23 April 2017
Sol 1677: Some Murray in hand
This morning we woke up to fresh images from Curiosity that showed our surroundings after an ~17 m Sunday afternoon drive. I always really enjoy days like this because, even after 1,676 sols and just under 16.1 kilometers of driving, it still thrills me to look at images from unexplored areas of Mars.
20 April 2017
Sol 1674: Slipping into a new plan
In the Sol 1673 drive, the rover planners aimed us for a nice curb of Murray bedrock which we could investigate with targeted science (with Mastcam and ChemCam) and contact science (with APXS, MAHLI and the dust removal tool (DRT)) over the weekend.
19 April 2017
Sol 1673: Planning with plenty of "Moxie"
There’s nothing like a day of technical difficulties to make you appreciate when it all works! The science team bounced back from yesterday’s challenging planning day with a vengeance, planning an amazingly full suite of observations of the rock – and sky! – around us.
18 April 2017
Sol 1672: If it weren’t for the last minute, nothing would get done!
On Tuesday, the science team had a “soliday“, a day without planning to allow the time when the science team plans activities on Earth to realign favorably with when the rover is ready to accept and execute those plans.
17 April 2017
Sol 1671: More Rocks Out the Front Window
Meanwhile, back on Mars, Curiosity nailed the 34 meter drive to another rock exposure identified in orbital images. Ever since we observed possible mud cracks at Old Soaker the rover team has been pursuing the idea that Curiosity is exploring strata that represent occasional dry-lake periods.
14 April 2017
Sols 1666-1667: Moosehead Lake
Curiosity’s drive on Sol 1664 was halted after the rover had driven less than 2 meters because the angle of the left bogie slightly exceeded the suspension limit.
Sols 1664-1665: Keep on driving
The Curiosity rover drove about 24 meters on Sol 1662, and another drive is planned for Sol 1664. Before the drive, lots of targeted remote sensing is planned…
8 April 2017
Sols 1661-1663: DAN has been busy
Our drive away from the “Ogunquit Beach” sand dune location went well, taking us about 35 meters to the southwest and putting us in a good location to continue measuring the composition of the bedrock as we drive up Mt. Sharp.
7 April 2017
Sols 1659-1660: Time to hit the road again
Curiosity has been carrying out a great investigation at Ogunquit Beach, but we’re still working out some issues related to the drill feed, so the decision was made to drive away in today’s plan. We’re driving away with a cache full of sand, so we can still deliver to CheMin and SAM in a future plan.
4 April 2017
Sols 1654-1656 MAHLI imaging of OG1 and remote sensing
Today’s three-sol plan starts with MAHLI imaging of the first scoop location (OG1). The first sol also includes Mastcam and MARDI imaging for change detection.
