I was MAHLI/MARDI uplink lead again today, planning images of potential drill targets. We still need more information before we can start drilling, and there are more tests to be done before the first drilling activity. So it looks like we will be in the same place for several weeks!
Today is the 9th anniversary of Opportunity's landing on Mars. Her twin Mars Exploration Rover, Spirit, sent her last transmission to Earth in 2010, after over 6 years of successful operation on the surface of Mars. Not bad, considering the nominal mission lifetime of the MER rovers was 90 days. If MSL exceeds its one-Mars-year lifetime by a similar factor, it will outlive me! Speaking of MSL, the first nighttime MAHLI images are available . Images were taken with the white-light LEDs as well as ultraviolet LEDs. The latter are used to look for fluorescent minerals. As shown here , the MAHLI calibration target includes a fluorescent swatch that confirms that the UV LEDs are working. Fluorescence of the Martian surface is not obvious, but analysis continues...
We have arrived at John Klein , the location selected for the first use of the drill! There are multiple potential drill targets in front of the rover, which must be flat as well as scientifically interesting . The Sol 167 plan includes a MAHLI mosaic of the area that can be reached by the drill, to allow more precise selection of drill targets. Also planned are higher-resolution MAHLI and APXS observations of the top two drill targets, and RMI images of the drill tip. Because the rover will be in this location for several weeks while the drill is being tested and we hope used to deliver samples to SAM and CheMin, we are also acquiring a full Navcam panorama to enable Mastcam and ChemCam observations of the surrounding terrain to be accurately pointed.
The Sol 159 "bump" went well, and we received the images we needed to plan ChemCam, MAHLI, and Mastcam observations in the new location. As MAHLI uplink lead for Sol 160, I was focused on planning close-up images of a bright rock that apparently was broken and freshly exposed by the rover wheel. This target is visible below and left of center in this image . During the SOWG meeting, we were able to add an additional MAHLI observation, looking under the rock ledge in front of the rover.
For Sol 159, we planned MAHLI imaging of one more rock outcrop before stowing the arm and driving about 1 meter backward. The goal of this short "bump" is to allow us to use the arm instruments to investigate spherical objects in the rock that some team members have interpreted as concretions--blobs of minerals that probably precipitated as water/brines cooled and/or evaporated. See examples of these concretions . The biggest challenge today was to return all of the data we need for Sol 160 planning, because the volume of data we expect to be able to return to Earth via the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is smaller than usual.
I was SOWG Chair for Sol 158 planning, and it was an exciting sol. On Sol 156, there was a minor problem with the arm that caused the team to preclude more arm contact science until the anomaly was better understood. Fortunately, good work in the testbed at JPL yesterday verified that the problem was well understood, and we got the go ahead for contact science on Sol 158 just in time to make it happen. This includes APXS and MAHLI observations of two targets, plus a nice MAHLI mosaic of the rock ledge in front of the rover.
I was MAHLI/MARDI uplink lead again for Sol 153 planning, but there were no MAHLI or MARDI observations in the plan, so I focused instead on advance planning for Sol 154. Now that the duration of the daily tactical process has been reduced to 11 hours, part of the science team spends a couple hours each afternoon getting a head start on planning the next sol. This avoids having to start the tactical process much earlier in the morning every day. We are planning a lot of arm activities on Sol 154, including a bunch of MAHLI close-up images.
A short "bump" toward slightly younger rocks in front of the rover was planned for Sol 151, and no MAHLI observations were included so I had an easy day as PUL. The contact science activities in the current location went well, including the first brushing of the surface . In order to characterize the geology and chemistry of the rocks at the edge of Yellowknife Bay, we intend to repeat the set of brushing, APXS, MAHLI, ChemCam and Mastcam activities at the new location starting on Sol 152. These activities won't be planned until Tuesday, because we are taking a day off Monday while Mars and Earth schedules sync up again. About every 5 weeks, such a "skip" sol is scheduled, giving Earthlings a break, but the rover won't notice.
The short drive went well, so lots of "contact science" was planned for Sols 149 and 150. I was MAHLI/MARDI PUL1 for the first time since November for Sol 150 planning, and was a bit rusty. Fortunately, similar MAHLI observations were planned for Sols 149 and 150 (context and high-resolution images of APXS targets), so only a few changes were needed for Sol 150 MAHLI planning. We are studying chemical and textural differences in the rocks near Snake River .
Because MSL planning is "restricted" these days and we planned a drive on Sol 147, we could not accurately point at targets on Mars on Sol 148. So it was a good time to take care of some instrument health and calibration activities that are periodically needed, including heating of the ChemCam instrument to remove any contaminants that may have frozen onto the sensors. We planned some ChemCam observations of calibration targets before heating up the instrument, and a CheMin calibration activity in preparation for analyzing the first drill sample. It was an easier day for the planning team, and my shift as SOWG Chair lasted less than 9 hours (Sol 147 planning took more like the nominal 11 hours).
