The rover on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) will soon be tasked with studying some intriguing textures. Before driving, the rover will use its Navcam to capture atmospheric measurements and ChemCam to analyze targets such as “Duruchaus”, “Eiseb”, and “Aranos”. Mastcam will document the ChemCam targets, as well as capture images of fine laminations in the rock at the Murray-Stimson contact, create a mosaic of the contact, and take a small mosaic of Mirabib and nearby veins using all of Mastcam’s science filters.
Following these tasks, the rover will drive towards the knobby texture for post-drive imaging. However, due to the knobby texture’s location, it is unlikely that the rover will be able to continue driving past this point. It is expected that the rover will return to its current position before proceeding onto the Naukluft plateau.
Ryan Anderson, a planetary scientist at USGS Astrogeology Science Center and a member of the ChemCam team on MSL, provided this update. The dates of planned rover activities are subject to change due to various factors such as changes in the martian environment, communication relays, and rover status.
