Ryan Anderson, a planetary scientist at the USGS Astrogeology Science Center and member of the ChemCam team on MSL, provided an update on the rover’s current plan. The rover will first use Navcam to take atmospheric measurements and ChemCam to analyze the targets “Duruchaus”, “Eiseb”, and “Aranos”. Mastcam will document these targets as well as capture images of fine laminations in the rock at the Murray-Stimson contact, extend coverage of the contact with a mosaic, and take a small mosaic of Mirabib and nearby veins using all of Mastcam’s science filters.
Following these tasks, the rover will embark on a short drive towards the knobby texture it will study. However, due to its position, it is unlikely that the rover will be able to continue driving past this point. Instead, it is anticipated that the rover will return to its current position before proceeding onto the Naukluft plateau. The dates of planned rover activities are subject to change due to factors such as the martian environment, communication relays, and rover status.