14 February 2017

Sol 1610: Finishing up at Ireson Hill

Posted by Ryan Anderson

Curiosity’s activities planned for Sol 1609 went well, and MAHLI focus data indicate that high-resolution images of Perry were successfully acquired.  So we’re ready to drive away from Ireson Hill after some more remote sensing of the rocks in front of the rover.  The Sol 1610 plan starts with some more drill diagnostic tests, then the arm will be moved out of the way for remote sensing.  ChemCam and Right Mastcam will observe a bedrock exposure named “Fogelin” that shows subtle color variations, and Mastcam will acquire multispectral sets of images of yesterday’s contact science targets Perry and Spurwink.  As more Sol 1609 data were returned during planning this morning, the Mastcam team noticed that the Right Mastcam image of Edmunds was blocked by the arm, so this activity will be repeated on Sol 1610 with the arm out of the way.  Mastcam will also measure dust in the atmosphere before the drive and standard post-drive imaging.  Later in the afternoon, Navcam will search for dust devils and clouds, and ChemCam will acquire some calibration data.  REMS will take a break from the usual environmental monitoring to update their flight software.

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.