Today we put together a three sol plan to take us through
the holiday weekend. On Sol 1389 we do contact science with APXS and MAHLI on
the target "Outjo". SAM also will begin an analysis of some of the "Mojave2"
sample that was collected a while ago.

Sol 1390 starts off
with a long science block. This was originally split into two blocks, but
during planning we decided it would save some time to combine them. Mastcam
starts the block off with a multispectral observation of the brushed target "Outjo".
Then ChemCam has a long distance RMI observation of Mt. Sharp, plus analyses of
the targets "Outjo" and "Luanda". After ChemCam, Mastcam turns back on, and has
mosaics of "Bukalo" and "Bailundo" (blocky deposits), "Keetmanshoop" (an
outcrop of Murray formation), and "Quimavongo" (a small crater). SAM will also
continue its sample analysis.

On Sol 1391 we will drive for about 60 m and then collect
post-drive imaging. And then in the early morning on Sol 1392, Navcam and
Mastcam have a series of atmospheric observations.

While Curiosity is busy with all of that, and we are all
celebrating the 4 th of July, the Juno spacecraft will be arriving at
Jupiter this weekend! Juno has been flying toward Jupiter for five years, so it’s
exciting that it will finally be reaching its destination! Good luck Juno! 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

In the lead up to the long 4 th of July weekend, we
are planning two sols today and three sols tomorrow. We only had a couple of Navcam
images on the ground this morning to help us choose targets, but we still
managed to find two targets for ChemCam to analyze on Sol 1387: a rock named "Noordoewer"
and a soil named "Savates". Mastcam will document those targets and take a nice
mosaic of the "Murray Buttes". After that, we have a short drive, followed by
post drive imaging. I dialed in to planning this morning and requested some
Navcam of Mt. Sharp along with the post drive imaging to help target more long
distance ChemCam RMI images. On Sol 1388, we have an easy day: ChemCam has a
calibration 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

Our drive in the Sol 1385 plan took us 66 meters, continuing
our path south between the "Baynes Mountains" and "Helgas Dune". The plan for
Sol 1386 starts off with APXS and MAHLI observations of the target "Trekkopje",
followed by a short science block. Mastcam will start off the block with some
atmospheric measurements, then ChemCam will join in the fun and analyze
Trekkopje too. Mastcam will document that observation and the AEGIS observation
from Sol 1385, followed by a couple of small mosaics studying the rim of a
nearby crater. Instead of driving, we will use MAHLI to do a check-up on our
wheels in today’s plan. 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

Not a lot to report today: these one-sol drive plans are
pretty simple! (Well, as simple as driving a giant robot on another planet can
be…) Yesterday’s drive took us a little over 60m and we’re planning another
drive in the sol 1385 plan. Before the drive, we have a short science block
with a ChemCam observation of the target "Epembe" and a Mastcam mosaic of "Baynes
Mountain" to fill a gap in the 360 mosaic from yesterday. After that, we’ll
drive for about 70 meters and collect post-drive imaging. We’ll also use AEGIS
to do a ChemCam observation after the drive and use MAHLI to look at the ground
under our wheels. 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

Contact
science in the Sol 1380-1381 plan went well, so we're back to driving in the
weekend plan!

Sol 1382
will start with a Mastcam video of Phobos crossing in front of the sun, plus a
multispectral observation of the brushed target "Koes". ChemCam will then
analyze the targets "Koes," "Kongola," and "Rundu" and Mastcam will document
those observations. After that, we will drop off some of the "Oudam" sample to
SAM for analysis.

On Sol
1383 the rover will drive and then collect the usual post-drive images,
including an 8x1 mosaic along the side of the rover to study changing textures
as we drive. We’ll also take some extra Navcam images of a crater in the
distance. Later in the day, Mastcam has a couple of atmospheric observations
and ChemCam has an auto-targeted observation.

The
weekend plan is only two sols since Sunday is a "soliday" allowing Earth and
Mars schedules to get back in sync. But the plan does include an early morning
science block for Sol 1384 to collect some atmospheric observations with Navcam
and Mastcam.

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 soliday plan was successful, putting us about
halfway to our next likely drilling location. We are now in "unrestricted"
planning again, meaning we will be getting data down overnight and can plan
every day this week.

The Sol 1384 plan starts with ChemCam of the target "Berseba".
Mastcam will also image Berseba, as well as the ChemCam AEGIS target from the
weekend. Mastcam then has a mosaic of the nearby "Baynes Mountain" to capture
the details of the stratigraphy there, as well as some atmospheric
observations. After that, the plan is to drive for about 70 meters and collect
our standard post-drive images. Since the drive is expected to put us in a
location with a good view of the surrounding geology, we will also do a 360
degree Mastcam mosaic at the end of the sol. 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 1378 went well, and Curiosity drove ~44 m to the south, bringing our total drive distance to more than 13.2 km. We’re currently making our way through a gap in the Bagnold dunes (part of a dune is visible in the upper left of the drive direction Navcam frame, above).

