Since Spirit touched down on the Red Planet late Saturday evening, ground operators on Earth have been able to better access the overall health of the robot, and have begun to appreciate the surrounding terrain within Gusev Crater.
Straight forward driving
Spacecraft engineers are to start snapping detailed images of Spirits deflated airbags today. Those photos are necessary to determine in which direction the rover can eventually drive off its landing platform, said Jennifer Trosper, Spirit Mission Manager for Surface Operations at a morning press conference here today.
Early indications that the lander came to rest nestled near a large rock now appear not to be the case. Rather, the pictures seem to show that feature could be part of the airbag system. The good news is that exiting the rover from the platform onto Mars should be, literally, straight forward, she said.
Spirit is sensing slightly warmer than expected temperatures at the Gusev landing site. Power levels produced by the robots solar panels are not as strong as predicted, but plenty enough to keep pressing forward in readying Spirit for exploration duty.
Spirits communications link to Earth via both the Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey -- two Mars orbiting NASA spacecraft -- has been excellent. A direct Spirit-to-Earth link is to be checked out later today.
Spirits new neighborhood
Throughout last night and into the morning hours here on Earth, Spirits science team has been busy identifying "where we are and where were going to go," said Steve Squyres, Principal Investigator for Spirit from Cornell University.
Images taken by the lander seconds before its airbag-cushioned touchdown are being matched up with overhead imagery of Gusev Crater taken by the Odyssey spacecraft. Landmarks have been identified that show Spirit "hit the sweet spot," Squyres said.
"This is our new neighborhood," Squyres reported. "Were in a marvelous place," Squyres reported.
The landing locale is peppered with impact craters, and is also visited by swirling dust devils. Tornado-like, dust devils on Mars are far less-powerful and destructive in force than their counterparts on Earth. However, their swirling actions help de-dust the population of various rocks that are strewn across Gusev Crater a geologic bonus for up-close inspection by Spirits armada of tools.
Tread carefully
One tantalizing feature is seen nearby, and within easy driving distance of the rover.
It could be a modest depression or a crater, Squyres said, but may be home to layered deposits of material. If so, that would offer Spirits instruments the chance to decipher what has occurred at Gusev over geologic time.
On the other hand, is that feature a "rover trap", one that could be filled with loose material that could prove dangerous to inspect, bogging down the six-wheeled rover, Squyres cautioned. "Well need to tread carefully," he said.
Field of dreams
More images of Gusev are expected today. Engineers have started a slow, methodical, step-by-step process in checking out Spirits ability to steer itself off the lander platform onto the surface of Mars. Those procedures will take several days to complete.
The first color panorama from Spirit is expected late today or early tomorrow. That view is guaranteed to be spectacular, Squyres noted.
But images already transmitted from the landing zone show a scientific field of dreams. "Gusev is a great place to drive," Squyres concluded.
"What a spectacular time to be alive and exploring Mars... with Spirit down safe and sound having returned a slugfest of images already," said James Garvin, NASA Lead Scientist for Mars Exploration. "I am beside myself with excitementscience rules!", he told SPACE.com.
Mars Rovers: Complete Coverage
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