Sol 1780, August 7, 2017, update by MSL scientist Michael Battalio: Welcome back to the first full day of operations after conjunction and the fifth anniversary of landing! Curiosity remained healthy over the month long break, so without missing a beat, Curiosity is ready to resume the Vera Rubin Ridge imaging campaign and the trek up Mt. Sharp.
First in this plan, several drill feed tests will be performed and will take up the bulk of the plan’s time. The GEO group resumes regular science activities by investigating a couple of targets with Mastcam to look for changes over conjunction, including “Bodge Sands” and “Machias Bay.” ChemCam will target “Huckins Ledge” and “Mackerel Ledge,” with Mastcam providing additional imaging of those targets. Tuesday is a “soliday” to adjust the timing of the slightly longer Mars day back to a regular Earth schedule, so there will be no tactical planning… [More at link]