On Sol 1292, Curiosity drove 6 m to the northwest, which put us in a good position for contact science over the weekend. The three-sol plan starts with ChemCam and Mastcam observations of the targets "Gobabis" and "Zerrissene" to assess the composition of the local bedrock. We also planned several Mastcam mosaics to investigate nodules, fractures, and sedimentary structures within the Stimson formation. In the afternoon, we’ll use the DRT to clean the surface of the target "Brukkaros," to prepare for MAHLI and APXS observations. This region of the Naukluft Plateau exhibits high thermal inertia signatures from orbit, so we want to see if those signatures are related to cementation. Then we’ll leave APXS on "Brukkaros" for an overnight integration. On the second sol we’ll drive further to the west, and take standard post-drive imaging. The third sol includes a long distance RMI mosaic to characterize part of Peace Vallis. We’re on a topographically high part of the Naukluft Plateau, so it’s a great place to survey the landscape in all directions.

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.

Data was recovered from the missing MRO pass on Sol 1290, and we confirmed that the 23 m drive went well. Today’s plan is to keep driving across the Naukluft Plateau. The terrain looks pretty rough, so we’re plotting our course carefully. Science activities in today’s plan include ChemCam and Mastcam observations to assess the local bedrock, and a Mastcam mosaic to document the sedimentary structures exposed here. The plan also includes some Mastcam observations to assess atmospheric opacity. After the drive, we’ll take our standard post-drive imaging to prepare for future targeting and the possibility of contact science in the weekend plan.

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.

Mars is certainly keeping us on our toes this week, and reminding us how challenging it can be to do remote operations on another planet. We use two satellites in orbit around Mars to relay data: Mars Odyssey (ODY) and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). On Sol 1290, the ODY pass relayed data that showed the rover status was healthy. However, the MRO pass was not received due to an issue with the Deep Space Network (DSN), and that was the pass that contained data about how the drive went. So today turned into an untargeted remote sensing day, while we wait for updated information. It was a good opportunity to catch up on some ChemCam calibration activities, deck monitoring, and environmental observations. The MRO data will be retransmitted, and hopefully we’ll be back on the road tomorrow!

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.

The drive on Sol 1290 was successful, and Curiosity drove ~15 m to the north. We are currently sitting on top of a ridge in the Stimson formation, which provides a good view of the surrounding terrain and will enable us to plan the upcoming drives better.

The goal this week is to keep making our way across the Naukluft Plateau. Today’s plan follows a similar structure: remote sensing, drive, and post-drive imaging. The plan includes ChemCam documentation of the local bedrock at a target named "Khaudam," and two Mastcam mosaics to assess the sedimentary structures exposed along the ridge. Then Curiosity will continue driving across the plateau, and will take post-drive imaging to prepare for upcoming targeting and traverse planning. It’s a quiet week of operations, while most of the science team is busy at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Houston!

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.

The science that we planned over the weekend went smoothly, and we acquired some beautiful MAHLI and Mastcam images. However, the drive that was planned for Sol 1288 did not occur because the rover determined that a planned arm move would exceed a safety limit.. Because this fault is understood, we are going to try once again to drive onto a ridge just north of the rover.

Today’s plan includes some pre-drive science, a drive, and post-drive imaging. In the pre-drive science block, we’ll acquire a Navcam movie to search for clouds and monitor atmospheric opacity. Then we’ll use ChemCam and Mastcam to evaluate a target that had previously shown a high-silica signature (target "Koigab"). After the arm is stowed, we’ll use Mastcam to acquire a multispectral image of the DRT target "Sesrium Canyon" from the weekend plan. Hopefully the drive will go well and our post-drive imaging will show that we are in fact in a new location!

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.

St. Patrick’s Day on Mars didn’t quite go as planned. Yesterday we planned a ~15 m drive to a nearby ridge, but we came in this morning to find that the drive didn’t occur (blame it on the leprechauns?). In reality, we can blame it on a short in the RTG, which precluded the drive. This fault has occurred several times previously . Because the fault is understood, we were able to proceed with the weekend plan from our current location.

