Mars Rover’s ‘Okoruso’ Drill Hole Marks New Chapter in Scientific Discovery

On Sol 1332, the latest drill hole on Mars, named “Okoruso,” was successfully created. The drilling activities went smoothly, and the focus of the weekend plan is to sieve the sample and deliver it to CheMin for analysis. To begin the plan, a short science block will be conducted to capture a ChemCam RMI image of the drill hole and Mastcam stereo imaging of the pre-sieve dump location. Afterward, the “Okoruso” drill sample will be transferred, sieved, and sent to CheMin for analysis overnight.

On Sol 1333, ChemCam and Mastcam observations will be conducted on the targets “Natas” and “Langental” to explore variations in chemistry within the stratigraphy. The following sol will begin with a morning science block consisting of ChemCam, Navcam, and Mastcam observations to monitor composition and opacity of atmosphere while searching for clouds. In the afternoon, ChemCam will be used to study drill tailings and freshly broken rock before repeated atmospheric observations are conducted again.