The thumbnail of the Sol 1494 MAHLI image showed that the Quela dump pile had been moved by the wind again! TheMAHLI team is concerned that windblown sand and dust might damage or contaminate thecamera's optics, so they decided to op
The thumbnail of the Sol 1494 MAHLI image
showed that the Quela dump pile had been moved by the wind again! The
MAHLI team is concerned that windblown sand and dust might damage or contaminate the
camera's optics, so they decided to open the MAHLI dust cover only for
images taken from 25 cm or more above the surface.
Otherwise there are no concerns and a full drill hole is planned at
Sebina on Sol 1495, with close-up MAHLI images taken through the dust
cover window. As usual, the other MSL cameras will take images of the
drill hole after the arm is moved out of the way.
The drill sample will then be processed and transferred to the scoop
for inspection by the Left Mastcam. It's a full plan that again
requires significant power, but the tactical team was able to squeeze in
a few change-detection images to watch for further
changes in the dump pile.
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
