After a successful investigation of the Chinle outcrop, Curiosity is ready to move on to the Whale Rock outcrop. Today we are planning two sols, and on the first sol we’ll finish up a few last targeted observations at Chinle. The plan includes a ChemCam passive observation of the target Goldstone ("passive" means that we don’t fire the laser, we just passively collect the spectrum of the target), along with a Mastcam image to document the target. We’ll also acquire a ChemCam z-stack on the target Cucumongo to test out a new template for ChemCam activities, and to look for any changes in chemistry compared to other observations at Chinle (z-stack means that we’ll acquire data from several different focus positions). There’s also a Navcam activity to search for dust devils and monitor the atmosphere.
After we complete our morning science observations, Curiosity will attempt a rather difficult drive toward Whale Rock. Curiosity was last at Whale Rock on Sol 796, and captured this tantalizing image of cross-bedding . We want to go back to Whale Rock to investigate the small-scale textures and composition of the outcrop using the instruments on the rover’s arm (MAHLI and APXS). But in order to do that, we need to get close to the rocks, and the terrain looks quite challenging. One way to work around the difficult approach is to sample a float rock (a block that has broken off from the main outcrop and might be in a more accessible position). Due to the difficult terrain, it might take us a few drives to get into a good position.
After the drive we’ll acquire Navcam and Mastcam images, which we’ll use to select interesting targets and plan future drives. On the second sol Curiosity will also acquire a Navcam observation to monitor the atmosphere above Mt. Sharp. Fingers crossed for a good drive! 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 main excitement today was that, as the team was busy
planning for sols 833 and 834, NASA held a press conference to share some of
the results of our recent investigations in the Murray formation, in the
foothills of Mt. Sharp. The layered rocks that we have been observing tell the
story of a series of shallow lakes with small deltas formed by sediment
deposited from the crater rim. Check out the press
release for more details!

In the Sol 833-834 plan, we are planning to do three ChemCam
"Z-stack" observations of the target "Vaqueros" which looks like it might be a
white mineral-filled vein. Z-stack observations are when the instrument
collects data from the same location at several different focus positions. We are
planning Z-stacks with ChemCam’s black-and-white camera and the main
spectroscopy laser to make sure that we get good data from the target, and to
collect information to develop new focusing methods for ChemCam.

Later on sol 833, the high-resolution color camera on the
arm (MAHLI – Mars Hand Lens Imager) will collect some images of the fine
details of the layers in the Chinle outcrop, at targets called "Coachella" and "Tropico".
Then we will measure the chemical composition of Tropico with the APXS (Alpha
Particle X-Ray Spectroscopy) instrument on the arm.

On Sol 834, Navcam (the black and white Navigation cameras)
and Mastcam (the mast-mounted color science cameras) will take some atmospheric
observations to measure the amount of dust in the atmosphere. By Ryan Anderson

--Ryan is a planetary scientist and developer 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.

Well it was an exciting day for space exploration! As we were working operations this morning many space enthusiasts on the team were keeping tabs on the launch and splashdown of the Orion capsule – the new spacecraft that might someday take astronauts to Mars. It was fun to think about future human exploration on Mars as we were putting together our rover plan for the day. It was also great to have all three USGS bloggers working together today. I was on duty as the Geology and Mineralogy Science Theme Lead and Ryan was the Keeper of the Plan, so collectively we assembled the geology tasks that Curiosity will carry out over the weekend (Sols 830-832). Ken was the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) Payload Uplink Lead today, meaning that he was responsible for the details of all of the MAHLI activities (figuring out the right pointing, standoff distance, priorities etc. to get good high-resolution images using the camera on the end of the rover’s arm). And we certainly gave Ken a lot of work to do today! The plan includes contact science (using the instruments on the rover’s arm) on the targets "Pickhandle" and "Goldstone" to characterize the lower and middle parts of the Chinle outcrop. First we’ll use the Dust Removal Tool to clean off a fresh surface at "Goldstone" (we cleaned off "Pickhandle in the Sol 828 plan). This MAHLI image from Sol 828 shows "Goldstone" before brushing. Then we’ll acquire several MAHLI images on each target, taken at different distances and offsets to get both context and stereo imaging. Then we’ll place the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) on "Goldstone" to figure out the bulk chemical composition. On the third sol of the weekend plan, we’ll move the arm out of the way and use ChemCam and Mastcam to characterize the targets that we brushed. The plan also includes some extra Mastcam imaging to make a nice mosaic of the outcrop, several observations of the ChemCam calibration targets, and a Navcam observation to monitor the atmosphere above Mount Sharp. I love these days when we get to use so many different instruments to characterize a place on Mars! 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.

