Nov. 26, 1998, Thursday: Patriot Hills Camp
Day was sunny with no wind. The Americans among us wished each other
a happy Thanksgiving Day.
Matt and Stewart left around 10 a.m. in the morning to test patterned
search programs on blue ice. They had good success with 3 farming and 2
spiral search patterns. There was a problem with one farming pattern, perhaps
becauswe the initial command was given with the robot's wheels in a turning
position. Stewart also demonstrated a manuever in which Nomad deviated
from a search pattern, as it would do if it sensed something interesting
that was not in its direct path, and then returned to the same spot to
continue its programmed search pattern.
After lunch, Mike came out to join Stewart and Matt. He videtaped Nomad
doing two farming patterns (proof of the process). They then drove Nomad
to a series of small embayments in the ice sheet next to Patriot Hills.
Nomad cruised around in these inlets and recorded panospheric data for
Matt's landmark-based navigation program. This enabled Matt to complete
about 80% of his planned research. Mike videotaped this activity also.
After dinner, Matt, Mike and Sib carried out traction experiments until
3 a.m. All in all, many accomplishments for this day.
We have gone into what is essentially a 24-hour schedule with
Nomad, with people working very long hours, taking turns with the robot,
and sleeping when they can. We have been favored, finally, with a string
of very good days and, of course, we have 24 hours of daylight every day.