Sol 748-750 Update On Curiosity From USGS Scientist Ken Herkenhoff: Peeking Over the Ridge
15 September 2014The Sol 747 post-drive data were not received until 11:30 PDT today, so we are planning another "rapid-traverse" sol. After acquiring 3 Mastcam mosaics on the morning of Sol 748, the rover will drive as far as possible to a low ridge toward the southwest. The view from the ridge crest should… Read More
Sol 747 Update on Curiosity from USGS Scientist Ken Herkenhoff: Pahrump Hill mosaic
11 September 2014The Sol 746 drive put the rover in a good location for imaging the terrain ahead, which looks good for a long drive on Sol 747. The Sol 746 data did not hit the ground until after 11:00 PDT (as expected), so today is another "rapid traverse" planning sol and the time available for science… Read More
Sol 746 Update on Curiosity from USGS Scientist Ken Herkenhoff: NASA Teleconference
10 September 2014The Sol 744 drive went as planned (32 meters), and another drive is planned for Sol 746. Because we can't see the terrain immediately beyond the small saddle dubbed "Jubilee Pass," the rover will drive about 9 meters into the saddle, then take images of the other side. But first,… Read More
Sol 745 Update on Curiosity from USGS Scientist Ryan Anderson: Untargeted Science
9 September 2014We have not received any data from sol 744 yet, so sol 745 is a simple day of untargeted remote sensing. ChemCam has an observation of the sky (with the laser off) to measure the gases in the atmosphere, and a “blind” LIBS observation off to the right of the rover. Mastcam will take a… Read More
Sol 744 Update on Curiosity from USGS Scientist Ryan Anderson: Driving in Amargosa Valley
8 September 2014The weekend plan was successful: we got good data from the Homewood contact science target, plus a nice long 92.6 meter drive on Sol 743. The plan for Sol 744 is to do routine wheel imaging, plus Mastcam mosaics of a mesa in front of the rover named “Jubilee Pass,” and a mosaic of the… Read More
Sol 741-743 Update on Curiosity from USGS Scientist Ken Herkenhoff: Busy Weekend
5 September 2014The weekend plan is very ambitious, with a bunch of targeted remote science observations on Sol 741, contact science on Sol 742, and a long drive on Sol 743. It has been a busy day for me as SOWG Chair, partly because our favorite contact science target was too difficult to reach with the… Read More
Sol 740 Update On Curiosity From MSL Scientist Lauren Edgar: Approaching Amargosa Valley
4 September 2014Curiosity is about to ingress into Amargosa Valley. This Navcam image from Sol 739 shows some of the beautiful layered rocks that we have been driving over and analyzing recently. The plan today includes ChemCam and Mastcam observations of the targets “Timber Mountain,”… Read More
Sol 739 Update On Curiosity From MSL Scientist Lauren Edgar: Rough Road Ahead
3 September 2014Curiosity has almost reached an ingress point into Armargosa Valley. To get into the valley, Curiosity will have to cross some fairly rough terrain, but this also provides an opportunity to analyze the bedrock as we go. The plan today includes ChemCam and Mastcam observations of… Read More
Sol 738 Update On Curiosity From MSL Scientist Lauren Edgar: Pahrump Hills
2 September 2014Curiosity is driving across a plateau towards an ingress point into “Armargosa Valley.” This image from Sol 735 shows our drive-direction: We are working our way towards the bright patch of rocks in the upper left portion of the image, known as the “Pahrump Hills.” … Read More
Sol 735 -737 Update On Curiosity From USGS Scientist Ken Herkenhoff: Rapid Traverse Planning
31 August 2014The volume of data sent from MSL to Earth has been less than usual over the past few days because the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) went into "safe mode," a software state that ensures ample solar power and telecommunications. This has happened several times before on MRO, and… Read More
