Curiosity had a productive Thanksgiving weekend and now we are getting ready to drill at "Precipice." Sol 1534 begins with MAHLI imaging of the post-sieve dump pile from the previous drill sample ("Sebina"). Then we have a short science block to acquire a ChemCam passive observation and a Mastcam multispectral observation of the dump pile. In the afternoon the plan includes a CHIMRA "thwack" activity to clean out any remnants of the previous sample in order to prepare for a new one. Later in the afternoon we'll also take a ChemCam long distance RMI mosaic to investigate a linear feature observed from HiRISE. The full drill hole is planned for Sol 1536.

By Lauren Edgar

--Lauren is a Research Geologist at the USGS Astrogeology Science Center and a member of the MSL science team.

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.

Today’s plan covers sols 1531-1533, which will take us
through the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. We are in place at our next drill
location "Precipice" so there will be no driving in the plan, just a lot of
science and preparation for drilling!

Sol 1531 will start off with ChemCam observations of
Precipice as well as the targets "Frenchman Bay" and "Hunter’s Beach", followed
by Mastcam documentation of all three targets. I also managed to fit a request
for some Navcams of Mt. Sharp in the Sol 1531 science block to enable some long
distance RMI observations next week. After the science block, the rover will do
the "pre-load test" on our drilling target to improve the accuracy of the drill
next week. Precipice will also be brushed off, and APXS will settle in for an
overnight measurement.

On Sol 1532, Mastcam starts off with an observation of the
distant foothills of Mt. Sharp, multispectral imaging of the Precipice target
(along with the associated calibration target), and imaging of the rover deck to
watch for changes in the sand and dust that have collected there. Mastcam will
also take a stereo image of the location where the previous drill sample will
be dumped. ChemCam has an observation of a target called "Breakneck Pond" which
will then be documented by Mastcam. We will round out the science block with
Mastcam and Navcam atmospheric observations. Finally, on Sol 1533, we will dump
out our previous drill sample and do an APXS measurement on the dump pile.

While the rover is busy with all of that, the Americans on
the MSL team will be celebrating Thanksgiving, and thinking about how thankful
we are that we get to work on such an amazing project with such great
colleagues! by Ryan Anderson -Ryan is a planetary scientist at the USGS Astrogeology Science Center and a member of the ChemCam team on MSL. 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

Our weekend plan went as expected, including a ~16 meter
drive which brings us to our next drill target: "Precipice". That drive also
brings our total drive distance from Bradbury Landing to just over 15 km! We
have a three sol plan today as we head into the long holiday weekend and
prepare for drilling next week.

On Sol 1528, Mastcam has a 3x10 mosaic to provide context
for the drill site, followed by ChemCam images of the drill bit and a MARDI twilight
image of the ground beneath the rover. On the following sol, Navcam and Mastcam
start the day with a set of atmospheric observations to watch for dust devils and
measure the amount of dust in the atmosphere. After that, ChemCam has a passive
sky observation, followed by active measurements of the targets "Thomas Bay", "The
Anvil", and "The Ovens". Mastcam then has a change detection observation on the
targets "Hulls Cove" and "Big Heath" along with documentation of the ChemCam
targets, including the AEGIS target from sol 1526. Mastcam and Navcam will then
repeat some of the atmospheric observations from the morning.

In contrast to our busy Sol 1529, sol 1530 will be
relatively quiet, with a focus on downlinking data and our normal background
data collection from REMS and DAN. by Ryan Anderson -Ryan is a planetary scientist at the USGS Astrogeology Science Center and a member of the ChemCam team on MSL. 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

The MAHLI images from Sol 1523 are down, and we acquired some beautiful images of this new outcrop, as seen in the above image of the target "Seawall." Today’s plan is focused on finishing the investigation at "Sutton Island," and then driving towards the next drill target, ~9 m away.

