As the SOWG Chair, I am currently leading the planning for Sol 513 of the mission. Our main focus for this sol is to capture a full set of MAHLI images of the rover’s wheels. To ensure that the entire surfaces are imaged thoroughly, we will be taking these images in between short drives while turning the wheels slightly. This process requires a significant amount of power, so our primary concern in planning the day’s activities was to make sure we do not deplete the rover’s battery too much.
Despite this constraint, we were still able to incorporate some post-drive science tasks into our plan for the day. These include a DAN active measurement to detect hydrogen below the surface, a Navcam cloud search, and imaging to plan targeted observations for Sol 514. The timing for sending command sequences to the rover is critical, as they must be sent by about 5 PM Pacific time. As a result, planning for Sol 513 began 1.5 hours earlier than usual to ensure everything could be finalized in time.
It is worth noting that yesterday, planning started even earlier when it was still dark outside as I drove into work. Despite the early start and challenges posed by power constraints, the team remains dedicated to conducting valuable scientific investigations and ensuring the success of the mission.
