The MSL operations team is back at work after the holiday break,planning Sol 1569.
The MSL operations team is back at work after the holiday break,
planning Sol 1569. The activities planned for the holidays executed
well, so we are proceeding with the investigation of the ridge/fracture
patterns at Old Soaker .
First, ChemCam and Mastcam will observe the ridges at "Beech Mountain"
and Navcam will search for clouds. Then MAHLI will take close-up images
of a grey patch named "Eagle Lake" and a full suite of images of Beech
Mountain. MAHLI will also acquire images from 25 cm and 5 cm of an area
without ridge patterns dubbed "Hodgdon Pond" and another interesting
feature called "Huguenot Head," as well as a single oblique image of
"Squeaker Cove" from 15 cm. The APXS will be placed on Beech Mountain
for a short integration, then on Eagle Lake for an overnight
integration. Lots of good contact science to start the new year!
by Ken Herkenhoff
Dates of planned rover activities described in these reports are subject to change due to a variety of factors related to the Martian environment, communication relays and rover status.
Written by Ken Herkenhoff, Planetary Geologist at USGS Astrogeology Science Center
