Dual Mars Rovers Challenge: Navigating Two Rover Operations Simultaneously on the Red Planet

As the uplink lead for the Opportunity Microscopic Imager and engineering cameras (Hazcams and Navcams), I have been unable to closely follow the MSL planning due to a unique challenge of operating two rovers on Mars simultaneously. However, this is a good problem to have.

The upcoming weekend plan for MSL includes conducting more MAHLI imaging of the rover wheels and a short drive to a promising location for dumping and examining the drill sample. If all goes smoothly, most of next week will be dedicated to upgrading the rover flight software.

The timing for this upgrade is ideal as many MSL scientists will be attending the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco next week. This upgrade will require suspending scientific observations but will ultimately enhance the rover’s capabilities. During the meeting, there will be a press briefing to highlight recent science findings and discoveries.