Curiosity Navcam Left B image taken on Sol 2115, July 19, 2018.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is now performing Sol 2115 duties with a priority to image the rover’s wheels. Acquisition of those images is needed to plan a drive back to the Sol 1999 location, where the robot may start another drilling campaign.

Curiosity Navcam Left B image taken on Sol 2115, July 19, 2018.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Ken Herkenhoff, a planetary geologist at the USGS in Flagstaff, Arizona, reports that the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) photos of the wheels taken on Sol 2114 with the dust cover closed show that there is enough dust on the cover to make it difficult to see the wheels.

So a different approach to wheel imaging was planned for Sol 2115.

Curiosity Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) image acquired on Sol 2115, July 19, 2018.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Left side looks

To minimize the risk of dust contamination of MAHLI’s optics while the cover is open, MAHLI will image only the wheels on the left side of the rover from above the wheels – keeping MAHLI pointing downward while the dust cover is open.

The wheels on the right side of the rover will be imaged by the left Mastcam rather than MAHLI.

Next drive

“Then the rover will turn in place to allow imaging in the direction of the next drive, toward the southwest,” Herkenhoff adds. “After acquiring the standard post-drive data, Mastcam will observe the Sun and crater rim to continue the monitoring of the dust opacity over Gale Crater.”

Curiosity Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) image acquired on Sol 2115, July 19, 2018.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

These observations will be repeated twice early in the morning on Sol 2116 to look for short-term changes in opacity.

 

In addition, the robot’s Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) will use the Autonomous Exploration for Gathering Increased Science (AEGIS) software to autonomously select a bedrock target for a 3×3 Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) raster, Herkenhoff concludes.

Curiosity Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) image acquired on Sol 2115, July 19, 2018.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

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