The Sol 778 data show that the arm instruments are safe, and the arm is ready for moreactivities.
The Sol 778 data show
that the arm instruments are safe, and the arm is ready for more
activities. MAHLI will not be used until the recent arm problems are
better understood, to ensure that MAHLI’s lens does not get dirty if the
dust cover is left open again. However, the APXS
can be used, so the Sol 779 plan includes another attempt to measure
the chemistry of “Morrison” (see Sol 767 blog). In addition, ChemCam
and Mastcam will observe several targets at various distances from the
rover. I’m scheduled as MAHLI/MARDI uplink lead
tomorrow , so I’m spending some time today to get up to speed on the near-term plans. 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
