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Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity End of Mission Report

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Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity End of Mission Report JPL Publication 19-10 Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity End of Mission Report John L. Callas, Project Manager Matthew P. Golombek, Project Scientist Abigail A. Fraeman, Deputy Project Scientist Mars Exploration Rover Project Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology National Aeronautics and Space Administration Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology Pasadena, California October 2019 This research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply its endorsement by the United States Government or the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. © 2019 California Institute of Technology. U.S. Government sponsorship acknowledged. Mars Exploration Rover Project MER Opportunity – End of Mission Report Contents 1 ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................................1 2 SUMMARY OF MAJOR SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE MISSION ..............1 3 DETAILED RECENT SCIENCE ACCOMPLISHMENTS ....................................................6 3.1 Testing Hypotheses for the Origin and Evolution of Perseverance Valley ................6 3.2 Degradation Exposes Structural and Stratigraphic Complexities on Endeavour’s Rim ......................................................................................................................7 4 MISSION SUCCESS SCORE CARD ...................................................................................10 5 ROVER STATISTICS ...........................................................................................................11 5.1 Actuator Usage..........................................................................................................11 5.2 Drive Statistics ..........................................................................................................13 5.3 IDD Statistics ............................................................................................................14 5.4 Telecom Statistics .....................................................................................................14 5.5 Imaging Statistics ......................................................................................................15 5.6 Power Switch Statistics .............................................................................................15 5.7 Miscellaneous Statistics ............................................................................................16 6 ROVER ENGINEERING ASSESSMENT (PRIOR TO DUST STORM) ............................17 6.1 Right-Front Steering Actuator ..................................................................................17 6.2 Left-Front Steering Actuator .....................................................................................17 6.3 Right-Front Wheel Drive Actuator ...........................................................................18 6.4 IDD Joint 1 Actuator .................................................................................................18 6.5 IDD Flexcable ...........................................................................................................18 6.6 Rock Abrasion Tool ..................................................................................................19 6.7 Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer ...........................................................................19 6.8 Mössbauer Spectrometer ...........................................................................................19 6.9 Mini-TES ..................................................................................................................19 6.10 Cameras.....................................................................................................................20 6.11 IVP Vector Error .......................................................................................................20 6.12 Flash File System ......................................................................................................20 6.13 Other Issues ...............................................................................................................21 6.14 Other Components ....................................................................................................21 7 END OF MISSION ASSESSMENT ......................................................................................22 7.1 2018 Mars Planet-Encircling Dust Event at Perseverance Valley ............................22 7.2 Recovery Efforts .......................................................................................................24 7.3 MER fault behavior and modes ................................................................................28 7.4 Recovery strategies ...................................................................................................30 7.5 Commanding strategies and operations ....................................................................35 7.6 Why the vehicle was not recovered ..........................................................................40 i Mars Exploration Rover Project MER Opportunity – End of Mission Report 8 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................42 9 APPENDIX: TEAM PUBLICATIONS LIST ............................................................................45 9.1 Spirit Publications .....................................................................................................45 9.2 Two-Rover Publications ...........................................................................................48 9.3 Opportunity Publications .........................................................................................52 ii Mars Exploration Rover Project MER Opportunity – End of Mission Report 1 Abstract The Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Opportunity landed on Meridiani Planum on 25 January 2004 for a prime mission designed to last three months (90 sols). After more than fourteen years operating on the surface of Mars, the last communication from Opportunity occurred on sol 5111 (10 June, 2018) when a major dust storm reduced power on the solar panels to the point where further communications were not possible. Following the cessation of the dust storm several weeks later, the MER project radiated over 1000 commands to Mars in an attempt to elicit a response from the rover. Attempts were made utilizing the Deep Space Network X-Band and UHF relay via both Mars Odyssey and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Search and recovery efforts concluded on 12 February, 2019. It is the MER project’s assessment that the environmental window in which it would be most probable to recover Opportunity had passed by that time and that the rover would succumb to the extreme environmental conditions experienced during a winter on Mars. This report summarizes the major science accomplishments throughout the fourteen years of this mission, with a detailed focused on recent science accomplishments during the last extended mission (EM-11). This report also describes the mission engineering accomplishments and specific actions taken during the attempt to recover the vehicle after communications were lost during the major dust storm. 2 Summary of major science accomplishments of the mission The Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Opportunity landed on Meridiani Planum on January 25, 2004 and maintained communications with Earth until June 10, 2018, when a major dust storm reduced power on the solar panels to the point where further communications were not possible. Opportunity far exceeded its 90- sol primary mission and set records for longevity (5111 sols), distance traveled (~45 km, Fig. 2.1), and scientific discoveries for planetary rovers. This section highlights the scientific legacy derived from analysis of imaging and spectroscopic data acquired using Fig. 2.1: HiRISE image mosaic showing the complete traverse of Opportunity across Meridiani Planum and onto Endeavour Crater’s Opportunity’s instrument payload (22 km diameter) western rim segments. Names on the plains refer (Squyres et al., 2003). to craters examined by Opportunity to characterize Burns formation Opportunity was the first landed sulfate-bearing strata. Erebus Crater, not shown, is just north of mission to identify and characterize a Victoria Crater. sedimentary rock record on a planetary body other than Earth. The Burns formation, named in honor of Roger Burns, is a >> 10s of meters thick section of genetically related sedimentary rock that outcrops in the walls of craters and regional fractures throughout Meridiani Planum (Grotzinger et al., 2006). Opportunity documented the primary sedimentary features (e.g., bedding, grain size distributions) and 1 Mars Exploration Rover Project MER Opportunity – End of Mission Report diagenetic features of the Burns formation to determine ancient environmental conditions (Fig. 2.2). Opportunity data showed Fe-, Mg-, and Ca sulfates were present in the Burns formation, the first instance these minerals were detected on Mars. The presence of sulfate salts combined with sedimentary structure analyses supported a model of saline groundwaters ascending through the Noachian basement
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