On Sol 992 Curiosity took a short drive into Marias Pass to get a better look at the terrain ahead.
On Sol 992 Curiosity took a short drive into Marias Pass to get a better look at the terrain ahead. The 6 m drive on Sol 992 brought our total odometry to 10,562 m. It also put Curiosity in a great position for targeted science over the long holiday weekend.
The 4 sol plan includes some large Mastcam mosaics to characterize the terrain and the contact between the Stimson and Pahrump units. The plan also includes ChemCam and Mastcam observations on the targets "Hoodoo," "Pinehaven," "Red Sleep," and "Red Horn" to assess the composition of the bright outcrop and veins. On Sol 995, Curiosity will bump closer to the outcrop, to prepare for possible contact science next week. Curiosity will also acquire several Mastcam observations of Deimos and stars to assess the nighttime atmospheric opacity. Sol 996 will be a "REMS-a-palooza" devoted entirely to extended environmental monitoring. By Lauren Edgar --Lauren is a Research Geologist at the USGS Astrogeology Science Center and a member of MSL
science team.
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 Lauren Edgar, Planetary Geologist at USGS Astrogeology Science Center
