The Sol 1301 drive halted after only 4.5
The Sol 1301 drive halted after only 4.5 meters of progress, apparently
due to a short in the RTG that caused a steering actuator fault. This
type of fault has occurred before, so we are planning a drive toward the
northwest on Sol 1303. Before the drive, lots of remote sensing science is
planned, starting with a Right Mastcam mosaic of an outcrop toward the
southwest dubbed “Rasthof.” Then ChemCam and Mastcam will observe
bedrock targets “Tsondab,” “Omingonde,” and “Marble Koppie,” and Mastcam
will observe the Sun and the distant crater rim to measure the amount
of dust in the atmosphere. After the drive and the usual post-drive
observations, on Sol 1304 ChemCam will shoot its laser at its titanium
calibration target and Navcam will search for clouds again.
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