Author Topic: Opportunity rover updates and discussion  (Read 107018 times)

Offline Eosterwine

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Re: Opportunity rover updates and discussion
« Reply #160 on: 10/22/2018 02:27 pm »
Well, the end of the 45 day uplink period is getting close, lets hope for some windy weather over Opportunity.

Offline Svetoslav

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Re: Opportunity rover updates and discussion
« Reply #161 on: 10/23/2018 06:57 am »
Today the team is executing a long sweep and beep campaign with the big Goldstone dish. Uplink started at about 4:30 UTC and still ongoing. More info about the latest efforts:

https://twitter.com/AstroStaab/status/1053364911290507264
« Last Edit: 10/23/2018 06:57 am by Svetoslav »

Offline Eosterwine

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Re: Opportunity rover updates and discussion
« Reply #162 on: 10/23/2018 10:15 am »
Interesting stuff.

Also looks like there was another false carrier lock this morning too

https://twitter.com/dsn_status/status/1054626442477219840

Offline Propylox

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Re: Opportunity rover updates and discussion
« Reply #163 on: 10/24/2018 06:03 am »
From Oct 23 SpaceNews article, cut to avoid link: ht tps://spac enews.com/na sa-to-soon-end-active-efforts-to-restore-contact-with-opportunity/
-snip- "..Lori Glaze, acting director of NASA’s planetary science division, during a presentation Oct. 22 ..said that a factor in ending the active listening campaign is to prepare for the landing of the InSight spacecraft on Mars Nov. 26. “We want to wind that down before InSight gets to Mars and make sure all our orbital assets are focused on a successful landing of InSight,” she said."
Are there attempts to contact Opportunity using the Mars orbiters, or just using the DSN?
The orbiters are not much use here - they are only in potential contact for brief periods, whereas the DSN can transmit or listen for hours at a time if necessary.
So are the orbiters not used, or have they been regularly used and thus need to be let free?
It looks like it might be worth repeating that former and current Opportunity engineers have said that contact is most likely to be reestablished during Cleaning Season.  ..That season runs November through January, so we've yet to even enter it.  Patience indeed.
If InSight takes precedence in a few weeks, would NASA even have time to operate Opportunity if it does awake after cleaning? Can you squeeze in a few "standby and recharge" commands until InSight has completed its primary mission goals?

Offline mlindner

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Re: Opportunity rover updates and discussion
« Reply #164 on: 10/24/2018 05:37 pm »
LEO is the ocean, not an island (let alone a continent). We create cruise liners to ride the oceans, not artificial islands in the middle of them. We need a physical place, which has physical resources, to make our future out there.

Online ccdengr

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Re: Opportunity rover updates and discussion
« Reply #165 on: 10/24/2018 07:07 pm »
It takes a non-trivial amount of effort to set up the DSN for the sweep-and-beep passes.  They will continue passive listening, which will detect the rover if it wakes up on its own, which is the expected outcome.  AFAIK, active listening doesn't improve the chances of recovery, just restores contact sooner.

Offline Svetoslav

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Re: Opportunity rover updates and discussion
« Reply #166 on: 10/25/2018 05:41 am »
Here's what Michael Staab says about this article. The efforts to contact Oppy continue, unless NASA says otherwise:

https://twitter.com/AstroStaab/status/1055277787089559552

Online ccdengr

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Re: Opportunity rover updates and discussion
« Reply #167 on: 10/25/2018 05:52 am »
I'd love for Staab to explain publicly why active attempts to recover the rover are worth the expenditure of DSN resources with so much else going on with other missions.  All public sources of information I've been able to find suggest that if the rover is going to come back, it can do so on its own.  They can passively listen for it with almost no impact to other uses of the DSN (as long as an antenna is pointed at Mars anyway.)
« Last Edit: 10/25/2018 05:56 am by ccdengr »

Offline Eosterwine

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Re: Opportunity rover updates and discussion
« Reply #168 on: 10/25/2018 06:13 am »
It takes a non-trivial amount of effort to set up the DSN for the sweep-and-beep passes.  They will continue passive listening, which will detect the rover if it wakes up on its own, which is the expected outcome.  AFAIK, active listening doesn't improve the chances of recovery, just restores contact sooner.

