Columbus Day is a federal holiday, but I'm scheduled as SOWG Chair
tomorrow so I'm following Sol 1132 tactical planning and discussions of
our goals for Sol 1133. The SAM analysis of the Big Sky drill sample
went well and there is no need for another analysis, so the rest of the
sample will be dumped out of CHIMRA on Sol 1132. MAHLI will take
pictures of the dump target before and after the sample is dumped, then
APXS will be placed on the dump pile for an overnight integration. Once
CHIMRA is cleaned out, we'll be ready to acquire another drill sample;
the team's favorite target for drilling is Greenhorn .



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.

Curiosity is currently investigating an alteration zone around a fracture. After a successful drilling investigation at "Big Sky," Curiosity is now ready to evaluate the alteration zone at "Greenhorn" for comparison.

The weekend plan is a busy one. The first sol is focused on SAM activities, to prepare a cup to receive the "Big Sky" drill sample, and then to drop off the sample. On the second sol Curiosity will use the DRT to clear off a fresh surface on "Greenhorn," which we’ll image with MAHLI. Overnight, we’ll acquire APXS on "Greenhorn." The main activity on the third sol will be CheMin analysis of the "Big Sky" sample. Throughout the weekend Curiosity will also take standard DAN, RAD and REMS measurements.

Meanwhile, I’ve been busy on the other side of the planet working MER operations, but I’ll be back on MSL next week so it’s good to keep an eye on all of the action!

By Lauren Edgar

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

I got up before dawn again today, and was treated to a beautiful view of the crescent Moon, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter in the eastern sky. I hadn't seen Mars since it emerged from behind the Sun following solar conjunction last June (it was cloudy yesterday morning), and its dimness reminded me of how far away Mars is right now: 351 million kilometers or 218 million miles. It takes 20 minutes for commands sent from Earth to get to MSL, at the speed of light, and another 20 minutes for data to be sent back from Mars to Earth. We've gotten used to communicating with the rover over such great distances, but it's amazing that the link has been so reliable.



The Sol 1127 data received this morning show that the MAHLI wheel imaging and the 7-meter drive completed successfully, and initial analysis of the wheel images show no significant changes in wheel wear. The drive placed the rover within reach of the fracture of interest, and as predicted we received just enough data to allow us to select remote sensing targets. So the Sol 1128 plan begins with ChemCam and Mastcam observations of "Benchmark," "Greenhorn," and "Pilgrim" to see if they would be good targets for more detailed investigation. Later in the day, Navcam will acquire a full panorama and search for dust devils and clouds. Then MAHLI will be used to take images of Greenhorn and Pilgrim from 35 centimeters away, to help the Rover Planners determine whether they can be drilled.



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.

Planning is no longer restricted, but to ensure that Sol 1127 commands
are ready to be sent to the rover on time, we had to start planning 1.5 hours earlier than usual this morning. The Sol 1126 images show
that the APXS was well centered over the pre-sieve dump pile, so we are ready to move on. It's time for a ful l set of
MAHLI wheel images, which dominate the Sol 1127 plan. After the wheel
imaging, there's just enough time for a short drive to another potential
drill target and post-drive imaging. The volume of data expected to be received in
time for planning tomorrow is smaller than usual, so we had to carefully
consider data priorities. With luck, we'll receive enough of the
post-drive images to select targets for remote sensing tomorrow
morning. Planning will start at 6:30 PDT again tomorrow, so many of us
will be getting up before dawn, but it's well worth it to keep the rover
going!



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 did well last weekend, but the Sol 1124 MAHLI images of the unsieved part of the drill sample showed that the APXS was not perfectly centered on the dump pile. Therefore, the Sol 1126 plan includes new MAHLI images and APXS
measurements, better centered on the dump pile. Before the arm
activities, ChemCam will acquire passive spectra of part of Mt. Sharp, a
5x1 LIBS raster on "Canadian Creek," and an RMI image of the ChemCam
calibration target. Then MAHLI will be used to take another
self-portrait of the rover, and the APXS will be placed on the dump pile
for an overnight integration. Later in the afternoon, Mastcam will
acquire some mosaics and an image of Canadian Creek to provide context
for the ChemCam observations. In parallel with the overnight APXS
measurements, CheMin will analyze the material from the latest drill hole .



