Sol 3 and onwards - imaging Options

[djellison]

Keeping with the practice of sol-by-sol discussions, here it is.

[nprev]

Okay, thanks! Here's a few; pick any you want or leave them as you will, Emily:

1. What is the reason for the "National Park" exclusion areas? Does this mean that they will remain completely undisturbed, and if so, why? (I only got to catch maybe the last 5 min of the presser, so the reference was a bit confusing).

2. How will the arm's biobarrier be prevented from potentially interfering with the arm's function over the course of the mission?

3. Is there a long-term site imagery plan in place aside from detailed mapping of the immediate area? There are some intriguing features on the horizon that might be worth further examination within the limits of SSI.

4. Are there any preliminary guesses about the weathered "sandstone" look & composition of some of the nearby rocks?

5. Based on previous MER EDL experience and now the Phoenix backshell & heatshield impacts imaged by MRO, in addition to the thruster erosion around Phoenix itself, it seems that the windborne dust coating of the planet is almost uniformly lighter optically than the underlying soil. Why?

Guess that's enough!