Sol 1318: DRT at Lubango

The bump on Sol 1317 went well, and we’re ready to start our drilling campaign at the “Lubango” fracture zone.  After a lot of discussion this morning, the plan evolved to include contact science at three targets near “Lubango.”  First we’ll use the DRT to clear off a fresh surface.  This DRT location is slightly offset from the intended drill location, so we’ll use MAHLI to image both the DRT location and the intended drill location.  Then we’ll do a short APXS integration on the intended drill target.  In the evening, we’ll squeeze in another APXS integration on a target named “Congula” which is a block of outcrop adjacent to “Lubango.”  Then we’ll place the APXS on the DRT location for an overnight integration.  I’ll be on duty tomorrow as GSTL, so it was good to catch up on all of the potential drill locations today.  Should be an exciting week of operations!

By Lauren Edgar

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