Sols 1046-1047: Wheel imaging
15 July 2015
The 8.5-meter Sol 1044 drive completed as planned, leaving the rover in a relatively flat and smooth area that is suitable for imaging of the wheels. Wheel imaging is done periodically to assess wear, and it's time to acquire new data, so the Sol 1046 includes 5 sets of MAHLI, Mastcam, and MARDI images separated by short rover bumps to allow the entire surfaces of the wheels to be viewed.
Today I helped pick targets on a nearby outcrop for ChemCam observations. The team selected a target dubbed "Mustang" near the left side of this image for a 10-spot LIBS raster (plus a Right Mastcam color image), to be acquired before the wheel imaging on Sol 1046. After the wheel imaging is complete, the usual post-drive images will be acquired, along with additional Navcam stereo images of the outcrop and a Mastcam observation of the Sun.
On Sol 1047, Mastcam will acquire a mosaic of the outcrop to the right of the rover, and ChemCam will make some calibration measurements. The Left Navcam will then search for dust devils and, during evening twilight, MARDI will take an image of the ground near the left front wheel.
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.
