14 November 2016
Sols 1516-1520: Playing in the Sand
We’re continuing to make steady progress, with successful drives interspersed with plenty of good science.
7 November 2016
Sols 1514-1515: Touch and Go at Southwest Harbor
Our weekend plan was successful, with lots of good observations and a 43 meter drive. Today’s 2-sol plan starts out with a brief contact science block, during which MAHLI will observe the target “Southwest Harbor.” After that, we have a remote sensing block. ChemCam will observe some nodules in the targets “Asticou” and “Bass Harbor Head.” Mastcam will document those targets, as well as the Sol 1513 ChemCam AEGIS target. …
6 November 2016
Sols 1511-1513: Brushing Penobscot
Sol 1513 starts with another ChemCam observation using AEGIS and Mastcam measurements of atmospheric dust opacity. Finally, CheMin will read out the data resulting from the recent analysis of empty sample cells and MARDI will acquire another image during twilight. The rover will then get some well-earned rest and charge her batteries overnight. It was a busy morning for me and the other MAHLI/MARDI uplink leads, but we’re happy with the plan!
2 November 2016
Sols 1509-1510: No contact science
Planning is restricted, so we are planning 2 sols today. On Sol 1509, Navcam will search for dust devils and ChemCam will acquire passive spectra of “Ellsworth,” another target in the area about 500 meters away where orbital data indicate the presence of clay minerals.
1 November 2016
Sol 1508: A sandy spot
Mastcam will acquire a full multispectral set of images of “Thunder Hole,” an area about 500 meters away that shows evidence for clays in data acquired from orbit. Then ChemCam and Mastcam will observe a bedrock target named “Ingraham Point.”
31 October 2016
Sol 1507: What’s lurking in Blackwoods and Witch Hole Pond?
Happy Halloween from Mars! Over the weekend Curiosity drove 51 m further to the south, and we continue to investigate the Murray formation. I was the GSTL and KOP today (what a treat!) and we had a busy morning trying to decide whether or not to do contact science or more remote sensing. We decided to forego contact science in favor of some additional ChemCam and Mastcam observations. In the …
29 October 2016
Sol 1503: Simple Plan
Today’s plan for sol 1503 is pretty straightforward: We start off with a ChemCam observation and Mastcam documentation of the target “Somesville” to study how the composition of the bedrock changes across a light-to-dark transition.
25 October 2016
Sol 1501: Welcome to Bar Harbor
Prior to landing we divided up the landing ellipse and nearby areas into square quads (1.5 km on a side), and assigned each quad a name of a town with a population of less than 100,000 people.
24 October 2016
Sol 1500: So long Sebina
Today’s plan is focused on targeted remote sensing and driving. The morning science block includes ChemCam observations on the targets “Ranaka” and “Seleka” to assess the composition of the local bedrock.