The plan starts with a couple of Navcam and Mastcam observations to monitor the opacity of the atmosphere and search for clouds. Then we’ll acquire ChemCam observations of "Ironbound Island" and "Goat Trail" to assess the composition of the bedrock. The plan also includes several Mastcam mosaics to characterize the geometry of this deposit and document its sedimentary structures. In the afternoon Curiosity will acquire MAHLI images of "Ironbound Island" to characterize the more typical Murray bedrock in this area, followed by an overnight APXS integration on the same target. On the second sol Curiosity will drive toward the next drill target as we continue our systematic campaign of sampling the Murray formation. After the drive we’ll take post-drive imaging, including workspace imaging to prepare for upcoming contact science and characterizing the intended drill site. We’ll also take a ChemCam AEGIS observation on the second sol. In addition to all of these activities, the rover will perform a SAM atmospheric observation to look for methane. Quite the weekend for Curiosity!

By Lauren Edgar

--Lauren is a Research Geologist at the USGS Astrogeology Science Center and a member of the MSL science team.

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.

On Sol 1521 Curiosity drove 11 m to the east, which set us up to investigate a darker-toned outcrop known as "Sutton Island," seen in the middle of the above Mastcam image. Today’s plan is focused on contact science to study the grain size, stratification, and chemistry of the "Sutton Island" outcrop. I was the GSTL today, and it was a busy day of planning! It took a while to find contact science targets that we could safely reach with the DRT, MAHLI and APXS. Eventually we found targets that would work, and we planned MAHLI and APXS on two distinct parts of the outcrop, including a DRT location on the top of the outcrop to analyze a clean brushed surface. We were also able to plan a MAHLI "dogs eye" mosaic to investigate the stratification at a target known as "Seawall." In addition to contact science, we planned ChemCam observations of the targets "Duck Harbor," "Islesford," and "Sutton Island," to look for changes in chemistry. Overnight, Curiosity will acquire APXS integrations on the two different contact science targets. Then on the second sol we’ll use all of the Mastcam filters to assess the spectral properties of this different outcrop. Later in the afternoon we’ll take a large Mastcam mosaic for geologic context, and Curiosity will perform a ChemCam calibration activity.

By Lauren Edgar

--Lauren is a Research Geologist at the USGS Astrogeology Science Center and a member of the MSL science team.

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.

We’re continuing to make steady progress, with successful
drives interspersed with plenty of good science. In the Sol 1516 plan, we
started off with a Mastcam mosaic of "West Mesa" to study the stratigraphy,
followed by a big 5x5 point ChemCam analysis on the nodular target "Ship
Island" which brings ChemCam to more than 400,000 laser shots! ChemCam also
analyzed the target "Stave Island" and Mastcam documented both targets as well
as the auto-targeted location from Sol 1514. Mastcam rounded out the science
block with a small mosaic of some interesting dark rocks. After that, Curiosity
drove, and ChemCam did another auto-targeted observation. Sol 1517 was pretty
simple, with a Mastcam image of the rover deck, Navcam atmospheric monitoring,
and a twilight MARDI image.

The Sol 1516 drive brought us to a sandy location, so the
Sol 1518 plan takes advantage of that location to study the sand. The plan
starts out with Mastcam observations to monitor the amount of dust in the
atmosphere, followed by ChemCam observations of "Folly Island", "Burnt
Porcupine", "Hadley Point", and "Old Whale Ledge". Mastcam will document all of
those targets, plus the AEGIS target from Sol 1516. Mastcam also has an
observation to extend the mosaic of the workspace. With the remote sensing
done, MAHLI will image "Folly Island" and the sandy targets "Sheep Porcupine"
and "Bald Porcupine". APXS will also measure Sheep Porcupine and Bald
Porcupine. Late in the day, Mastcam will repeat the observations of atmospheric
dust.

On Sol 1519, we have a short drive with the usual post-drive
imaging, and ChemCam will do another automated observation. Sol 1520 is an
untargeted Sol, so we are focusing on imaging distant targets. Mastcam has a
mosaic of the upcoming "Hematite Ridge", ChemCam has a long-distance RMI of Mt.
Sharp, and NavCam will look to the northern horizon to measure the dust in the
atmosphere. by Ryan Anderson -Ryan is a planetary scientist at the USGS Astrogeology Science Center and a member of the ChemCam team on MSL. 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

