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Opportunity seeking clay minerals on steeper slopes

by Staff Writers Pasadena CA (JPL) Mar 15, 2016 JPL

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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