15 January 2017

After a 25-meter drive on
Sol 1578,
MSL is surrounded by more
dark sand than usual, but there is enough rock exposed that we had a lot of science targets to choose from today. Due to the US holiday
on Monday, we are planning 4 sols today. The first
sol will include only
REMS atmospheric observations while the rover recharges after the
SAM methane measurement the night before, but the rest of the plan is packed!
Sol 1580 starts with
ChemCam passive (no laser) measurements of the sky and calibration targets. Then we’ll use the laser to zap rock targets “Oak Bay” and “Rockport” and take Right
Mastcam images of them.
Mastcam will also acquire a mosaic of bedrock exposures just west of the rover, measure dust in the atmosphere, and take another image of the rover deck. Later that afternoon,
ChemCam and Right
Mastcam will observe disturbed sand at “Kennebec,” an undisturbed ripple called “Spruce Top,” and bedrock targets named “Traveler” and “Mars Hill.” Right
Mastcam will also acquire a 3×1 mosaic of a more distant outcrop dubbed “Ogler Point.”
Sol 1581 is dominated by contact science, starting with full suite of MAHLI images of Mars Hill. MAHLI will also take close-up images of nearby “Camera Hill” and acquire a 3-image mosaic of the layered outcrop target “Small Falls.” The APXS will be placed on Camera Hill for a short integration, then on Mars Hill for an overnight integration.
On Sol 1582, Navcam will search for clouds and dust devils before the rover drives away. After the drive, AEGIS will again be used to autonomously select a ChemCam target and acquire data, and MARDI will take another image during twilight. Finally, the rover will get some well-earned rest overnight.
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