Innovative Science Unveils New Outcrops and Urgency of Compression Analysis: MSL Sol 26 Mission Operations

The Sol 26 drive was successful and post-drive images revealed interesting outcrops in front of the rover. Steve Squyres, the Mineralogy Science Theme Group Lead, requested the Tactical Uplink Lead, Pauline Hwang, to consider adding more time for additional scientific observations. Pauline agreed to grant the team an extra 40 minutes for their work.

As a journalist covering MSL mission operations at JPL, I couldn’t resist spending most of my time at JPL as I find MSL mission operations to be incredibly engaging. Although I wasn’t scheduled for a tactical role that day, I was able to catch up on tasks such as processing new MARDI images for compression analysis and reviewing older ChemCam RMI images for size reduction potential.

The analysis of compressing images is crucial for maximizing data transmission efficiency from MSL to Mars orbiters. It is essential to preserve image details for geological interpretation while optimizing file sizes. Completing this analysis promptly is vital for ensuring efficient data transmission and utilization of resources.

As I left JPL a few hours ago, it seemed likely that these observations would be approved and sent to MSL early the next morning. The focus of Sol 27’s plan was on sampling Mars’ atmosphere with the SAM instrument. However, upon discovering a new outcrop target, the science team wanted to investigate further with ChemCam’s laser. As ChemCam was operational again, top priority was given to acquiring better observations of its calibration target.