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Today’s plan is focused on studying the results of
yesterday’s mobility test where we drove a little ways into a sand patch and
then backed out, leaving trenches where the wheels were. Yes, we’re disturbing
some of the very photogenic sand ripples that we have been seeing, but it’s for
a good cause: it teaches us more about how well we can drive in that sand, and
by using the wheels to make trenches like this, we can get a better idea of the
internal structure of the sand ripples.
In the Sol 1182 plan Mastcam has a 2x2 mosaic of a ripple
cut by the trench called "Sechomib", a multispectral observation of the left
wall of the trench at a target called "Hoanib", and a 6x3 mosaic of an outcrop
called "Aminius". ChemCam has two observations, one on Hoanib, and the other on
the far wall of the trench, called "Awasib". Mastcam will take documentation
images of both of these targets after ChemCam has finished.
Once the remote sensing is done, the rest of the plan is
focused on contact science on the sand, with MAHLI images of the undisturbed
sand, the walls of the wheel track, and the interior of the track. Then APXS
will make an overnight measurement of the track.
by Ryan Anderson -Ryan is a planetary scientist at the USGS Astrogeology Science Center and a member of the ChemCam team on MSL. 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 Ryan Anderson, Planetary Geologist at USGS Astrogeology Science Center