I took on the role of SOWG Chair once again today to plan activities for Sol 13 for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL). The tactical planning team has been improving in their efficiency, allowing us to include more new scientific observations in today’s plan.
It was particularly exciting to work alongside Steve Squyres, who led the science team as an expert in geology and has served as the Principal Investigator for the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity. It was a fun role reversal as I usually work under Steve as a science lead for the Microscopic imager on the MER instrument arms.
Throughout the planning process, we encountered a challenge when we learned that the SAM instrument checkout planned for Sol 14 would need to be split into two Sols. This was due to the need to analyze the results from the first part on Earth before proceeding with the second part. To avoid wasting an extra sol to complete this, we had to quickly reorganize our plan and fit it into Sol 13. It was a difficult task, but we managed to come up with a new plan and passed it onto the second shift for implementation.
Despite these challenges, having individuals like Steve Squyres on our team made all the difference in putting together a successful plan for Sol 13. The Opportunity mission still operates above us, providing ongoing support and guidance throughout this mission phase.