The 15.8 meter drive on Sol 792 was successful, bringing
Curiosity right up to the Chinle outcrop, which has some beautiful
layering . In the Sol 794 plan, we have ChemCam observations of four targets
on the outcrop: "Cima," "Sespe," "Aguereberry Point," and "Soledad Pass."
Mastcam will take a picture of Cima, and a high-resolution mosaic of Chinle. After that, Curiosity will drive toward "Whale
Rock," with the goal of getting in range so that ChemCam can zap it. During the
drive we will again take MARDI images beneath the rover as it drives, as well
as mid-drive and post-drive imaging with Mastcam and Navcam. On Sol 795,
ChemCam and Mastcam will do some blind targeting and Navcam will search for
dust devils. 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’ve been swamped with work for other projects recently, but
those are behind me now, and I’m excited to get caught up on what Curiosity has
been doing! The plan for Sol 792 has a nice big science block that we plan to
fill with lots of targeted observations by ChemCam and Mastcam. ChemCam will
analyze the target "Cajon" on the "Carnivore Canyon" outcrop and "Agate Hill"
and "Aztec" targets on the "Alexander Hills" outcrop. ChemCam will also analyze
the target "Crowder" right in front of the rover. Mastcam will take some
supporting images of these targets, plus mosaics of "Zion Canyon", "Tortoise
Shell Mountain", and a survey mosaic off the starboard side of the rover. Once
all of the remote sensing is done, we are planning a drive toward the Chinle
outcrop, during which MARDI will take time-lapse video of the terrain beneath
the rover in order to create a continuous image strip along the path. The rover
will also take some routine mid-drive and post-drive images. On Sol 793,
ChemCam will make a passive observation of the sky and Navcam and Mastcam will
also make some atmospheric observations.

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 was another fun day of operations as we planned Curiosity’s continued investigation of the Pahrump Hills. Ken Herkenhoff was the SOWG Chair and I was the Geology STL. The drive on Sol 787 placed Curiosity approximately 18 m from the Gilbert Peak outcrop, and 8 m from what is now named the "Alexander Hills" outcrop. This Navcam image from Sol 787 shows the Alexander Hills as a small cliff in the middle of the frame, and the Gilbert Peak outcrop as the thin dark beds a little higher up on the hill. The goal in the 3-sol weekend plan is to characterize the outcrop in front of us and drive closer to the Alexander Hills. The plan includes several ChemCam observations of the rock targets "Skyline," "Barstow," and "San Gabriel." Curiosity will also acquire several high-resolution Mastcam mosaics to characterize the local geology. After the drive we’ll acquire standard post-drive imaging to prepare for targeted observations on Sol 792. The plan also includes several Navcam observations to monitor atmospheric activity. Looking ahead to next week, we will continue working our way up the Pahrump Hills toward the Chinle outcrop (an outcrop to the west of Gilbert Peak).

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 was a busy day of rover operations here at the USGS. Ken Herkenhoff was the Science Operations Working Group (SOWG) Chair and I was the Geology Science Theme Lead (STL). Today we planned two sols and the goal was to characterize the Book Cliffs outcrop and drive toward the "Gilbert Peak" outcrop. This Navcam image from Sol 785 shows our current location at Book Cliffs in the lower right part of the frame, and some beautiful ripples in the valley to the west. The Sol 787-788 plan includes a number of ChemCam and Mastcam observations of the targets "Goblin Valley," "Deadman Pass," and "Funeral Peak" (we picked names that also fit a Halloween theme!). We also planned some Mastcam mosaics to investigate the stratigraphy at Book Cliffs and some other upcoming outcrops. During the drive on Sol 787 we will acquire a series of MARDI and Mastcam images to document the geology along the traverse. The plan also includes postdrive imaging to prepare for targeting on Friday , as well as environmental observations to characterize the atmospheric opacity and composition. Ken and I will both be on duty again on Friday, and we’re looking forward to exploring the Gilbert Peak outcrop.

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.

