Tag Archives: Naukluft Plateau

Curiosity: Mastcam scenery

Posted on April 7, 2016 by rburnham

Sol 1302, April 5, 2016. The Mastcam, in wide-angle mode, is shooting the scenery from atop the Naukluft Plateau. The above image (click to enlarge) is an outtake from a much wider scenic view available here (7MB). Sol 1302 raw … Continue reading →

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Curiosity update: Driving again

Posted on April 5, 2016 by rburnham

Sol 1303-04, April 4, 2016, update from USGS scientist Ken Herkenhoff: The Sol 1301 drive halted after only 4.5 meters of progress, apparently due to a short in the RTG that caused a steering actuator fault.  This type of fault has … Continue reading →

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Curiosity update: Approaching the edge of the plateau

Posted on April 2, 2016 by rburnham

Sol 1300-02, April 1, 2016, update from USGS scientist Ryan Anderson: Everything went well in Wednesday’s plan, and we are near the edge of the Naukluft plateau, driving across “Stimson” bedrock. The weekend plan begins on Sol 1300 with three … Continue reading →

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Curiosity: Across rough ground

Posted on April 1, 2016 by rburnham

Sol 1298, March 31, 2016. With the unplanned too-short drive behind it, Curiosity logged 35 meters (115 feet) of travel toward the west southwest across the rough-surfaced Naukluft Plateau. Mission controllers are driving the rover westward so it can flank … Continue reading →

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Curiosity: Thin-bedded Stimson sediments

Posted on March 31, 2016 by rburnham

Sol 1296, March 29, 2016. A tilt caused by rough ground stopped a planned rover drive, but the Navcam (above) and Mastcam-100 (below) imaged parts of the surroundings. Click either to enlarge. Sol 1295 raw images (from all cameras), and … Continue reading →

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Curiosity update: Drive cut short

Posted on March 30, 2016 by rburnham

Sol 1298-99, March 30, 2016, update from USGS scientist Ken Herkenhoff: The Sol 1296 drive was halted after only 4 meters of progress because the suspension on the left side of the rover was more tilted than expected.  Suspension checks … Continue reading →

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Curiosity: Near and far

Posted on March 29, 2016 by rburnham

Sol 1295, March 28, 2016. The rover’s Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) takes a five-frame long shot of the Gale Crater floor toward the northwest, while the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) views two Stimson sandstone targets in detail. (Click images to … Continue reading →

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Curiosity update: Driving across rough terrain

Posted on March 28, 2016 by rburnham

Sol 1296-97, March 28, 2016, update from USGS scientist Ken Herkenhoff: MSL drove about 17 meters on Sol 1294, continuing over rough terrain.  Some of the images that have been recently received show delicate features [see at right] that have apparently … Continue reading →

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Curiosity: Bumps ahead

Posted on March 28, 2016 by rburnham

Sol 1294, March 27, 2016. Guided by rover drivers using Navcam shots and HiRISE images from orbit, Curiosity is working its way westward across the Stimson Formation’s broken sandstone layers on the Naukluft Plateau. (Click image to enlarge.) Sol 1294 … Continue reading →

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Curiosity update: Contact science and driving

Posted on March 28, 2016 by rburnham

Sol 1293-95, March 25, 2016, update from USGS scientist Lauren Edgar: On Sol 1292, Curiosity drove 6 m to the northwest, which put us in a good position for contact science over the weekend.  The three-sol plan starts with ChemCam … Continue reading →

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