We came in this morning curious to see how the Sol 1217 bump and scuff went, but unfortunately there was an anomaly that prevented any use of motors during the plan. No motors meant no drive and no scuff, and most of our planned activities did not occur. So today turned into a recovery day – first trying to assess what happened and why it happened, and then figuring out how to proceed. Thanks to some impressive work by the science and engineering teams, we developed a plan that allows for recovery on Sol 1218, followed by some opportunistic science on Sols 1219-1220. I was the GSTL today, and we had a fun but challenging day trying to figure out how to do good science without moving the rover or the mast. Ultimately we delivered some ChemCam and Mastcam activities that will help to assess the composition of the soil, and search for any wind-driven movement of fines. The weekend plan provided a unique opportunity to do several coordinated change-detection observations using both Mastcam and REMS, at multiple times throughout the day. Looking ahead to next week, we’re hoping to proceed with the bump and scuff to get back on track with the Namib Dune
sampling activities!

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.

On Sol 1216 Curiosity drove 43 m toward the Namib Dune sampling location. That meant that today we had to decide on our final sampling spot, and there were many different factors to consider. I was the GSTL today, and it was a busy morning trying to figure out our top science priorities. We eventually settled on a location that met all of our science objectives: a sharp-crested ripple that would provide access to sample both coarse and fine-grained material, that was relatively dust free (implying more activity), and would allow a favorable rover orientation. Now we just have to hope that the drive and wheel scuff go smoothly!

The plan today involved a pre-bump Mastcam mosaic for context, and some deck imaging to monitor fines. Then Curiosity will drive toward the sampling location, and will turn the right front wheel to create a scuff in the sand. After the drive we’ll take more imaging to prepare for targeting in the weekend plan. In the afternoon, we’ll also use Mastcam for a change-detection observation of a nearby ripple. I’ll be on duty again tomorrow, so I’m excited to see how the plan works out!

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.

On Sol 1215, Curiosity drove 67 m toward the Namib Dune sampling location. The desired location is visible in the middle of the above Navcam image. Today’s plan includes another drive to get into position for sampling and "scuffing" (using a rover wheel to
dig a small transect in the sand). Science activities today include ChemCam and Mastcam observations to monitor the composition and opacity of the atmosphere, and a Mastcam observation to search for sand movement. Then we’ll drive to within 5-6 m of the intended sampling location, and take post-drive imaging to prepare for a final bump tomorrow. I’ll be on duty tomorrow and Friday, so I’m getting excited for the upcoming sampling and scuffing activities!

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.

After wrapping up our holiday investigation on the lee side of Namib Dune, it’s time to move to a new location along the dune to sample the chemistry and mineralogy of the sand. On Sol 1214 we checked out our wheels (see the MAHLI wheel image above, with Namib Dune and Mt. Sharp in the background), and decided to go for a long drive today. The plan is drive ~ 92 m to get to a site that will allow easier access for sampling part of the active dune. The site is located to the northwest of our current position. After today’s drive we’ll take standard post-drive imaging to prepare for targeting and an additional drive on the following sol. The plan today also includes a number of atmospheric monitoring activities, including several Navcam movies, a ChemCam passive sky observation, and a Mastcam tau.

For more information about our investigation at the Bagnold Dunes, check out this recent press release .

I should also mention that here in Flagstaff we’re expected to get a lot of snow… so just in case this week’s blogs aren’t posted in a timely manner, you can keep up with Curiosity’s investigation by checking out the recent images here !

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.

While the science team took a break from operations over the holidays, we sent up plenty of commands to keep Curiosity busy over Sols 1205-1213. Curiosity acquired a number of change detection and environmental monitoring observations over the holidays, and we’re just starting to assess all of the great data that was returned.

In today’s plan we’ll wrap up our investigation at this particular location (on the lee side of "Namib Dune") with the goal of driving to a different location tomorrow. Today’s plan is focused on Mastcam change detection imaging to finish observations that began during the holiday, and a ChemCam observation on a freshly broken rock surface named "Hunkab." The plan also includes some MAHLI wheel imaging. A possible drive was considered for today’s plan, but deferred to allow for a longer drive tomorrow. I guess the new year is a good time to get moving again!

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.

Based on the latest images from Navcam, Hazcam, and Mastcam
it looks like at least some of the "Greenhorn" sample was dumped before the arm
ran into difficulties.The plan for sol 1201 has a lot of diagnostics to help our engineers to better understand what happened with the arm. It is very likely that the arm hardware is OK, but the diagnostics will allow us to avoid this problem in the future.

In addition to arm diagnostics, we still have science to do
in the sol 1201 plan! Mastcam has a 10x2 mosaic to study the fine layers in a nearby
outcrop, and ChemCam has a 2x2 "depth profile" observation of the target
"Matchless_2". For a depth profile, the laser fires 150 times per location
rather than just 30 times, allowing us to see how the composition changes as
the laser removes tiny amounts of material. Mastcam will take an image of
Matchless_2 after the depth profile. On Sol 1202, we have a bunch of change
detection observations of the nearby dune with Mastcam and ChemCam’s RMI.

