Rover Takes Break from Driving for Important Maintenance Check-Up on Mars

For Sol 1386, the rover will not be driving but instead conducting an important check-up on its wheels using MAHLI. This is crucial to ensure that the rover’s mobility system is functioning properly and can continue its journey on Mars. Ryan Anderson, a planetary scientist at the USGS Astrogeology Science Center and a member of the ChemCam team on MSL, provides insights into these planned activities for the rover.

Instead of driving, the plan includes conducting APXS and MAHLI observations of the target “Trekkopje”. Following this will be a brief science block where Mastcam will begin with atmospheric measurements while ChemCam will analyze Trekkopje. The rover will then document these observations as well as capture a couple of small mosaics to study the rim of a nearby crater.

It is important to note that these planned activities may be subject to change due to various factors related to the Martian environment, communication relays, and the rover’s status.