MISSION UPDATES | October 18, 2016

Sol 1494: A windy sol

Written by Ken Herkenhoff, Planetary Geologist at USGS Astrogeology Science Center

When we looked at the latest data from MSL this morning, we noticed that the MAHLI and ChemCam RMI images of the Quela dump pile were unexpectedly offset from the center
of the pile. After looking at more of the recent images, it became
clear that the dump pile had been moved by winds! So we put together
plans to repeat the ChemCam passive observation and APXS integration on
the dump pile at its new position, but ultimately were not able to fit
the ChemCam passive into the plan due to power limitations. We didn't
want to put off the strategically-planned cross-contamination
experiment, which requires significant power. Hopefully the wind won't
blow away the dump pile before APXS can measure its chemical
composition!

by Ken Herkenhoff

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.