
2016) Opportunity bumped about 1 meter (3 feet) towards a target up a
steep slope and took more images. Another bump up the slope by the rover
on Sol 4302 (Feb. 29, 2016) brought the rover 1.9 meters (6.2 feet)
closer towards the intended target, named 'Pvt. Joseph Whitehouse'
(another member of the Corps of Discovery).

As of Sol 4303 (March 1, 2016) the solar array energy production was 585 watt-hours with an atmospheric opacity (Tau) of 0.429 and an improved
solar array dust factor of 0.736.

Total odometry is 26.51 miles (42.66 kilometers) more than a marathon.

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