The 34-meter driveplanned for Sol 1100 placed the rover at the edge of the small plateau,as intended, with a good view of a bright Murray Formation outcrop .
The 34-meter drive
planned for Sol 1100 placed the rover at the edge of the small plateau,
as intended, with a good view of a bright Murray Formation outcrop .
The center of the Murray outcrop is the target of the drive planned for
Sol 1101, which will hopefully put the vehicle in position for contact
science over the weekend. Before the drive, ChemCam RMI and Mastcam
observations of targets named “Brady” and “Bradley”
are planned, both of which are on the far wall of Bridger Basin .
Mastcam will also observe a shallow trough in the soil next to the
rover (“Blackleaf Creek”) and acquire a mosaic of the Murray exposure,
which has been named “Saddle.”
Although MRO is now
relaying data as expected, it will pass low in the sky over MSL after
the Sol 1101 drive, so we aren’t expecting to receive as much data as usual. The
biggest challenge for me as SOWG Chair today was
therefore planning and prioritizing the data we need for planning tomorrow. We’re hoping that we get at least as much data as expected.
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
