The rover on Mars is set to study some intriguing rock formations, beginning with taking atmospheric measurements and analyzing targets using Navcam, ChemCam and Mastcam. The targets of interest include “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 to extend coverage 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. Due to the position of the knobby texture, it is unlikely that the rover will be able to continue driving past this point. It is anticipated 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 factors such as the martian environment, communication relays, and rover status.