The first sol of the weekend plan is devoted to targeted remote sensing. We’ll start with some environmental monitoring observations to assess atmospheric opacity and composition. Then we’ll acquire ChemCam and Mastcam observations on the targets "Sesriem Canyon," "Omaheke," and "Varianto" to assess variations in composition and sedimentary structures in the local bedrock. In the afternoon, we’ll acquire a large Mastcam mosaic of Mt. Sharp, to take advantage of the low atmospheric opacity right now (which means that the conditions are great for imaging). The second sol is focused on contact science. We’ll use MAHLI and APXS to investigate two targets: "Sesrium Canyon" and ldquo;Rossing." The first target exposes some nice bedding in the Stimson formation, and the second includes some interesting bright material for comparison. Then on the third sol, we’ll again try to drive towards the ridge to the northwest and acquire post-drive imaging for targeting. I hear the pot of gold lies just beyond…

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.

Curiosity is still working her way across the Naukluft Plateau. On Sol 1284 Curiosity drove ~27 m, which brings our total traverse distance to ~12,549 m. Today’s plan is fairly straightforward. In the morning, Curiosity will acquire Mastcam and ChemCam on targets named "Mulden" and "Koigab" to characterize the bedrock that we’ve been driving over. We’ll also take a Mastcam mosaic to investigate the local stratigraphy. Then Curiosity will continue driving towards the northwest, and will take post-drive imaging to prepare for contact science over the weekend. Early the next morning, Curiosity will take several Navcam, Mastcam, and ChemCam observations to monitor the atmospheric composition and opacity and search for clouds. I’ll be on duty tomorrow as GSTL, so I’m looking forward to planning some contact science!

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.

MSL drove almost 40 meters over the rough terrain on the Naukluft
plateau, as planned, and again there are many interesting features near
the rover. Many of the rocks appear to have been abraded by windblown
sand, resulting in some bizarre shapes in places. The chemical and morphological diversity of these nearby rocks will be sampled before the rover drives toward the west on Sol 1284: ChemCam and Mastcam will observe outcrop targets named
"Rooirand," "Grootberg," and "Gratzplatz." The Left Mastcam will also
acquire mosaics of the outcrop around Rooirand and sedimentary
structures to the south of the rover. After the drive, the usual post-drive imaging is planned, including a MARDI twilight image (my only responsibility today).



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.

The 26-meter drive planned for sol 1282 completed successfully, giving
the rover nice views of interesting features in the Stimson unit. Some of these features appear to be the result of erosion by windblown sand and are the subject of a Right Mastcam 7x2 mosaic planned for Sol 1283.
ChemCam will measure elemental chemistry at the edge of one of the
bedrock blocks and Mastcam will acquire another mosaic of a fracture
named "Welwitschia Wash" before the rover drives away. The view from
the intended location, about 40 meters toward the west, is expected to
be excellent because much of the Gale crater rim and Mt. Sharp will be visible, and the atmosphere is not as dusty as usual . Other post-drive observations include ChemCam RMI and Right Mastcam
mosaics of features on Mt. Sharp that are so far away that they can be
targeted accurately using available image data. Also, the Left Navcam
will be used to search for clouds and dust devils.



It was an easy day for me as MAHLI/MARDI uplink lead, as I only had to
plan the usual MARDI twilight image after the drive. But, as usual, it
was fun and interesting to be involved in tactical operations.



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.

I'm scheduled on tactical operations tomorrow ,
so I'm getting back up to speed on recent MSL activities today. The
Sol 1281 drive completed as planned, crossing the Murray/Stimson contact
at the edge of the Naukluft plateau. Now that we have a better view of
the plateau, we are ready to start driving across it. But first,
ChemCam and Mastcam will observe targets "Orupembe" and "Witvlei" on the
bedrock in front of the rover . Mastcam will also take pictures of the rocks in front of the rover and
targets "Natab East" and "Natab West" on either side of the vehicle
before the Sol 1282 drive. After the drive, in addition to the usual
post-drive imaging, the Left Mastcam will acquire a full 360-degree
panorama, as the view from the new location (near the left edge of the
image above) is expected to be good. We are looking forward to seeing
the new 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.