28 September 2016

Sols 1475-1476: Finishing up on Jwaneng

Posted by Ryan Anderson

We’re planning two sols, so it’s been busier for me today as SOWG Chair.  The science team had a lot of good ideas for new observations, so it was a challenge to fit them all into the plan, but in the end all went well.  On Sol 1475, the arm will be moved out of the way to allow ChemCam and Mastcam multispectral observations of the Jwaneng brush spot and an outcrop target named “Munhango.”  The Right Mastcam will also acquire mosaics of targets dubbed “Luremo,” “Nata,” and “Maun” before the rover drives away.  In addition to the usual post-drive imaging, ChemCam will autonomously acquire chemical data on a target selected by the AEGIS software. CheMin will analyze the latest drill sample overnight, and while the new data are being read out the next morning, Mastcam will measure the dust in the atmosphere, Navcam will search for clouds, and ChemCam will acquire passive spectra of the sky.  These atmospheric observations will be repeated at noon to look for short-term changes.  Finally, the rover will get some sleep in preparation for what will likely be a busy weekend.

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.