As a journalist, I was thrilled to lead the Geology team in our planned activities on Mars. Our schedule for the day included 1.5 hours of targeted remote science followed by contact science. We set our sights on several targets for observations using ChemCam and Mastcam, including “Winnipeg,” “Alma,” and “Blackjack.”
Our first target, “Winnipeg,” located in the Murray formation, will be assessed using MAHLI and APXS to determine its composition. Next, we will use “Alma” to help characterize the composition across the Murray-Stimson contact. “Blackjack” presents a resistant ledge within the Murray formation that we will study using ChemCam and Mastcam mosaics. In addition, we plan to obtain a Mastcam tau to evaluate atmospheric opacity.
In the afternoon, we will acquire MAHLI images of the “Sacajawea” target to investigate another resistant ledge. Using the DRT, we will brush off dust from “Winnipeg” and take close MAHLI images to look for grain size variations. To top it all off, we will use APXS overnight to analyze the composition of the “Winnipeg” target.
I am excited about this mission and look forward to seeing what discoveries we make on Mars today!