4 May 2016
Sols 1332-1333: Drilling at Okoruso
Contact science activities on Sol 1330 went well, and we’re ready to drill at “Okoruso.” As seen in the above MAHLI image, this target looks like pretty typical Stimson bedrock, so it will be helpful to compare to the altered rock that we sampled at Lubango. Today’s two-sol plan is focused on drilling and MAHLI imaging on the first sol, with a lot of targeted remote sensing on the second …
3 May 2016
Sols 1330-1331: Characterizing the next drill site
Over the weekend, Curiosity completed the drilling investigation at Lubango, and we drove ~13 m to the “Ovitoto” area (note that this area is only ~4 m away from Cubango as the crow flies, but it took some maneuvering to get there). This area is composed of typical unaltered Stimson bedrock, which we’ll use to compare to the altered bedrock at Lubango. I was on duty as GSTL today, and …
1 May 2016
Sols 1326-1329: Wrapping Up at Lubango
After a nice rest on Sol 1325, Curiosity was charged up and ready for lots of science! On Sol 1326, we started off with multispectral Mastcam observations of the pile of dumped powder from the “Lubango” drill target and the targets “Rubikon” and “Ebony.” Then ChemCam had a passive observation of the dump pile, followed by active observations using the laser on Rubikon as well as “Ida” and “Lorelei.” Mastcam …
27 April 2016
Sol 1325: Taking it Easy
It’s been a busy few days of drilling and related activities, so the plan for sol 1325 is a pretty simple one to allow the rover’s batteries to recharge. There is a short science block with a ChemCam observation of the drill tailings at “Lubango” along with Mastcam documentation. After that, MAHLI will take a closer look at the targets “Lianshulu” and “Rubikon.” Other than routine environmental monitoring measurements by …
26 April 2016
Sol 1324: Power-constrained
As expected, the Sol 1323 data we needed for planning today were received later than usual, so tactical planning started 3 hours later than normal. This makes for a long day, especially for the European members of the MSL operations team. But the real challenge today is power–the drill-related activities that have been commanded lately require discharging the batteries more deeply than we usually do. So as SOWG Chair today, …
Sol 1323: A new drill hole
So far, all of the activities planned for last weekend have completed successfully, and we have a new drill hole on Mars! The Sol 1323 plan is therefore to continue the Lubango drill campaign, transferring the sample to CHIMRA, sieving it, and delivering some of the <0.15 mm fraction to CheMin. ChemCam will shoot its laser at “Oshikati,” a potential target for the next drilling campaign, and Mastcam will acquire …
23 April 2016
Sols 1320-1322: Drilling at Lubango
The contact science activities on Sol 1319 went well, and we analyzed another DRT location with MAHLI and APXS. The drill pre-load test suggested that the Lubango block might have moved slightly, but the RPs feel comfortable to go ahead and drill in the weekend plan. I was on duty as GSTL again today, and it’s always exciting when we get to drill a new sample on Mars. In addition …
21 April 2016
Sol 1318: DRT at Lubango
The bump on Sol 1317 went well, and we’re ready to start our drilling campaign at the “Lubango” fracture zone. After a lot of discussion this morning, the plan evolved to include contact science at three targets near “Lubango.” First we’ll use the DRT to clear off a fresh surface. This DRT location is slightly offset from the intended drill location, so we’ll use MAHLI to image both the DRT …
19 April 2016
Sol 1317: Preparing to Drill
On Sol 1316, Curiosity drove ~15 m back toward the “Lubango” target, which we first observed on Sol 1310. “Lubango” is a high silica target that sits along a fracture in the Stimson formation. The team decided to drill near this fracture to better understand both the altered and unaltered Stimson bedrock. “Lubango” is the flat block on the right side of the above Navcam image. The fracture is still …
18 April 2016
Sol 1316: Back to Lobango
All of the activities planned for last weekend completed successfully, including the full MAHLI wheel imaging and associated rover motion of just over 1 meter. The science team decided to return to the Lubango outcrop based on ChemCam results that show unusually high silica there. Therefore, the Sol 1316 plan includes a drive back toward Lubango to find good targets for drilling. Before the drive, ChemCam and Mastcam will observe …
