Wonderful Paving... (8) - Sol 662

Opportunity's commands for Sol 654 (Nov. 25, 2005) included unstowing the RA (Robotic Arm) to begin using the tools on it for examining the layered outcrop that the Rover had driven to 3 Soles earlier. The RA is always stowed during drives. This time, a shoulder-joint motor that is needed for unstowing the RA stalled, and the RA stayed stowed. In subsequent Soles, engineers worked to narrow the range of possibilities for the cause of the stall. Among the remaining possibilities is that, after working more than seven times longer than originally planned, the lubrication is degrading. One possible fix would be to increase the duration of the allowed motor start-up, to overcome the increased initial friction. The first diagnostic activity for the RA was performed Sol 659, where a very small motion was recorded. Future diagnostic activities and continuing analysis will be performed to further characterize the shoulder-joint motor in upcoming Soles.