The 8th International Mars Science Conference is currently taking place at the Caltech campus in Pasadena, and several members of the MSL team are in attendance. Among the first three speakers at the conference were two USGS Astrogeology colleagues. The first speaker, Ken Tanaka, presented a new global geologic map of Mars that he led the major mapping effort for. This map was well-received by the audience and received a round of applause for its significance.
Following Ken Tanaka, the third speaker, Oleg Abramov, shared his findings on the impacts of bombardment on the early history of Mars. His research suggested that the planet’s crust may not have been completely melted during this period, raising the possibility of habitable environments existing at that time. Despite updates on MSL operations being limited during the conference due to rough terrain ahead, recent project reports indicated that the rover traveled over 82 meters last weekend. Plans for a more conservative drive on Sol 689 were made due to these challenges.
The scheduled dates for rover activities mentioned in these reports are subject to change depending on various factors related to the Martian environment, communication relays, and the status of the rover itself. However, despite these challenges, progress is being made by
