11 December 2015
Sols 1191-1193: On the road again
We received the data needed to plan contact science and a drive, and the 3-sol weekend plan is another full one. I was busy as MAHLI/MARDI uplink lead, planning observations of a couple targets on an outcrop right in front of the rover. On Sol 1191, MAHLI will acquire full suites of images of “Elizabeth Ray” and “Pomona” before the APXS is placed on Pomona for an afternoon/evening integration. During …
10 December 2015
Sols 1189-1190: Drive precluded
Because of a problem with one of the DSN station antennas, the data needed to plan a drive today were not received, so the Sol 1189-90 plan is dominated by remote sensing observations. Neither driving nor arm activities are possible until the necessary images are retransmitted. On Sol 1189, ChemCam and Mastcam will observe the bedrock to the right of the rover, then Mastcam and Navcam will image the workspace …
7 December 2015
Sols 1187-1188: Analyzing bedrock and sand
After successfully completing a mobility test last week (as seen by our wheel tracks through this sand patch), Curiosity drove ~35 m toward a dune that is now named “Namib.” We’ve accomplished a lot of reconnaissance imaging of the dunes, and we’re looking ahead to monitoring the dune slipface and sampling the chemistry and mineralogy of an active dune. We’ve also acquired some beautiful close-up images of the sand grains, …
Sols 1184-1187: Busy weekend at High Dune
The rover has arrived at the edge of “High Dune” and we have a very busy weekend plan studying the dune and then continuing to drive. On sol 1184 we will continue testing the AEGIS software that allows the rover to fine-tune its targeting for ChemCam. After that, ChemCam will analyze two targets “Barby” and “Kibnas” and Mastcam will take a 7×8 mosaic of a sand ripple. In the afternoon, …
6 December 2015
Sol 1182: Studying our Tracks
Today’s plan is focused on studying the results of yesterday’s mobility test where we drove a little ways into a sand patch and then backed out, leaving trenches where the wheels were. Yes, we’re disturbing some of the very photogenic sand ripples that we have been seeing, but it’s for a good cause: it teaches us more about how well we can drive in that sand, and by using the …
3 December 2015
Sol 1183: Completing mobility tests
Today we are planning the last sol of the mobility test, turning and backing out of the sand while taking multiple Hazcam images, then pausing to take Navcam and Mastcam images of the wheel tracks. But first, Mastcam will take multispectral images of a rock named “Narabeb” and a soil target dubbed “Kubib.” The right Mastcam will also acquire another 2×2 mosaic of Secomib, to look for changes in the …
2 December 2015
Sol 1181: Mobility testing
Due to problems at the Goldstone DSN complex, the bundle of command sequences generated for Sol 1180 could not be sent to MSL. So the rover performed minimal activities on Sol 1180, as expected in “runout” mode. The good news is that the rover’s batteries are charged up, and the engineering team determined that activities can be planned after the heater table update by avoiding the types of heating that …
30 November 2015
Sol 1180: Heater table update
The MAHLI wheel imaging planned for Sol 1179 completed nominally, and the initial assessment showed no broken grousers. The rover is now poised to begin testing mobility in the dark sand in front of the vehicle, but first a table used onboard to determine when heating is needed must be updated. No heating is allowed this sol after the update, which limits the activities that can be planned. So it …
25 November 2015
Sols 1177-1179: Recipe for a successful rover plan
The 28 m drive on Sol 1174 ran successfully and Curiosity is now parked in front of a beautiful sand sheet and sand dune! Today science and engineering teams cooked up a full 3-sol plan, to account for the second half of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The team started with equal parts Mastcam and ChemCam to analyze the sand and bedrock, and to monitor the movement of sand across the …
24 November 2015
Sols 1174-1176: A feast of activities
As many Americans are making plans for Thanksgiving, we’re making sure that Curiosity has plenty to do over the holiday weekend. On Sol 1173, Curiosity drove 45 m to the south, which put us in a great position in front of a small sandsheet and the stoss side of a large dune. Today we’re planning 3 sols to cover part of the long weekend (we’ll plan an additional 3 sols …
