Sols 1037-1038: Familiar Terrain

6 July 2015

Over the weekend holiday plan, Curiosity drove back to our location on Sol 992. Previous DAN and ChemCam data from this site showed some interesting results, so we want to investigate this region in more detail. The front Hazcam image above shows our wheel tracks from the last time we were here, and some of the bright outcrop that we want to study further.

Today’s two-sol plan includes remote sensing, a drive with several DAN active measurements, and post-drive imaging. The pre-drive science block includes ChemCam observations on targets named “Burke,” “Polson,” and “Bonner,” to look for chemical variations in the bright outcrop. We’ll also acquire Mastcam images of those targets, and take a large Mastcam mosaic to evaluate the sedimentary structures and to provide additional context. Then we’ll take a short drive with a few DAN active measurements along the way. After the drive we’ll take our standard post-drive imaging to prepare for targeting in future plans. Today’s plan also includes some ChemCam calibration activities as well as a Mastcam observation of the sun and Navcam imaging for environmental monitoring. It’s nice to be back in some familiar terrain and to have the chance to do even more science here!

By Lauren Edgar

--Lauren is a Research Geologist at the USGS Astrogeology Science Center and a member of MSL science team.