Suggested Searches

2 min read

Sols 1039-1040: Livin’ on the Edge

I'm MAHLI/MARDI uplink lead today, and was readythis morning to plan lots of MAHLI imaging of the bright rocks on theslope the rover first climbed on Sol 991.

I’m MAHLI/MARDI uplink lead today, and was ready
this morning to plan lots of MAHLI imaging of the bright rocks on the
slope the rover first climbed on Sol 991. But the data received after
the 5.5-meter drive on Sol 1037 showed that the
left front wheel is perched right at the top of a small scarp at the top
of the slope.

After examining all the data, the rover planners determined that the
rover position is not safe for arm activities, as arm motion could cause
the front wheels to slip down the slope, putting the arm and its
instruments at risk. So all of the contact science
activities were removed from the plan, and remote sensing observations
added. On Sol 1039, ChemCam and Mastcam will take a look at targets
dubbed “Pistol,” “Mary,” Shepard,” and “Dublin Gulch,” and Navcam will
search for dust devils. Then the rover will drive
backward just a bit to get the wheels on solid ground and allow contact
science this weekend (planning is currently restricted, so we are
planning 2 sols today). On Sol 1038, Mastcam will take pictures of the
Sun to look for sunspots on the side of the Sun
that can’t be seen from Earth now. Because I had little to do in
support of MAHLI planning today, I helped a bit in planning the
post-drive Navcam mosaics that we’ll need to target observations in the
next 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

Share

Details

Last Updated
Oct 29, 2024

Related Terms