Curiosity update: Preparing to drill

Sol 1460, September 13, 2016, update by USGS scientist Lauren Edgar: Yesterday was sol 2 of the drill campaign at “Quela” and we did a lot of great remote sensing, contact science and wheel imaging (see the above RMI image showing fine lamination in some pebbles, and the MAHLI image of the wheels to monitor their health).  Today’s plan includes a science block and cross-contamination experiment to prepare for the drill sample.  Science activities include a Mastcam multispectral observation of a block of Stimson sandstone, ChemCam RMI images of the layering in the butte, and ChemCam LIBS to assess the… [More at link]