MSL planning is still restricted, so we won't get confirmation of the drive planned for Sol 431 in time for planning Sol 432, which is therefore an untargeted-remote-sensing sol.
MSL planning is still restricted, so we won’t get confirmation of the drive planned for Sol 431 in time for planning Sol 432, which is therefore an untargeted-remote-sensing sol. The 432 plan also includes an overnight test of CheMin’s ability to analyze sample while communicating with the MRO and Odyssey orbiters. I’m MAHLI/MARDI uplink lead today, with no activities to plan because the normal end-of-drive MAHLI and MARDI observations were included in the Sol 431 plan. But it’s fun to be involved in tactical planning anyway, and I’ll be helping to plan Sol 433 observations before I take off on vacation for the rest of this week.
Because the terrain the rover has been traversing is a bit rougher, progress has been somewhat slower during the past few sols. We will probably arrive at the second waypoint along the long traverse to Mt. Sharp next week, even if the pace continues to be slower than normal.
Written by Ken Herkenhoff, Planetary Geologist at USGS Astrogeology Science Center
