
Curiosity drove 12.5 meters on
Sol 1478, to an area with lots of
nodules in the bedrock. The tactical planning team decided to exercise the “touch and go” option, so the arm will be deployed for contact science before driving away on
Sol 1480. The plan is packed with a variety of activities, starting with a short
APXS integration and
MAHLI imaging of a nodule-rich target named “Oodi.” The arm will then be moved out of the way for
ChemCam and Right
Mastcam observations of Oodi and nearby bedrock targets “Calenga” and “Caconda.” The Right
Mastcam will also acquire images of targets dubbed “Chitembo,” “Chingufo,” and “Chipindo” to investigate sedimentary structures in more detail, and of the rock that AEGIS selected for autonomous
ChemCam chemical measurements. Then
Mastcam will measure dust in the atmosphere before the next drive and the usual post-drive imaging. Overnight,
CheMin will analyze the Quela drill sample again, to improve the quality of mineralogical measurements. On
Sol 1481,
Navcam will search for clouds, AEGIS will autonomously select a target for
ChemCam observations, and the results of the
CheMin analysis will be read out of the instrument to the rover computer. Finally,
SAM will perform a maintenance activity before the rover gets some sleep and recharges her batteries in preparation for the next 2-
sol plan.
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.