Today all three USGS bloggers were on MSL operations! I was
on duty as the Science Payload Downlink Lead (sPDL) for ChemCam, meaning that
it was my job to check all of the science data that we received to make sure
the data looks good and to do a quick analysis of the results. Lauren was the
Keeper of the Plan (KOP) for the geology theme group, meaning that she helped
put together the plan of geology tasks that the rover will do in the Sol
828-829 plan (a sol is a Mars day). And Ken was the Science Operations Working
Group (SOWG) chair, meaning that he led the SOWG meeting and made sure that the
plan satisfied the goals of the science team while also staying within the
constraints on power, data, safety, complexity, etc.

This morning was a little more "exciting" than normal because
bad weather on Earth caused a disruption in our downlink of data from Mars, so
for a little while it looked like we would not have any of the images from the
end of the drive to help us plan sols 828-829. (We can’t do much if we don’t
know what the rover’s surroundings look like!) It also meant that our ChemCam
data was missing. But in the end, the data did arrive so that I could assess
the ChemCam data and planning could proceed.

On sol 828, ChemCam will do a passive observation of the sky
to measure the abundance of different molecules in the atmosphere, and Navcam (the
navigation cameras) will take a movie to watch for clouds forming over Mt.
Sharp. Also in the morning block, Mastcam has a mosaic of the "Chinle"
outcrop to look at the fine-scale layering.

Later on the same sol, there are a series of observations of
Chinle by MAHLI (the Mars Hand Lens Imager – a close-up, high-resolution color
camera). These observations will look at the layers in Chinle from a different
angle and at a higher resolution than is possible with the mast cameras. While
the arm is out, we will also brush off the target "Pickhandle" on Chinle using
the Dust Removal Tool (DRT).

On Sol 829, Mastcam will do a routine "clast survey"
observation to characterize the loose rocks near the rover, and ChemCam will
run a diagnostic test of the focusing laser that has been acting up recently.

By Ryan Anderson -Ryan Anderson is a planetary scientist and developer 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 activities planned for the Thanksgiving holiday went well, and the data received so far look good, including MAHLI images
showing the brushed target "Puente." So we are ready to move on, and
the Sol 826 plan includes a few ChemCam and Mastcam observations before a
drive to the "Chinle" area. We were also able to squeeze another MAHLI
image of the APXS calibration target into
the plan, to look for possible changes in dust on the target caused by
the long overnight APXS integration on Sols 825-6. Planning is
"restricted" again this week because of the offset between Mars time and
Pacific Standard Time, so we are planning two sols
today. We can plan only untargeted remote sensing observations on Sol
827 because of the drive on the previous sol, as we won't know the rover
position precisely until Wednesday. I'm SOWG Chair today, and it has been a fairly easy day for me so far.

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 everyone is recovering from their Thanksgiving meals, Curiosity will be feasting on some exciting science targets at the Alexander Hills! We are on our second pass at the Pahrump Hills , and on this pass we are using the instruments on the robotic arm to investigate several key outcrops in more detail. This weekend we’re focusing on the Alexander Hills. In the previous plan we used the Dust Removal Tool (DRT) to brush off the dust at a target named "Mescal" to expose a fresh surface. This Navcam image from Sol 819 shows the arm extended while investigating "Mescal." Over the weekend 3-sol plan, we’ll use the ChemCam instrument to learn about the composition of the targets "Mescal" and "Horned Toad," and we’ll also acquire some Mastcam images to document those targets. Then we’ll use the DRT to brush off the dust at "Puente." Once we have a clean surface, we can use the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) to acquire high-resolution images to study the exposed sedimentary structures and grain sizes. After that we’ll use the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) to figure out the bulk chemical composition of "Puente." The plan also includes some Navcam observations to monitor the atmosphere above Mt. Sharp and search for dust devils. As the MSL team takes a break over the Thanksgiving holiday, I know that we’ll all be thankful for our healthy rover doing some really great science on Mars!

