Curiosity is currently investigating an outcrop of the Stimson unit. On Sol 1091, Curiosity acquired some low-resolution MAHLI images of the targets "Pentagon," "Lebo," "Ivanhoe," and "Ledger" in order to plan more detailed imaging of those targets today.

The Sol 1092 plan includes targeted remote sensing followed by more contact science. In the midday science block, we’ll acquire ChemCam and Mastcam on the targets "Rabbit Hills" and "Horseshoe Hills" to investigate some of the alteration features seen here. We’ll also acquire some large Mastcam mosaics of the "Williams" area to investigate the sedimentary structures. The plan also includes a ChemCam RMI autofocus test, and a Navcam movie to monitor the atmosphere. In the afternoon, we’ll acquire closer MAHLI imaging on " Lebo ," " Ivanhoe ," and " Ledger ," using the information we gained from the Sol 1091 MAHLI finder frames. Since "Ledger" is a nice flat ledge, it’s also a good target for the DRT, so we can brush away the dust to expose a fresh surface. Then we’ll place the APXS on "Ledger" for an overnight integration. We’re in really early slide sols this week (meaning planning starts at 6am), but that hasn’t stopped the team from putting together some very full
plans!

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.

Planning is no longer restricted, but we had to start at 6:00 PDT
this morning to give the operations team enough time to uplink commands by the time the rover expects them.
Driving to work before sunrise reminded me of the sometimes odd times we
had to wake up during the first 90 sols of the mission, when the entire
operations team was on "Mars time."




The team is very interested in the outcrop in front of the rover, so I
had a very busy day as MAHLI/MARDI uplink lead today, even though we are
planning just one sol. We planned in advance for MAHLI nighttime
imaging of CheMin's inlet and MAHLI's calibration
target (using white and UV LEDs), so those activities were ready to go
this morning. But we had to prioritize and plan the details of
observations of other contact science targets. Because the Sol 1089
MAHLI images and APXS placement were not perfectly centered
on the Buckskin dump pile ,
our top priority is to repeat those
observations with updated positioning. We planned MAHLI images of a
target dubbed "Devon," which will also be measured by APXS. Many of the
targets of interest are difficult to reach with the arm, so the rover
planners requested relatively low-resolution
MAHLI images of them to support planning of more contact science on Sol
1092. These targets were named "Pentagon," "Lebo," "Ivanhoe," and
"Ledger," with Ledger being imaged in stereo by Mastcam because it is a
candidate for brushing with the DRT. Finally,
the APXS will be placed on the dump pile for overnight integration.

We had to put more
thought than usual into prioritizing various data for downlink, as we
expect only 38 Mbits of data before Sol 1092 planning begins tomorrow morning. This situation forced us to compress some of the
MAHLI images more than usual, and to create new command sequences. But if all goes well, we will receive enough data tomorrow morning to plan contact science on multiple targets.

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 making her way through some beautiful exposures of the Stimson unit. The 6 m drive on Sol 1087 went well, and Curiosity is in a good position for possible contact science early next week.

Today we’re planning 2-sols for the weekend (Sunday is a "soliday" to allow Earth and Mars schedules to sync back up). One of the main activities on Sol 1089 is dropping off part of the Buckskin drill sample to SAM. Then we’ll dump the Buckskin post-sieve sample, and analyze it with APXS. The plan also includes Mastcam and MAHLI imaging to document the dump pile. Sol 1090 consists of several ChemCam observations of the targets "Fox Hills," "OBriens Creek," and "Bearpaw" to investigate the bedrock and local alteration features. We’ll also acquire a large Mastcam mosaic to document the stratigraphy, and a Navcam deck pan for dust monitoring. This region has some particularly stunning views, so I’m looking forward to seeing the new mosaics!

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.

The complex, nearly
39-meter Sol 1085 drive completed successfully, leaving the rover in
another target-rich area. Again, I helped pick targets for ChemCam
observations--our favorites were on the brighter parts
of the outcrop just south of the rover .

The targets for ChemCam and Mastcam observations were named
"Fitzpatrick," "Keith," and "Fred and George Creek." Mastcam will also
acquire 2 mosaics before the rover drives away on Sol 1087. Planning is
still restricted, so we also planned Sol 1088, which
starts with early-morning Mastcam and Navcam images of the sun and
sky. Similar observations are planned around noon
that sol, to measure daily variations in atmospheric dust and clouds.
Finally, CheMin's inlet funnel will be vibrated in an attempt to remove
a particle from the screen over the funnel.

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 had a good weekend, and returned lots of data including nice MAHLI images of Ravalli .

