I'm back from a week's vacation, catching up on everything that MSL has been doing.
I'm back from a week's vacation, catching up on everything that MSL has been doing. A new record for drive distance was set last week, 141 meters! Driving this far required lots of autonomous navigation, which left little time for science observations. Last weekend's plan included contact science (MAHLI and APXS) on rock outcrops and another drive toward "Waypoint 1," a location where more detailed studies are planned. If all goes well, the rover will be in position for contact science on the target "Darwin" tomorrow.
Written by Ken Herkenhoff, Planetary Geologist at USGS Astrogeology Science Center