Curiosity update: Scoop #1 at Ogunquit Beach

Sol 1651, March 28, 2017, update by USGS scientist Lauren Edgar: Sol 1650 activities completed as expected, so it’s time to start scooping.  Today’s plan is focused on acquiring Scoop #1 and dropping off a portion of the sample to SAM.  This is the first of four intended scoops at this location, aimed at sampling different grain sizes and their composition. The plan begins with a Mastcam mosaic of “Kennebago Divide” to document some possible layering exposed by the wheel scuff on the right side of the workspace.  We’ll also take several Mastcam images for change detection to monitor active sand movement.  Then the arm backbone starts by retracting the arm and a vibe to clean APXS.  After that we’ll take a few… [More at link]