Sol 1031: A Dog's Eye View at Missoula

Today we planned some MAHLI imaging along the contact near the "Missoula" target (the ledge in the upper left portion of this Navcam image ). We refer to it as a dog’s eye mosaic, meaning that we use the MAHLI camera to take a series of images along a vertical face – essentially sticking our nose in there to get a good view. Hopefully it will provide a good perspective on the contact between the Stimson and Pahrump units! The plan also includes several ChemCam observations along the contact, at targets named "Selow," "Clark," and ldquo;Wapiti." We planned these as vertical transects to characterize any changes in chemistry from the Pahrump unit into the Stimson unit. We’ll also acquire ChemCam data on the target "Seeley" – a broken rock that exposes a fresh surface. Then we’ll take a Mastcam mosaic to capture the contact and some of the surrounding veins. Ken Herkenhoff and I were both on duty again today, so it was fun planning here at the USGS. We put together a really full plan to handover for Sol 1032, so we’re looking forward to some more exciting contact science tomorrow! By Lauren Edgar

--Lauren is a Research Geologist at the USGS Astrogeology Science Center and a member of MSL science team.

Dates of planned rover activities described in these reports are subject to change due to a variety of factors related to the Martian environment, communication relays and rover status.