Curiosity update: An easier planning day

Sol 1721, June 8, 2017, update by MSL scientist Ken Herkenhoff: MSL drove 26 meters on Sol 1720, as planned, to a location with blocks of bedrock in the arm workspace. Because the rover climbed another 3 meters in elevation, contact science has top priority for today’s plan, with driving next in priority. One of our strategic goals is to measure the chemistry of Murray formation rocks using APXS at elevation intervals of no more than 5 meters. So the GEO science theme group (STG) selected a smooth, typical Murray bedrock target named “Fawn Pond” as the top priority for contact science (APXS and MAHLI observations), and planned ChemCam and Right Mastcam observations of nearby target “Kief Pond.” The GEO plan also includes a 6×2 Right Mastcam mosaic to investigate sedimentary structures at “Arey Cove” and… [More at link]