Sols 1550-1551: More drill testing

Use of the arm and driving remain off limits while the drill continues to be diagnosed.  The 2-sol plan starts with ChemCam and Right Mastcam observations of bright vein targets dubbed "Bear Brook" and "Canon Brook."  MARDI will take images during both morning and evening twilight to look for changes due to winds.  Remote sensing on Sol 1551 will include ChemCam, Navcam and Mastcam observations of the sky and Sun at a couple times of day, and a set of ChemCam calibration activities. 

Meanwhile, the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco is going well, with lots of interest in Mars rover results, especially from Curiosity.  About 26,000 geoscientists are attending the meeting, with speeches today by California Governor Jerry Brown and U. S. Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell.  It's been an exciting week so far!

by Ken Herkenhoff

Dates of planned rover activities described in these reports are subject to change due to a variety of factors related to the Martian environment, communication relays and rover status.