Curiosity update: Approaching dunes for round two

Sol 1596-97 January 30, 2017, update by USGS scientist Lauren Edgar: Over the weekend, Curiosity drove an additional ~ 26 meters to the southwest, as we prepare for another investigation of the active sand dunes.  We’re still a few more drives away from the dunes, but looking forward to the next campaign.  I was the GSTL today, and we planned some contact science and Mastcam imaging and another drive.  The plan starts with a short APXS integration and MAHLI imaging of “Isleboro” to characterize the composition, grain size, and sedimentary structures exposed in a typical block of the Murray formation.  Then we’ll use Mastcam to document some color variations and stratification at “Parker Bog,” and to assess fracture patterns at “Jim Pond.” We’ll also take a Mastcam image to… [More at link]