Our weekend plan was successful, with lots of good observations and a 43
meter drive. Today’s 2-sol plan starts out with a brief contact science block,
during which MAHLI will observe the target "Southwest Harbor". After that, we
have a remote sensing block. ChemCam will observe some nodules in the targets "Asticou"
and "Bass Harbor Head". Mastcam will document those targets, as well as the Sol
1513 ChemCam AEGIS target. Mastcam also will take images of a laminated target
called "Halls Quarry", some nearby blocks called "Baker Island" and "Acadia",
and some cross-bedding in the target "Seal Harbor". After the remote sensing
block, the rover will drive and then do post-drive imaging and a ChemCam AEGIS
observation. On Sol 1515, ChemCam has a passive sky observation, and Navcam has
a couple of atmospheric monitoring observations. by Ryan Anderson -Ryan is a planetary scientist at the USGS Astrogeology Science Center and a member of the ChemCam team on MSL. 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

After driving over 40 meters on Sol 1509, MSL is ready for the 3-sol weekend plan. There are a couple of good-sized outcrops in the arm workspace , so we're planning contact science on Sol 1511. But first, Navcam will look for clouds and ChemCam will observe bedrock targets named "Pemetic," "Jordan Pond," and "Penobscot." The Right Mastcam will then image Jordan Pond, Pemetic, and the ChemCam target selected by AEGIS on Sol 1509, and acquire a 9x3 mosaic of sedimentary structures southwest of the rover. Later that afternoon, the DRT will brush off Penobscot and MAHLI will image the brushed spot and Pemetic from 25, 5 and 1 centimeter. The APXS will be placed on Pemetic for a pair of integrations that evening, then placed on Penobscot for an overnight integration.
On Sol 1512, Mastcam will acquire a 5x4 stereo mosaic of the outcrop around Penobscot and a multispectral observation of the brushed spot. Next, MAHLI will image the rover wheels at 5 locations separated by small "bumps" to monitor wheel wear. Then it's time for another drive and the post-drive imaging needed for a potential "touch and go" on Sol 1514.
Sol 1513 starts with another ChemCam observation using AEGIS and Mastcam measurements of atmospheric dust opacity. Finally, CheMin will read out the data resulting from the recent analysis of empty sample cells and MARDI will acquire another image during twilight. The rover will then get some well-earned rest and charge her batteries overnight. It was a busy morning for me and the other MAHLI/MARDI uplink leads, but we're happy with the plan!
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.

MSL drove another 44 meters on Sol 1508, ending up in an area that
again is partly covered by dark sand. There aren't any very compelling
targets within the arm workspace , so we decided again to forgo contact
science, and focused instead on remote observations. Planning is
restricted, so we are planning 2 sols today. On Sol 1509, Navcam will
search for dust devils and ChemCam will acquire passive spectra of
"Ellsworth," another target in the area about 500 meters away where
orbital data indicate the presence of clay minerals. ChemCam and the
Right Mastcam will also observe a nearby sand target named "Sand Beach,"
a vein target called "The Triad," and a typical bedrock target dubbed
"Rum Island." The Right Mastcam will then acquire a 5x1 mosaic of
Ellsworth and "McFarland Hill" and a 3x1 mosaic of nodule-rich bedrock
at "Connors Nubble." A 4x1 Left Mastcam mosaic is also planned, to
survey nearby sedimentary structures and nodules. The rover will drive
again later that afternoon, and images will be acquired to set us up for
contact science (including brushing) this weekend. ChemCam will then
observe a target selected using AEGIS, and CheMin will perform another
analysis overnight. On Sol 1510, ChemCam will perform multiple
calibration activities. We're hoping that we'll be in a good position
for contact science after the Sol 1509 drive!

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.

MSL drove almost 30 meters on Sol 1507, into an area with more dark
sand than we have been seeing recently. Because only a few rocks are
exposed in the arm workspace,
the tactical team decided against contact science in favor of
maximizing the drive distance on Sol 1508. The view ahead is good
enough to allow a drive of up to 50 meters, but will require more time
so we couldn't squeeze in many pre-drive observations. Mastcam will
acquire a full multispectral set of images of "Thunder Hole," an area
about 500 meters away that shows evidence for clays in data acquired
from orbit. Then ChemCam and Mastcam will observe a bedrock target
named "Ingraham Point." After the drive and taking the post-drive imaging we will need to pick targets tomorrow , AEGIS will again be used to autonomously select a target and acquire ChemCam data.

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.