Tag Archives: Bagnold Dunes

Curiosity update: ‘Where to sample?’

Sol 1217, January 7, 2016, update from USGS scientist Lauren Edgar: On Sol 1216 Curiosity drove 43 m toward the Namib Dune sampling location.  That meant that today we had to decide on our final sampling spot, and there were … Continue reading

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Curiosity update: ‘Looking forward to sampling and scuffing’

Sol 1216, January 6, 2016, update from USGS scientist Lauren Edgar: On Sol 1215, Curiosity drove 67 m toward the Namib Dune sampling location.  The desired location is visible in the middle of the above Navcam image. Today’s plan includes … Continue reading

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Curiosity update: ‘Driving to a sampling location’

Sol 1215, January 4, 2016, update from USGS scientist Lauren Edgar: After wrapping up our holiday investigation on the lee side of Namib Dune, it’s time to move to a new location along the dune to sample the chemistry and … Continue reading

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Curiosity: Time for a wheel-check

Sol 1214, January 5, 2016. The MAHLI performs its periodic pit-stop duty, surveying the rover’s wheels. (Namib Dune forms the background.) Both images enlarge when clicked. Sol 1214 raw images (from all cameras), and Curiosity’s latest location.

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Curiosity update: ‘Catching up after the holidays’

Sol 1214, January 4, 2016, update from USGS scientist Lauren Edgar: While the science team took a break from operations over the holidays, we sent up plenty of commands to keep Curiosity busy over Sols 1205-1213.  Curiosity acquired a number … Continue reading

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Why did the rover drive around the dune? To get to the other side, of course

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover, partway through the first up-close study ever conducted of extraterrestrial sand dunes, is providing dramatic views of a dune’s steep face, where cascading sand has sculpted very different textures than the wavy ripples visible on the … Continue reading

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Curiosity update: ‘Holidays on Earth, busy days on Mars’

Sol 1202-13, December 23, 2015, update from USGS scientist Ryan Anderson: Today’s plan is a four sol Holiday plan covering Sol 1202-1205, and it will be followed by some pre-planned activities to take us all the way until Sol 1214 … Continue reading

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Curiosity update: ‘The best laid plans…’

Sol 1200-01, December 21, 2015, update from USGS scientist Ryan Anderson: Unfortunately, over the weekend there was an issue with the rover’s arm while the “Greenhorn” sample was being dumped, which caused the rover to stop what it was doing. … Continue reading

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Curiosity update: ‘Dune imaging & dumping the Greenhorn sample’

Sol 1198-99, December 18, 2015, update from USGS scientist Lauren Edgar: On Sol 1196 Curiosity drove an additional 33 m closer to the lee side of “Namib Dune.”  The Mastcam images that we took earlier this week are coming down … Continue reading

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Curiosity update: ‘Aeolian paradise’

Sol 1196-97, December 16, 2015, update from USGS scientist Lauren Edgar: On Sol 1194 Curiosity drove 47 m around the lee side of “Namib Dune.”  The latest Navcam images reveal many beautiful aeolian features on the slipface and interdune deposits. … Continue reading

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