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 weekend plan includes lots of arm activities and science. First,
on Sol 1123, ChemCam and Mastcam will observe the drill hole and
tailings, plus targets named "Frontier," "Floweree," "Bozeman," and "Billings."
Then the portion of the sample that has not been sieved will be dumped
on the ground and examined by Mastcam. After dusk, MAHLI will use its
LEDs to look inside of the drill hole and image the drill tailings and
CheMin inlet, then APXS will be placed over the tailings for an
overnight measurement. Late in the afternoon of Sol 1124, MAHLI will
image the pre-sieve dump pile and APXS will be placed over it for another
overnight integration. A SAM atmospheric methane measurement was added early on Sol 1125 because Mars recently went through the path of comet Damocles. Dust ejected from comets is often carbon-rich, and therefore is a possible source of the elevated methane concentration that has occasionally been observed by SAM. After all those activities, the rover will sleep through most of Sol 1125 to recharge its batteries in preparation for Sol 1126.



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.

Success! Our drill at "Big Sky" went perfectly! On Sol 1121,
the rover will transfer some of the powder from Big Sky to CheMin so that it
can begin analyzing the mineralogy of the sample. Also on Sol 1121, ChemCam has
an observation of the target "Minnekahta". Mastcam will document the ChemCam
location and also take a picture of the location on the ground where Big Sky
material will be dumped.

On Sol 1122, ChemCam has observations of targets "Kippen," "Kalispell,"
and "Big Snowies." Mastcam will document these targets and take a 4x1 mosaic of
the lower portion of Mt. Sharp. Navcam will be used to take a movie about the
northern rim of Gale crater to search for any clouds.

We are all eagerly looking forward to the CheMin results
from Big Sky to compare with our previous results from "Buckskin"! 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.

As you can see, our mini-drill over the weekend went well, so we are GO for
drilling "Big Sky" on sol 1119! The hope is that this location will provide a
good sample of the "typical" rock in the area to compare with some of the
interesting alteration we’ve been seeing. Along with the drilling, there will
be a bunch of MAHLI documentation images of the hole from varying distances and
angles.

On sol 1120, ChemCam will target the drill tailings, along
with the targets "Devil’s Basin", "Livingston," and "Deadwood." Mastcam will
document the drill hole and all of the ChemCam targets. Then, later in the day
on sol 1120, Navcam and Mastcam both have some atmospheric observations. And of
course, in the background DAN, RAD, and REMS will be doing their routine
monitoring as always. 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.

It’s time to drill again! After much deliberation, we have
decided to try drilling the target "Big Sky" at our current location, in hopes
of getting a good sample of relatively unaltered bedrock to compare with some
of the altered rocks we have seen nearby.

Sol 1116 is dedicated to doing the mini-start hole, which is
how we test if the rock is safe to drill. MAHLI will take documentation images
before and after, and APXS will analyze the hole overnight.

On Sol 1117, we have a bunch of targeted observations. ChemCam
will analyze the targets "Beartooth Pass" and "Bear Trap Canyon", and Mastcam will
take some pictures of two drifted sand targets ("Bozeman" and "Billings" - we’re
on a Montana naming theme right now), as well as a 2x1 mosaic of an interesting
altered vein, and a 7x1 mosaic of a nearby outcrop. MAHLI will also take some
more images of the mini-start hole.

In the morning on Sol 1118, Mastcam and Navcam have some
atmospheric monitoring observations. These are repeated at around noon, and
then ChemCam will analyze "Beaverhead", "Birdbear", and "Buffalo Flat". Mastcam
will take pictures of the mini-start hole, and a 3x1 mosaic to document the
location of the ChemCam targets. 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 drive on Sol 1111 stopped early after just over 15
meters because we were driving over rough terrain and part of the rover’s
suspension exceeded the allowed amount of tilt (this is not a physical limit,
just a threshold in the software that tells the rover to stop and check with
Earth to be safe). The rover is fine and we plan to drive again in the Sol 1112
plan. Meanwhile we are trying to decide where in the area we want to drill to
maximize the science return. There are a lot of options because we’re
surrounded by interesting geology!

Before we drive, we have some ChemCam observations of
targets "Dakota", "Conrad", and "Firemoon", plus two Mastcam mosaics of a
potential drill target. I was on duty as ChemCam sPUL today, so two of the
three targets are ones that I chose, which is always fun. I didn’t choose the
names (someone else was quicker with the naming list than I was), but I
especially like the name "Firemoon".

After the drive, we have our standard post-drive imaging to
allow us to choose targets on Wednesday. On sol 1113 we won’t have the sol 1112
data back yet, so we have some untargeted observations, including some ChemCam
passive calibration measurements, DAN passive observation, and a Navcam 8-frame
movie looking to the north. 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.