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 investigating the Alexander Hills outcrop. This Mastcam mosaic from Sol 817 shows some of the interesting rock textures that we’ll study at this location . With Thanksgiving coming up, the operations team is putting together several multi-sol plans so that the team can take a break over the holiday. That means that today we’ll plan Sols 820-822, and tomorrow we’ll plan Sols 823-825 to take us through the weekend. On Sol 820 Curiosity will perform several ChemCam tests to develop ways to focus without using the autofocus laser. We will also take Mastcam images to document the ChemCam targets, and a Mastcam tau measurement to monitor atmospheric opacity. On Sol 821 Curiosity will acquire a Mastcam mosaic of the Gilbert Peak and Chinle outcrops, and a Navcam movie to monitor the atmosphere and search for clouds. The plan also includes ChemCam RMI SkyFlats to measure the "flat field" which will improve our processing of RMI images. The third sol includes a Mastcam observation of the brushed target "Mescal" using all of the camera filters. That should keep Curiosity busy while the team takes a well-deserved break! 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 difficult 35-meter drive planned for Sol 817 went perfectly, placing
the rover in position for arm activities on the Alexander Hills
outcrop. We also received good news from ChemCam: test images acquired
on Sol 816 showed that the
instrument can still acquire data without using the autofocus laser .

More ChemCam tests were planned today. Sol 819 planning started 3
hours later than usual, giving me extra time to prepare for my
MAHLI/MARDI uplink lead shift this morning. We had lots of interesting
rocks to choose from,

and decided to brush a target dubbed "Mescal." After taking MAHLI
images, the APXS will be placed on the same target for a long overnight
integration to measure its elemental chemistry. We also planned MAHLI
images of targets "Puente" and "Cajon," as well
as Mastcam mosaics including these and other targets of interest. 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 3-sol plan, Curiosity will wrap up the investigation at Book Cliffs and drive toward Alexander Hills and Carnivore Canyon. It’s been a great week at Book Cliffs, and Curiosity acquired a lot of exciting data. We analyzed 3 fresh surfaces at Book Cliffs, at the lower, middle and upper parts of the outcrop. This Navcam image from Sol 815 shows the arm extended while Curiosity was investigating the target "Topanga" . The brush spots at "Punchbowl" and "Afton Canyon" are also visible at the bottom middle and lower right sides of the image. In the weekend plan, Curiosity will acquire Mastcam multispectral images and ChemCam passive observations of the three brush spots. There are also several Navcam and ChemCam activities to monitor the atmosphere and search for clouds. Then Curiosity will drive toward Alexander Hills and Carnivore Canyon, and acquire standard post-drive imaging to prepare for contact science next week! 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 past few sols Curiosity has been investigating the Book Cliffs outcrop at the Pahrump Hills. On Sol 814, Curiosity brushed off the dust at "Afton Canyon" as seen in this MAHLI image . Today’s plan is focused on characterizing the upper part of Book Cliffs. ChemCam is back in action after a brief stand down due to degradation of the instrument’s smaller laser used for focusing. The plan today includes a ChemCam passive observation of the sky and a focus test on a small pebble. We will also use the Dust Removal Tool to clear off a fresh surface at the target "Topanga" followed by MAHLI and APXS on that surface. We’re also planning to acquire MAHLI images on the targets "Goblin_Valley" and "Jail_Canyon." Another busy day on Mars! We’ve been delivering some pretty complicated plans lately, but thanks to a very talented operations team, everything is going well and the data looks great. 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.