5 October 2016

Curiosity drove another 35 meters on
Sol 1480, stopping at a location with a
layered bedrock exposure right in front of the rover. So the tactical planning team decided to take advantage of the touch and go option again.
MAHLI will take pictures of the layered target “Cassongue” and of the rover wheels before the arm is stowed in preparation for another drive on
Sol 1482.
ChemCam and
Mastcam will observe bedrock targets named “Coutada,” “Cuangar,” and “Cacuso,” and the Right
Mastcam will acquire mosaics of more distant targets dubbed “Lucusse” and “Lumeje.” The Left
Mastcam will be used to image the wheels on the right side of the rover and to extend the coverage of the terrain in the direction we plan to drive. Because we don’t expect to receive as much data as usual in time for planning
on Friday, the volume and downlink priorities of post-drive imaging data had to be carefully scrubbed. On
Sol 1483, AEGIS will again be used to autonomously select a target for a
ChemCam observation.
Navcam will search for clouds and
Mastcam will take an image of the rover deck to look for changes in the distribution of dust and other debris. Finally, the Right
Mastcam will take a look toward the east and acquire a 5-image mosaic of the Murray Buttes in the distance.
By Ken Herkenhoff
Dates of planned rover activities described in these reports are subject to change due to a variety of factors related to the Martian environment, communication relays and rover status.
Posted in:
Curiosity, Field Work