Mars Rover’s Comprehensive Wheel Imaging Campaign: How the Unplanned Drive Led to Extra Science Opportunities

The rover is now in an ideal location to begin a comprehensive campaign of wheel imaging, thanks to the successful completion of planned activities over the weekend. Originally, a short drive was scheduled for Sol 512 to adjust the rover’s position for wheel imaging. However, it turned out that the drive was unnecessary, allowing more time for conducting contact science activities.

This unexpected change in plans required the Science Theme Groups and myself, as the SOWG Chair, to quickly adjust and prepare for the new tasks at hand. As we reviewed the data to determine whether the drive was needed, we took advantage of the additional time to add an extra APXS/MAHLI target for conducting contact science. This included an overnight APXS integration on a target named “Kodak.” With planning being unrestricted this week, we had to begin earlier than usual due to the timing of the uplink. Our planning session began at 6:00 Pacific time to ensure that all necessary tasks were completed efficiently.