Sol 1646: Traction control driving
23 March 2017
MSL drove a little over 20 meters on Sol 1645, toward the big
sand dune to the east that is the subject of a science campaign that
will hopefully start next week. Another drive toward the east is
planned for Sol 1646, with post-drive imaging to set up for contact
science. The drive will include the first use on
Mars of traction control software that's been tested and fine-tuned in
JPL's Mars Yard since last April. This new software allows the rover to
drive "softer," meaning
that when the rover detects that a wheel is driving over a rock, it
slows the other five wheels to avoid pushing the wheel into the rock
while the wheel climbs over the rock. Curiosity's first use of traction
control has been planned for months to begin about
now and is intended to validate the new software for optional use in
future drives.
Before
the Sol 1646 drive, ChemCam will observe targets "Bald Rock Ledge" and
"Porcupine Dry Ledge" on one of the layered outcrops to the right of the
rover.
Then Right Mastcam will acquire mosaics of both of the layered outcrops
shown in the picture above. After the drive, Navcam will again search
for dust devils and ChemCam will observe a target selected by AEGIS.
Finally, Navcam will search for clouds and SAM will perform an
engineering baseline test.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.