The nearly 22-meter Sol 1083 drive completed as planned, and placed the
rover near some nice rock outcrops. I helped the planning team select
targets for ChemCam observations; we settled on two that were named
"Tinder Box" and "Gordon." Mastcam will acquire
mosaics of these targets as well as "Centennial Range" and "Willow
Ridge." There isn't time/power for much more science, as another drive
is planned for Sol 1085 and an overnight SAM atmospheric observation.
ChemCam, Mastcam and Navcam will make more atmospheric
observations late in the morning of Sol 1086, along with the usual REMS
background measurements. The path ahead
is rough but looks very interesting!

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.

I'm having another
very busy day as SOWG Chair, as we are planning lots of activities to
keep the rover busy this weekend. The vehicle is on a local high spot
that gives us a spectacular view of the terrain
ahead .
But there aren't many targets in front of the rover that are suitable for contact science,

so we selected only one (called "Ravalli") to investigate using MAHLI
and APXS. We had time for another contact science target, but decided
that it would not be worthwhile to study the smaller rocks that are
within arm's reach.

On Sol 1082, ChemCam
and Mastcam will observe Ravalli and a brighter rock dubbed "Sawtooth"
before Mastcam acquires a 23x6 mosaic of the nice outcrops ahead.
Mastcam and Navcam will look up at the sky at about
the same time that the Mars Odyssey orbiter will be passing over, to
compare results of observations from above and the surface. Then the
arm will be deployed for contact science and the APXS placed on Ravalli
for overnight integration.

ChemCam and Mastcam will observe a couple more
bright blocks on Sol 1083, named "Stonewall" and "Wolsey," before the
rover drives toward the south. We'll then acquire the usual post-drive
images and DAN active data. On the last sol (1084),
ChemCam will take some calibration data and SAM will clean its scrubber
in preparation for future measurement.
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.

We had another successful drive on 1079, going about 29
meters this time. The plan for sols 1080-1081 is pretty similar to the previous
plan: remote sensing and a drive on the first day, and untargeted science on
the second day. On sol 1080, ChemCam has observations of the targets "Red Lodge",
"Mowry", and "Rosebud", with
accompanying Mastcam images. Mastcam will also take a 19-frame stereo mosaic of
a cliff dubbed "Judith River". After the drive, we have our standard post-drive
imaging, plus an active measurement with DAN.

On sol 1081, since we won’t have the data down yet to do
targeted observations, we have a bunch of atmospheric monitoring with REMS, Navcam,
Mastcam, and ChemCam. We’re also planning a 360 degree Mastcam mosaic to take
in our new surroundings and MARDI will take a picture of the ground under the
rover. Meanwhile, here on Earth, NASA has released the "official" versions of the low-angle selfies taken by MAHLI while we were drilling at "Buckskin". I don't know about you, but I have a new wallpaper image! 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.

I had an easy planning day as MAHLI/MARDI uplink
lead today, because another drive is planned for Sol 1078 with only the
usual post-drive MAHLI (stowed) and MARDI (twilight) imaging. Planning
is restricted again (Mars and Earth time are
out of sync), so we are planning two sols. Before driving away from
the current location ,

ChemCam and Mastcam will observe rock targets dubbed "Huson" and
"Ignatius" and Mastcam will image another rock called "Hodown." After
the drive, an overnight CheMin integration on the drill sample is
planned, followed by atmospheric observations early on
the morning of Sol 1079. More Navcam atmospheric observations are
planned later that sol, along with some ChemCam calibration activities.
I'm glad that we are making good progress toward Mt. Sharp!

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.

We had another successful drive on sol 1074, putting us in a
good position for the weekend! The main activity for the weekend is using the
Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument to analyze some of the recent drill
sample that we collected. SAM activities will take up all of sol 1075. On sol
1076, we will use MAHLI to check on the health of our wheels, and SAM will do
its Evolved Gas Analysis (EGA) measurement on the sample.

On sol 1077 we have lots of ChemCam and Mastcam activities.
Mastcam has a 20x2 mosaic of an area called "Fournier", followed by ChemCam
observations of the targets "Butler", "Evaro", "Coldwater", and "Alberton" and
associated Mastcam documentation images. Navcam also has an atmosphere
monitoring observation of the horizon to the north.

Later in the afternoon on sol 1077, ChemCam has a
calibration observation and Mastcam has another observation of "Alberton" to
try to see textures highlighted by the lower sun angle. Navcam also has a
couple more observations, watching for clouds and dust devils. 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 47 meter drive on sol 1073 went exactly as expected,
putting us in a good position for the sol 1074 plan. It’s a pretty simple plan
today, with time for a single ChemCam observation of a target called "Crazy
Mountain". I got to pick the name for this target (one of my favorite parts of
being involved in operations), and it seemed fitting since the target is on a
big layered block that is tilted at a crazy angle. Mastcam will take a 3x3
mosaic of this rock, plus a right-eye image of the target "Blodget" and a 20x1
mosaic of the outcrops and mesas to the east, named "Sa-ol-Sooth". After that,
we will drive some more, and do some post-drive imaging so that we can do some
targeted observations in the weekend 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.