The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) team is currently in attendance at the 8th International Mars Science Conference taking place on the Caltech campus in Pasadena. During the conference, two out of the first three speakers were colleagues from the USGS Astrogeology team. Ken Tanaka, the first speaker, presented a new global geologic map of Mars that was distributed to all registered attendees. Ken led the mapping effort that resulted in this map and received a round of applause for his work. The third speaker, Oleg Abramov, shared his findings from detailed modeling of impact bombardment on early Mars history, suggesting that the planet’s crust may not have been completely melted during that time, potentially leaving habitable environments.
While scientists are keeping busy with the conference, updates on MSL operations are still being monitored. Recent project reports indicate that the rover traveled over 82 meters last weekend and a more limited drive is planned for Sol 689 due to rough terrain ahead. Dates for upcoming rover activities outlined in these reports are subject to change based on factors such as communication relays and rover status. Despite these challenges, the team continues to work diligently to collect valuable data and explore Mars.