Sols 785-786 Update On Curiosity From USGS Scientist Lauren Edgar: Comet Siding Spring Over the weekend, a number of Mars spacecraft observed a rare encounter with comet Siding Spring . Curiosity successfully observed the comet with Mastcam, Navcam and ChemCam RMI. Today we’re planning two sols during which Curiosity will drive closer to the rock outcrop " Book Cliffs ," and perform some remote sensing. This is part of a bigger campaign to survey the Pahrump Hills. During the drive we will acquire a series of MARDI images to document the geology along the traverse. The plan also includes ChemCam observations of the targets "Ibex Pass," "Hayden Peak," and "Saddle Peak" with corresponding Mastcam images to characterize the local geology. After the drive we’ll acquire our standard post-drive imaging. The plan also includes several Navcam observations to monitor the atmosphere. I’ll be on duty as the Geology Science Theme Lead starting on Sol 787 so I’m getting up to speed on the current science plans and looking forward to exploring the Pahrump Hills!

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 experience I gained planning the MARDI drive
"video" for Sol 780 helped me prepare for another MARDI video during the
Sol 782 drive. I'm MAHLI/MARDI uplink lead again today, and got a good
start on the video and post-drive MAHLI/MARDI
observation planning. But concerns were raised about the safety of Sol
783 ChemCam observations of Comet Siding Spring after the Sol 782
drive, so the drive was deleted from the plan along with the associated
MARDI and MAHLI imaging. While I was disappointed
by this change of plans, I recognized the importance of the comet
observations. Comet Siding Spring will be closer to Mars this weekend
than any comet has approached Earth in historic times, and all the
spacecraft at Mars will be observing this rare event. I look forward to seeing the results!

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 22-meter Sol 780 drive completed as planned, placing the rover near "Book Cliffs" (visible at the right side of this image ). Sol 781 planning was interrupted this morning by the " Great Shakeout " earthquake drill,

but the tactical team recovered and stayed on schedule the rest of the
day. After making ChemCam and Mastcam observations of "Delta," "San
Rafael Swell," and "Castle Valley" (all named after places in Utah), the
drill sample will be dumped onto the ground
and CHIMRA cleaned out. Then the APXS will be placed on the dump pile
for an overnight integration. Finally, before dawn on Sol 782, Mastcam
will attempt observations of Comet Siding Spring and Mars' satellites Phobos and Deimos.

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 were originally planning to perform some arm tests on Sol 780 to help
diagnose the fault that occurred last weekend, but it was decided that
they were too risky. So a drive toward a target dubbed "Book Cliffs"
was planned instead.
During the drive, MARDI will acquire images of the surface just behind
the left front wheel to show what the Pahrump Hills rocks look like all
along the rover traverse. As MAHLI/MARDI uplink lead, I was busy today
planning the details of this MARDI "video."
We also planned a MAHLI stowed image at the end of the drive, which is
safe because no arm motions are involved.

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 Sol 778 data show
that the arm instruments are safe, and the arm is ready for more
activities. MAHLI will not be used until the recent arm problems are
better understood, to ensure that MAHLI's lens does not get dirty if the
dust cover is left open again. However, the APXS
can be used, so the Sol 779 plan includes another attempt to measure
the chemistry of "Morrison" (see Sol 767 blog). In addition, ChemCam
and Mastcam will observe several targets at various distances from the
rover. I'm scheduled as MAHLI/MARDI uplink lead
tomorrow , so I'm spending some time today to get up to speed on the near-term plans. 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.

Over the weekend, Curiosity was supposed to perform a number of MAHLI activities to image the drill hole and the target Morrison, along with APXS on Morrison, but unfortunately an arm fault occurred during the observation of the drill hole. This left MAHLI with its cover open. Fortunately, some JPL engineers came in on Saturday to make a recovery plan and successfully closed the MAHLI cover. A team of engineers is working to better understand the arm faults before we use MAHLI again. And even though today is a holiday, the rover doesn’t have the day off so we are planning some remote sensing and CheMin analysis. The Sol 778 plan includes ChemCam of the targets "Whirlwind," "Kings Peak," "Red Rock" and "Bald Mountain," to characterize the nearby rocks and sand ripples . The plan also includes Mastcam imaging of the southwest valley walls to investigate the local stratigraphy, along with some Navcam observations to monitor the atmosphere. 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.