Today’s two-sol plan includes targeted remote sensing, and contact science at a target named "Koes." We’ve been searching for a good place to do contact science on the Murray formation around here, and there won’t be enough power or time to fit contact science in the weekend plan, so it’s great to pick it up here. The plan starts with ChemCam and Mastcam observations of "Koes" and "Onawa" to characterize the Murray formation. Then we’ll use the DRT to brush off a fresh surface at "Koes," followed by MAHLI imaging. We’ll also use MAHLI to image the rover wheels, as part of our ongoing monitoring. Then we’ll place APXS for an overnight integration on "Koes." We’ll also carry out a SAM preconditioning activity, which heats up a sample cup in preparation for solid sample analysis. Curiosity will wake up early the next morning to acquire a Mastcam mosaic of "Baynes Mountain" to document the contact between the Murray and Stimson formations. On Sol 1381, we’ll acquire another ChemCam observation of the Murray formation at "Khoabendus," and we’ll use Mastcam to characterize veins at the target "Helgas." Then Navcam will be used to monitor the atmosphere and search for dust devils.

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.

Over the weekend, the rover stopped after about 17 meters of
the planned 65 meter drive. The rover is fine, the drive just tripped one of the
(very conservative) limits on how the rover’s suspension was expected to
behave, causing Curiosity to stop and check in with Earth. Since there is
nothing jumping out at us as a contact science target where we stopped, in
today’s plan we will try to make up for some of the lost distance from the
weekend plan.

In the Sol 1378 plan, ChemCam has observations of some
bedrock at the target "Tombua" and a rock named "Ai Ais". Mastcam then will
image the two ChemCam targets, as well as the Sol 1376 AEGIS target. Mastcam
will also image some veins at a location called "Helgas". After that, we will
drive and collect some typical post-drive imaging.

On Sol 1379, we won’t have data down from Sol 1378 yet, so
it is an untargeted plan. In the morning, ChemCam, NavCam, and Mastcam have
some atmospheric observations. Then in the afternoon, ChemCam has some
calibration observations, followed by a few more Mastcam atmospheric
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

The Sol 1373 drive
completed successfully, moving the rover over 31 meters toward the
south. There's lots of bedrock exposed around the vehicle, but no flat
patches large enough to brush in the arm workspace .

So MAHLI will take images of an unbrushed target called "Andara" before
the APXS is placed on it for an overnight integration. Before these
arm activities on Sol 1375, ChemCam and the Right Mastcam will observe
Andara and other bedrock targets "Okoloti,"
"Kalkfeld," and "Khorixas." Mastcam will then acquire a stereo mosaic
of a nice outcrop toward the southwest dubbed "Baynes Mountains" and a left-eye mosaic of another outcrop northwest of the rover. The
CheMin team requested another portion of the Oudam drill sample, which
will be delivered late that afternoon. After dark, MAHLI will image the
CheMin inlet using its LEDs for illumination.

Late in the morning of
Sol 1376, APXS will integrate again on Andara to compare the quality of
data acquired at different temperatures. Then the arm will be stowed
for a long (about 55 meters) drive, which will
be followed by the usual post-drive imaging and another ChemCam AEGIS
(autonomously-targeted) observation.

On Sol 1377, the Left
Mastcam will acquire a mosaic of the rover deck, to serve as a baseline
for comparison with future images taken after passing the sand dunes
along the path ahead. Sand blown across the
rover might remove some of the dust on the rover deck. Finally, CheMin
will analyze the new Oudam sample portion overnight. It should be
another busy weekend for MSL!

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 32-meter Sol 1371 drive completed exactly as planned, giving
the rover a good view of the path toward the south . So another
~30-meter drive is planned for Sol 1373, after some remote science
observations. We had the option of using the DRT and taking MAHLI
images of the brush spot before the drive, but the science team decided
to acquire more remote science observations rather than brushing the
Stimson Formation bedrock reachable by the arm. Mastcam will image the
path ahead through all spectral filters, then ChemCam and the Right
Mastcam will observe Stimson bedrock targets "Sesfontein" and
"Swartbooisdrif." The Right Mastcam will image the ChemCam target that
was autonomously selected by the AEGIS software on Sol 1371, and a Left
Mastcam mosaic of a fracture zone west of the rover
is planned. On Sol 1374, AEGIS will be used to autonomously
acquire another ChemCam observation and the Left Mastcam will take a 3x2
mosaic of the same area.

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.