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10 March 2016
Sols 1275-1276: Interesting Veins and Textures
The weekend drive went well, and put us in a great location for some contact science, right near the contact between the “Murray” and “Stimson” formations, with some interesting veins and textures in the nearby rocks. Given our nice location, we opted not to do any driving in the Sol 1275 plan and instead study the area in front of us. The Sol 1275 plan started off with a ChemCam …
1 March 2016
Sols 1269-1270: Approaching Naukluft Plateau
Here is Monday’s blog post (can we blame the delay on leap day?). Curiosity is currently making her way toward the Naukluft Plateau, and Monday’s plan was full of driving and remote sensing. On the first sol, Curiosity will acquire ChemCam and Mastcam observations of the target “Swartpunt.” Then we’ll drive toward the Naukluft Plateau, and acquire post-drive imaging to prepare for future targeting and document the Murray formation along …
22 February 2016
Sols 1262-1263: Driving Toward Naukluft Plateau
We’re gearing up for a nice long drive toward the “Naukluft Plateau” in today’s plan! The sol 1262 plan starts off with ChemCam of the bedrock targets “Gemsboktal” and “Ghaub”, with Mastcam documentation. Mastcam will also take a picture of the interesting wind-blown ripples of the target “Hoachanas”. After that, we will drive 70 meters or so to the northwest, stopping on a small ridge. After the drive, the rover …
14 February 2016
Sols 1253-1255: Full plan
The dune sand samples were dumped onto the ground, but it appears that the sample was partly blown by the wind. There is enough sample left to investigate with various instruments, so the Sol 1253 plan starts with ChemCam passive spectra and Mastcam multispectral observations of the dump piles and brushed spot. Later that sol, MAHLI will take pictures of the APXS calibration target and both dump piles before the …
9 February 2016
Sol 1249: Twelve kilometers and counting
The rover has traversed over 12 km since landing, and another drive is planned for Sol 1249. The tactical planning team decided to forgo targeted remote science observations before the drive to allow more time for driving. The goal is to get the vehicle to a location that will allow the remaining dune sample to be dumped and examined in detail this weekend, and this will require more drive time …
6 February 2016
Sols 1245-1247: Analyzing Murray formation bedrock
On Sol 1244, Curiosity bumped 2 meters forward to get to a nice patch of bedrock. The focus of the weekend plan is to study typical Murray formation bedrock, do some targeting remote sensing, and then drive towards the Naukluft Plateau. The 3-sol weekend plan starts by using the DRT to clear off the dust on the target “Kudis.” Then we’ll acquire MAHLI images of this typical Murray formation bedrock. …
3 February 2016
Sol 1243: Getting ready to leave Namib Dune
The contact science activities on Sol 1242 were successful, which completed our investigation at the Namib Dune sampling location. I love the above Navcam image, which shows just how close we were able to get MAHLI to the dump piles, followed by the really high-resolution MAHLI image! Now it’s time to leave Namib Dune and head off in search of the next drill location. I was the GSTL today, and …
Sol 1242: Last analyses of the dump piles
Today was the last day for science activities at Namib Dune, as we’re planning to drive away on Sol 1243. It’s fun looking at the disturbed sand in the workspace, and realizing how much we’ve done here (is it just me, or does it look like a big sandbox full of scoops, dumps and wheel scuffs?). While it might look like Curiosity has just been playing in the sand, we’ve …
2 February 2016
Sol 1241: Wrapping up at Namib Dune
Curiosity is still parked at Namib dune, and we are we are close to finishing the science investigation here. The team is still working to diagnose the CHIMRA anomaly, but the arm was cleared for use in today’s plan. The science activities in today’s plan include some additional MAHLI images to supplement the previously acquired selfie, and some long-distance ChemCam RMI mosaics to study layering on Mt. Sharp and the …
27 January 2016
Sols 1237-1238: Viewing an Alluvial Fan during CHIMRA Diagnostics
The cause of the CHIMRA anomaly is still being investigated, so no arm motion was planned today while diagnostic testing continues. Because only remote science observations are allowed, it was a straightforward day for me as SOWG Chair and for the rest of the tactical science team. The only challenge was that the volume of data expected to be received in time for planning on Friday is less than usual …
