The activities planned for last weekend completed successfully, including sample dropoff to CheMin (shown in image) and analysis of the minerals present.  So the Sol 1064 plan includes dumping the portion of the drill sample that has not been sieved and Mastcam, ChemCam, MAHLI, and APXS observations of the dump pile.  ChemCam and Mastcam will also observe nearby targets “Martz” and “Mountain Home.”  MAHLI will image the drill hole, tailings and CheMin inlet at night using its LEDs for illumination.  Such nighttime observations require extra power for heating, so I had to pay extra attention to the power modeling as SOWG Chair today.  Fortunately, we didn’t have to delete any observations to maintain plenty of charge in the batteries, and I’m happy with the plan we will be sending to the rover this evening. 

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.