Once again, excessivewheel slippage prevented MSL from driving as far as planned, so thetactical team decided to take a break from driving to allow variousoptions to be studied in more detail.
Once again, excessive
wheel slippage prevented MSL from driving as far as planned, so the
tactical team decided to take a break from driving to allow various
options to be studied in more detail. The rover
is tilted 21 degrees, the highest tilt of the mission so far, on the
flank of a small ridge. The vehicle is high enough on the ridge that
the terrain to the southwest is visible in Sol 984 Navcam images,
allowing more complete evaluation of a traverse in that direction.
The Sol 985 plan includes ChemCam observations of a
nearby rock called "Una" to test the newly-installed ChemCam autofocus
software. Of course we are hoping this test goes well and that ChemCam
will return to more normal operations soon.
Mastcam will also observe Una, as well as the ripples and small rocks
near the rover, and outcrops toward the south. The usual
atmospheric monitoring observations round out the plan. 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
