Curiosity’s Mars Expedition: An Insight into the Rover’s Two-Sol Plan on Red Planet

Curiosity rover’s two-sol plan on Mars includes targeted remote sensing and contact science at a location called “Koes.” The team has been searching for a suitable location to conduct contact science on the Murray formation in the area, and “Koes” was chosen for this purpose. Due to power and time constraints, contact science could not be included in the weekend plan, making it a great opportunity to include it in this plan.

The plan will begin with ChemCam and Mastcam observations of “Koes” and “Onawa” to gather data and characterize the Murray formation in the area. The team will then use the Dust Removal Tool (DRT) to brush off a fresh surface at “Koes” before capturing images with the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI). In addition to imaging the rocks, MAHLI will also be used to capture images of the rover wheels for ongoing monitoring purposes. The Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) will be placed on “Koes” for an overnight integration to analyze the composition of the target.

A Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) preconditioning activity will be conducted to heat up a sample cup in preparation for solid sample analysis. The rover will wake up early the next morning to acquire a Mastcam mosaic of “Baynes Mountain” to document the contact between the Murray and Stimson rock formations. On Sol 1381, another ChemCam observation will be taken of the Murray formation at “Khoabendus,” and Mastcam will be used to characterize veins at the target “Helgas.” The rover’s Navigation Camera (Navcam) will be used to monitor the atmosphere and search for dust devils in the area.

Overall, Curiosity’s two-sol plan includes a combination of remote sensing observations, contact science activities, and instrument operations aimed at furthering its mission goals of understanding