Sol 1653: Targeted science at Ogunquit Beach

30 March 2017

 Yesterday afternoon the downlink included some results of ongoing drill feed diagnostics that warrant a further look before proceeding with the dune campaign, so the arm activities from Sol 1652 were pulled from the plan and we did not drop-off to CheMin.  But we did receive some… Read More

Sol 1652: CheMin drop-off and SAM Analysis

29 March 2017

Sol 1651 activities executed nominally, so today’s plan is focused on dropping off the fine-grained portion of “Ogunquit Beach” Scoop #1 (now named “OG1”) to CheMin, and SAM analysis of OG1.  The plan kicks off with Mastcam multispectral imaging of the right and… Read More

Sol 1651: Scoop #1 at Ogunquit Beach

28 March 2017

Sol 1650 activities completed as expected, so it’s time to start scooping.  Today’s plan is focused on acquiring Scoop #1 and dropping off a portion of the sample to SAM.  This is the first of four intended scoops at this location, aimed at sampling different grain sizes and… Read More

Sol 1650: Let the scooping begin!

27 March 2017

Over the weekend, Curiosity bumped to our scooping location at “Ogunquit Beach.”  We have a wheel scuff in the left side of our workspace and a sinuous ripple crest in the right side of the workspace, which according to today’s Geology Science Theme Lead Michelle Minitti is… Read More

Sols 1647-1649: Approaching the dune edge

24 March 2017

The traction control test went well, and MSL drove over 30 meters on Sol 1646.  The rover will be busy this weekend with lots of remote sensing, arm work, and a drive onto the edge of the dune.  On Sol 1647, Left Mastcam will take a 360-degree panorama and Right Mastcam will acquire… Read More

Sol 1646: Traction control driving

23 March 2017

MSL drove a little over 20 meters on Sol 1645, toward the big sand dune to the east that is the subject of a science campaign that will hopefully start next week.  Another drive toward the east is planned for Sol 1646, with post-drive imaging to set up for contact science.  The… Read More

Sol 1645: Searching for dust devils

22 March 2017

The APXS will still be deployed on The Hop early on Sol 1645, and to avoid using battery power to heat up the arm, we'll wait until early afternoon to move it out of the way.  So we had to pick ChemCam and Right Mastcam targets that would not be obscured by the arm:  A bright vein… Read More

Sol 1644: Staying put

21 March 2017

The Sol 1644 plan focuses on arm activities, because the volume of data expected to be relayed via the MRO and Mars Odyssey orbiters in time for planning tomorrow is too small to allow both a drive and drill diagnostic tests.  So the tactical science team took advantage of the… Read More

Name Approved for Feature on Mercury: Heaney

21 March 2017

The IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature has approved the name Heaney for a crater on Mercury. For more information, see Mercury map H-13 in the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature.

Sol 1640-1642: Better Late than Never!

21 March 2017

Sorry for the delayed posting! In the rush to get ready for the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC), I forgot to post about the sol 1640-42 plan. Better late than never! The weekend plan started with some Navcam atmospheric observations, followed by ChemCam on the bedrock target… Read More