We have started the long traverse to the base of Mt. Sharp (Aeolis Mons), the long-term goal of the mission! It may take a year to get there, depending on how many interesting features we find along the way. The challenge for the science team will be to identify the most important targets along the way, and to study them without delaying drive progress too much. Today we are planning targeted observations, followed by another drive over the weekend.

We decided to spend a bit more time investigating the "Shaler" outcrop using the arm instruments and ChemCam before starting the long drive to Aeolis Mons or "Mt. Sharp." The Sol 322 data we have received so far look good, and I was glad to see that the MAHLI calibration data I had requested were successfully acquired. We are planning 2 sols today, to get us through the 4th of July holiday, but planning is "restricted" now so we won't see the results of the drive planned for Sol 324 until Friday anyway. So the tactical planning team gets to take a break for the holiday without significant consequences in terms of science or drive progress.

"Contact science," including APXS and MAHLI close-up observations of a couple of rocks at the "Shaler" outcrop, are being planned for Sols 322 and 323. There are still some concerns about the stability of the rover, so some of these observations may be delayed to Sol 323 to allow more time to confirm that the rover has not slipped. In the meantime, we're planning some MAHLI calibration and test activities on Sol 322, which will not involve placing the camera close to the surface.

MSL continues to study the "Shaler" outcrop, slowed a bit by minor driving problems. Last week, the tilt of the rover exceeded the 12-degree limit during a drive toward the center of the outcrop, so the drive had to be commanded again. That drive was successful except that it ended with the left middle wheel about 20 cm higher than expected on a rock. This situation is not dangerous, but concerns about slipping off the rock while using the arm have precluded use of the arm at this location. Fortunately, it is still possible to acquire remote sensing data, including lots of Mastcam stereo observations and ChemCam measurements.

The rover is approaching the last stop before hitting the road, an outcrop dubbed Shaler . We noticed the Shaler outcrop on our way into "Yellowknife Bay" but did not get close enough to study it in detail. So we plan study Shaler in detail before starting the traverse toward Mt. Sharp (Aeolis Mons).

The approach to Point Lake on Sol 302 went well, allowing the arm to reach the outcrop of interest. However, the rover is tilted over 9 degrees, so we have to wait a sol to confirm that it is stable before planning contact science. Therefore, we could place MAHLI no closer than 10 cm from the outcrop, but such images will still be very useful. So we planned a MAHLI mosaic and individual images of various targets on Point Lake, and hope to receive most of them in time for Sol 304 planning. We can then use them to select targets for higher-resolution MAHLI images and APXS measurements, assuming the rover has not slipped. We also planned a Mastcam mosaic and ChemCam observations of the outcrop.

I'm SOWG Chair again today, planning Sol 302. The Sol 301 drive went well, and we received images after the drive was complete showing the Point Lake outcrop. Unfortunately, they showed that the slopes near the most interesting part of the outcrop are large enough that we would have to spend an additional sol checking to be sure that the rover did not slip in that location before deploying the arm. The science team discussed the options and decided that the major goals of the Point Lake campaign could be achieved at a different part of the outcrop, where the rover could approach on more level ground. So the Sol 302 plan includes a short drive to this location, along with lots of imaging before and after the drive. If all goes well, we will be able to deploy the arm on Sol 303 and take close-up images with MAHLI and measure the rock's chemistry with APXS. ChemCam observations will help us decide where to target the arm work.

The MSL activities planned for last weekend went well, except for a ChemCam instrument problem on Sol 300. Fortunately, it's not serious and the Sol 301 plan includes ChemCam recovery sequences. If they go well we will be able to use ChemCam again on Sol 302. The Sol 301 plan includes another drive toward the "Point Lake" outcrop with more DAN (neutron spectrometer) active observations along the way.

I'm not on shift in any tactical operations roles, but have been helping finish up important observations in the "Cumberland" area before we drive away next week. In particular, I have been leading the effort to take MAHLI images of the drill hole walls at night, using the LEDs to illuminate the hole. We are hoping, based on previous nighttime MAHLI images, that this will provide better views of the walls of the drill hole. This activity is currently included in the 3-sol plan that will get the rover through the weekend.

Yesterday I was Geology/Mineralogy Science Theme Lead for the first time in months, so I was a bit rusty. We tried to fit some MAHLI imaging into the plan, along with overnight CheMin analysis of the Cumberland drill sample, but didn't have enough power. However, we were able to plan a high-priority ChemCam observation of the drill tailings during the day (when warm) and early the next morning (when cold), to look for changes in hydrogen due to daily absorption/desorption of water vapor. The early morning ChemCam observation required pointing the instrument at the target the previous evening, to avoid having to heat and move the remote sensing mast at night.