29 August 2016
Sols 1446-1447: Back on the road
Posted by Ryan Anderson
The MSL activities planned for last weekend went well, and the rover’s batteries have enough energy to proceed with another drive on Sol 1446. We started the day looking at the beautiful new Mastcam images of the nearby buttes, then got down to planning the details of the 2-sol plan. On Sol 1446, Mastcam will extend coverage of previously-planned mosaics, and ChemCam will use its laser to measure the chemistry of “Muchinda” on a large outcrop block. After the drive, ChemCam will autonomously make another observation using the AEGIS software. Overnight, CheMin will prepare and analyze an empty sample cell in anticipation of a new drill sample. Early on Sol 1447, Mastcam and Navcam will measure the dust in the atmosphere and search for clouds. Most of these observations will be repeated just before local noon and late in the afternoon to look for short-term changes.
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.
