MARS: CURIOSITY u krateru GALE Vol II.

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2016/07/29

***Both rovers are road-tripping right now. Opportunity has now driven more than 43 kilometers, most recently moving north and down the eastern face of the Endeavour crater rim, still within the Marathon Valley. The power situation continues to be very good, with the solar panels generating around 630 watt-hours daily, and atmospheric opacity hovering around 0.6.


On the other side of Mars, it's sol 1415 for Curiosity and the rover has been driving steadily south since sol 1369. Curiosity has traveled more than 500 meters south of the last drill site, Oudam. More importantly, over that distance, Curiosity has traveled upward through the rock record by about 25 meters of elevation. That means it's time to drill again, to keep up a systematic survey of the mineralogy of the Murray formation as the rover travels up the stratigraphic section, so look for a new drill site in the next week or two. After that, it still has to drive another 500 meters or so to get beyond the first line of dunes, then another kilometer to cross an interdune region of bedrock, then another kilometer-plus of dune-threading before it will arrive at the next change in bedrock type. Throughout the driving, the views have been awesome.***

by Emily Lakdawalla

Planetary Society

Sol 1426: CheMin data readout and contact science at Marimba

9 August 2016
Today’s plan is focused on retrieving CheMin data from the overnight analysis of the Marimba drill sample and MAHLI and APXS observations of the drill hole and cuttings.  The plan starts with a short science block for atmospheric monitoring, followed by CheMin data readout.  Then we’ll do a short Mastcam change detection activity before dumping the pre-sieved drill sample.  After we dump the sample, we’ll acquire Mastcam, Navcam and MAHLI images to document the pile.  In the afternoon, we’ll repeat the atmospheric monitoring and change detection activities.  Overnight, Curiosity will stay active, starting with MAHLI nighttime imaging of the drill hole to better control illumination conditions, followed by MAHLI imaging of the CheMin inlet, and finally, an overnight APXS integration on the full drill tailings.  This drill site has been challenging, but we’re back on track and ready to drive away soon! 
By Lauren Edgar
--Lauren is a Research Geologist at the USGS Astrogeology Science Center and a member of the MSL science team.

ol 1427: Driving away

10 August 2016

After successfully completing the drilling activities at Marimba, it’s time to get back on the road.  Today’s plan is focused on targeted remote sensing and driving.  The plan starts with a Navcam movie to monitor the atmosphere, followed by Mastcam documentation of several autonomously selected ChemCam targets.  Then we’ll acquire a couple of ChemCam observations and Mastcam multispectral imaging of the Marimba pre-sieve dump pile before driving away.  After a short drive we’ll acquire images for context and targeting.  Overnight, Curiosity will complete a SAM electrical baseline test to monitor instrument health. Based on some of the recent Mastcam images that we’ve acquired (as seen above), the view ahead should be quite scenic as we drive through the Murray Buttes!
By Lauren Edgar
--Lauren is a Research Geologist at the USGS Astrogeology Science Center and a member of the MSL science team.

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