Tag Archives: Naukluft Plateau

Curiosity: Rolling southward

Sol 1385, June 29, 2016. In a drive more than 60 meters long, Curiosity continued its course southward over the rolling “pavement” of the Murray Formation. Off to the right stand isolated buttes which are eroded remnants of the overlying … Continue reading

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Curiosity update: Drive, then drive some more

Sol 1385, June 28, 2016, update from USGS scientist Ryan Anderson: Not a lot to report today: these one-sol drive plans are pretty simple! (Well, as simple as driving a giant robot on another planet can be…) Yesterday’s drive took … Continue reading

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Curiosity: Mesas and buttes ahead

Sol 1384, June 28, 2016. Looking toward the south, Curiosity’s Navcam shows a relatively sand-free and rolling surface of cracked rock, with several mesas and buttes in the distance. At left is a small part of Helgas Dune. For the … Continue reading

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Curiosity update: Baynes Mountain

Sol 1384, June 27, 2016, update from USGS scientist Ryan Anderson: Our weekend soliday plan was successful, putting us about halfway to our next likely drilling location. We are now in “unrestricted” planning again, meaning we will be getting data … Continue reading

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Curiosity update: Phobos transit and Soliday

Sol 1382-83, June 27, 2016, update from USGS scientist Ryan Anderson: Contact science in the Sol 1380-1381 plan went well, so we’re back to driving in the weekend plan! Sol 1382 will start with a Mastcam video of Phobos crossing … Continue reading

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Curiosity: And check the tires, please

Sol 1380, June 24, 2016. The Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), fresh from shooting a scenic view, switches to another of its roles: checking the state of wear on the wheels. Right side above, left side below; click either image … Continue reading

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Curiosity: MAHLI looks northeast

Sol 1378, June 22, 2016. Curiosity’s Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) sometimes takes a shot of the rover’s surroundings while the instrument arm (which carries the camera) is stowed, producing a tilted perspective. The image above (click to enlarge) was … Continue reading

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Curiosity update: Contact science at Koes

Sol 1380-81, June 22, 2016, update from USGS scientist Lauren Edgar: The drive on Sol 1378 went well, and Curiosity drove ~44 m to the south, bringing our total drive distance to more than 13.2 km.  We’re currently making our … Continue reading

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HiRISE: Curiosity on the Naukluft Plateau

HiRISE periodically acquires images of the two working rovers on Mars, Opportunity (Mars Exploration Rover) and Curiosity (Mars Science Laboratory). Although earlier pictures are generally sufficient for mapping the terrain and topography, new images allow scientists and engineers to study … Continue reading

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Curiosity update: Making up for lost distance

Sol 1378-79, June 21, 2016, update from USGS scientist Ryan Anderson: Over the weekend, the rover stopped after about 17 meters of the planned 65 meter drive. The rover is fine, the drive just tripped one of the (very conservative) … Continue reading

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