MSL drove about 17 meters on Sol 1294, continuing over rough terrain.  Some of the images that have been recently received show delicate features that have apparently been formed by windblown sand abrasion.  The path ahead is over more rough terrain, but it looks like we will be able to drive ~50 meters on Sol 1296.  Before driving, ChemCam and Mastcam will observe bedrock targets “Bloedkoppie,” “Blaubeker” and “Blaubock,” and Mastcam will acquire mosaics of ridges and outcrops of the Stimson sandstone.  Planning is restricted, so we are planning untargeted remote sensing observations on Sol 1297:  The RMI will acquire a mosaic of a distant target toward the northwest, Mastcam will measure the amount of dust in the atmosphere by imaging the Sun, and Navcam will search for dust devils.  Finally, early on Sol 1298, the Left Mastcam will acquire another mosaic of the Stimson sandstone on the Naukluft Plateau.

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.