Since some of the Greenhorn sample was dumped, we want to
get the arm operational again as soon as possible so that the dumped sample can
be analyzed before the martian wind blows it away. We’re hoping that will be
possible in tomorrow’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.

Unfortunately, over the weekend there was an issue with the rover’s
arm while the "Greenhorn" sample was being dumped, which caused the rover to
stop what it was doing. Because the arm ended up in an unexpected position, it
prevented the APXS and MAHLI observations from occurring as planned, and it was
in the way of the subsequent three ChemCam observations. The arm issues meant
that today’s plan was dedicated to recovering from the problem, but we managed
to include some science observations as well.

On Sol 1200, we have a bunch of Mastcam images. First,
Mastcam will take two images of "Hope Mine" and "Engo", the ChemCam targets
that were automatically selected by the AEGIS software on Sol 1199. Next,
Mastcam will do a mosaic of the slip face of Namib dune, and a stereo
observation of the target "Nadas" to study the shape of the alcoves on the very
crest of the dune. Mastcam will also watch for changes in a patch of nearby
sand, as well as a couple of locations on the dune slip face. Finally, ChemCam
will do something similar, taking a large RMI mosaic on the dune target "Duineveld"
to look for any changes.

In the afternoon on Sol 1200, ChemCam has two observations
on targets "Matchless" (a bright vein) and "Nama" (a patch of bedrock). Mastcam
will provide supporting images for those observations as usual. This will be
followed by Mastcam, Hazcam, and Navcam images of the location where we were
expecting to dump the Greenhorn sample. We’re not sure whether the sample was
dumped before the arm halted, so these images will help to understand what
happened.

For sol 1201, ChemCam and Mastcam will repeat their change
detection observations, and Navcam will also do some standard observations to
look for dust devils and understand the amount of dust in the atmosphere.

Hopefully we will be able to recover from the arm issue
quickly! In the meantime, we’re in a great location to study "Namib Dune" so
there is plenty of good science to be done. 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.

On Sol 1196 Curiosity drove an additional 33 m closer to the lee side of "Namib Dune." The Mastcam images that we took earlier this week are coming down now, and they reveal a lot of great details about the dune morphology.

Although today is a weekend plan, we're only planning 2 sols because Sunday is a soliday (a day without planning to allow Earth and Mars schedules to sync back up). The main activity on the first sol is dumping the "Greenhorn" post-sieve sample and then analyzing it with both MAHLI and APXS. But we managed to squeeze in a lot of additional science observations into the plan, including some ChemCam RMIs of targets named "Duineveld" and "Spitzkop" to study the grain size and morphology of different parts of the slipface, and Mastcam imaging of several targets for change detection. We're also testing out some software for autonomous target selection, and using Mastcam and Navcam to monitor the atmosphere. We'll be in the same location for a little while, so hopefully we'll have the chance to observe some sand movement!

By Lauren Edgar

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.

On Sol 1194 Curiosity drove 47 m around the lee side of "Namib Dune." The latest Navcam images reveal many beautiful aeolian features on the slipface and interdune deposits.

In today's 2-sol plan, we'll continue driving around "Namib Dune." On the first sol we'll use ChemCam to assess the composition and grain size of a ripple. Then we'll use Mastcam to image the brink of the dune and its slipface to characterize the dune morphology. We'll also use Mastcam to document an outcrop with an unusual purple hue. Afterwards, Curiosity will drive even closer to the dune slipface, and we'll take post-drive imaging to prepare for targeting over the weekend. On the second sol, we'll acquire a 360-degree Mastcam mosaic for geologic context. We'll also use ChemCam to monitor the composition of the atmosphere, and Mastcam to assess atmospheric opacity. Throughout the plan Curiosity will acquire a lot of REMS observations to monitor the wind as we move through this dune field. As the GSTL today, it was a real challenge to get all of these observations into the plan while staying within our data volume constraints. It's hard to curb your imaging appetite when the views are so spectacular!

By Lauren Edgar

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 drove 42 m closer to "Namib Dune, and the view is pretty spectacular. We’ve received a lot of beautiful Mastcam and Navcam images, which can be found here .

In today’s 2-sol plan, we’ll continue driving around the "Namib Dune" to get to the lee side. It was a pretty straightforward day for me as GSTL, and Ken as the MAHLI/MARDI PUL. On the first sol Curiosity will acquire ChemCam and Mastcam observations of targets named "Karfenkliff" and "Grillental" to characterize some of the local bedrock and veins. We’ll also take a Mastcam stereo mosaic of "Namib Dune" to better understand the morphology of the ripples and grain flows. The plan also includes a Mastcam image of the rover deck to monitor the movement of particles. Then we’ll drive for ~47 m and take post-drive imaging to document the local geology and prepare for targeting in Wednesday’s plan. On the second sol we’ll perform a number of ChemCam calibration activities and take a Mastcam tau to monitor atmospheric opacity.

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.