MISSION UPDATES | May 13, 2015

Sol 984: Slippery sand

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

The MSL tactical team took a day off yesterday to allow Earth and Mars
time to synch up; planning is no longer restricted and we will be
working every day the rest of this week (including Saturday ).
Despite efforts to avoid sandy areas,
the Sol 983 drive stopped short when the rover detected that it was
slipping too much. So after taking some Mastcam images of the areas
that are being considered for upcoming contact science,

the rover will back up and drive around the sand and up onto a low
ridge to the southwest of our current location. The slopes on the flank
of the ridge are steeper than those that the rover has traversed
before, but it will probably be easier to climb them than
to drive across the sandy ripples. Overnight, CheMin will perform an
instrument calibration activity. 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.