1 min read

Sol 130 Update on Curiosity from USGS Scientist Ken Herkenhoff: No Uncertainty

Planning went more smoothly for Sol 130, mostly because there was no uncertainty about the use of the arm. The biggest decision was whether to use the arm to acquire more APXS and MAHLI data on another target before driving away. Once the data from the Sol 129 observations were verified as good enough (including the highest-resolution MAHLI images acquired yet ), we concluded that observing other targets with ChemCam and Mastcam was more important. We also had to decide where to drive, and settled on an approach to a steep exposure of rock just north of the rover.

Written by Ken Herkenhoff, Planetary Geologist at USGS Astrogeology Science Center