MISSION UPDATES | January 6, 2021

Sols 2994-2995: Scuff the Scuff

Written by Fred Calef, Planetary Geologist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Close-up view of a ripple crest

A close-up MAHLI view of a ripple crest at the edge of the "Sands of Forvie." Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS. Full image and caption ›

The "Sands of Forvie" campaign continues on with further exploration of the ripples and sand disturbed by a previous wheel scuff. On sol 2994, ChemCam targets include "Tiroran" and "Trearne Quarry" looking at sand grain chemistry with respective Mastcam color documentation. A new MAHLI image of "Traquair" will provide another close-in view of sand grain color and morphology. Interestingly, on sol 2995, we'll turn the rover in place to re-scuff a ripple to provide a three dimensional view into how the sand grains built up over time. During the turn, we'll take a mid-drive Mastcam mosaic of the new scuff area. Afterwards, the rover will take Mastcam images for ripple change detection, a clast survey, a MARDI image, and a Navcam dust devil survey.