Earth planning date: Friday, Jan. 31, 2025
In the northern hemisphere of Earth, we’re enjoying longer days as winter winds down. Meanwhile, over 100 million kilometers away on Mars, the Curiosity rover is facing chilly conditions as it enters the southern winter.
Interestingly, Mars’ orbit means that aphelion—the point when it’s farthest from the Sun—occurs about six weeks before the southern winter solstice. This turns Martian winters in the south into endurance tests; they are typically longer and much colder than those in the north. As a result, Curiosity has to use more power to stay warm, which limits its scientific exploration time.
Today, we worked with tight power limits. Our science teams had to collaborate closely to make the most of each watt-hour available. We thrive on challenges, so this plan is packed with scientific activities to use our power wisely.
Our recent drive went well, though one wheel ended up on a rock, preventing us from using the APXS and DRT instruments today. Still, we managed to unstow the robotic arm to capture some MAHLI images.
The plan kicks off with coordinated ChemCam and Mastcam activities. First, ChemCam will fire its laser at some unique polygonal fractures right in front of us. Afterward, Mastcam will capture images of these features. ChemCam will also take a mosaic of distant features on the crater floor, and Mastcam will join in to provide further imaging. Following that, Mastcam will document “Vivian Creek,” a sediment layer, and “Dawn Mine,” a possible meteorite, along with a trough visible from the rover’s side. The Environmental Science (ENV) team will monitor the atmosphere, measuring dust levels and recording cloud movements using Mastcam and Navcam instruments. After a brief rest, the arm will take MAHLI images of “Coldwater Canyon” at different distances, ranging from 5 to 25 centimeters (about 2-10 inches).
The second sol will primarily focus on ENV activities, including more dust measurements and monitoring the atmosphere without using the LIBS laser. This helps us gather data on atmospheric aerosols, oxygen, and water content. Of course, we’ll also fit in a ChemCam LIBS observation of “Big Dalton” and capture an image with Mastcam afterward. Once the arm is stowed, we’ll drive away from our current spot.
Before we switch to the upcoming plan, we’ll enjoy our usual early-morning weekend science time, including more tau observations and cloud movie recordings. Other instruments like RAD, REMS, and DAN will continue their environmental monitoring throughout this plan.
Written by Conor Hayes, Graduate Student at York University
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