I would have thought restoring contact and operations sooner rather than later would be the preferred outcome?

Online DaveS

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Re: Opportunity rover updates and discussion
« Reply #169 on: 10/25/2018 07:30 am »
Here's what Michael Staab says about this article. The efforts to contact Oppy continue, unless NASA says otherwise:

https://twitter.com/AstroStaab/status/1055277787089559552
There's is however an internal review scheduled for tomorrow on this very issue:

https://twitter.com/AstroStaab/status/1055334471388413952
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Online ccdengr

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Re: Opportunity rover updates and discussion
« Reply #170 on: 10/25/2018 02:57 pm »
I would have thought restoring contact and operations sooner rather than later would be the preferred outcome?
If the rover is still functional, the reason it hasn't transmitted on its own by now is presumably dust on the solar panels, which is going to have to be cleaned off by wind.  Even if they were in brief contact, that will limit when operations could sensibly start.  If there's a way that being in contact might clean the panels faster, I'm not seeing it (not likely they could move the rover with the panels so dirty, even if that would help much.)

In an unconstrained environment, sure, spend as much DSN time as you like.  As it is, there are four other US missions at Mars and another arriving next month, and there have to be tradeoffs.

Offline Eosterwine

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Re: Opportunity rover updates and discussion
« Reply #171 on: 10/26/2018 05:54 am »
Currently uploading from the 70m Antenna at Goldstone, lets hope this isn't the last uplink attempt


Offline Eosterwine

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Re: Opportunity rover updates and discussion
« Reply #172 on: 10/26/2018 09:47 am »
There are some new pictures from Curiosity over at Gale Crater, it still look pretty hazy to me??

http://www.midnightplanets.com/web/MSL/image/02210/NRA_593684812EDR_F0722464NCAM00276M_.html


Offline Eosterwine

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Re: Opportunity rover updates and discussion
« Reply #173 on: 10/27/2018 05:34 am »
Uplink attempt started much earlier than usual today, maybe trying to catch an earlier wakeup?

Offline Svetoslav

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Re: Opportunity rover updates and discussion
« Reply #174 on: 10/29/2018 10:19 pm »
NASA will continue attempts to communicate to Opportunity:

After a review of the progress of the listening campaign, NASA will continue its current strategy for attempting to make contact with the Opportunity rover for the foreseeable future. Winds could increase in the next few months at Opportunity's location on Mars, resulting in dust being blown off the rover's solar panels. The agency will reassess the situation in the January 2019 time frame.


https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7227

Offline theinternetftw

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Re: Opportunity rover updates and discussion
« Reply #175 on: 10/30/2018 01:01 am »
The below image was retweeted by Michael Staab, the engineer who gave the only Opportunity recovery presentation to that mid-term review board.

Edit, there's also this from him: "Guess that presentation last week was well received ... now the fun begins!"
« Last Edit: 10/30/2018 01:07 am by theinternetftw »

Online DaveS

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Re: Opportunity rover updates and discussion
« Reply #176 on: 10/30/2018 08:26 am »
Today's Opportunity DSN track has begun. Uplinking began at 0925 UTC from DSS-34 at Canberra.
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Offline theinternetftw

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Re: Opportunity rover updates and discussion
« Reply #177 on: 10/30/2018 11:27 am »
Michael Staab, the engineer who gave the only Opportunity recovery presentation to that mid-term review board.

One more tweet from Staab:

"Thank you everyone for reaching out with the well-wishes. This process has been mentally and emotionally taxing, having now crossed more than 140 days since last contact. We got the extension we needed, and now the @MarsRovers team has the best chance of recovering the vehicle."

Offline Svetoslav

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Re: Opportunity rover updates and discussion
« Reply #178 on: 11/01/2018 08:32 am »

Online Chris Bergin

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