Tag Archives: Pahrump Hills

Curiosity update: ‘Congratulations Rosetta!’

Posted on November 14, 2014 by rburnham

Sol 806-808, November 13, 2014, update from USGS Scientist Ryan Anderson: “On Sol 806, we at the USGS were off for Veteran’s Day, but Curiosity was still busy! The sol 806 plan had a pretty simple morning science block with … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Curiosity: Brush twirl

Posted on November 13, 2014 by rburnham

Sol 806, November 12, 2014. The Mastcam (100 mm) checks out (start of a five-image sequence) the business end of the brush, or Dust Removal Tool (DRT). Sol 806 raw images (from all cameras), and Curiosity’s latest location map.

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Pahrump Hills gets a brush-off

Posted on November 11, 2014 by rburnham

Sol 805, November 11, 2014. Mars Science Laboratory rover Opportunity cleaned off a small patch (top right, arrows) on the exposed surface of the Pahrump Hills outcrop. Three hours later, the Mastcam took a look at the patch (middle right), … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

MAVEN relays Curiosity data, images to Earth

Posted on November 10, 2014 by rburnham

The newest node in NASA’s Mars telecommunications network — a radio aboard the MAVEN orbiter custom-designed for data links with robots on the surface of Mars — handled a copious 550 megabits during its first relay of real Mars data. … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Curiosity update: ‘Tight sol’

Posted on November 10, 2014 by rburnham

Sol 805, November 10, 2014, update from USGS Scientist Ken Herkenhoff: “MSL planning is no longer restricted, but today’s commands must be sent to the spacecraft earlier than usual, so tactical planning started 1 hour earlier than usual.  The Sol … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Curiosity: Making tracks at Pahrump Hills

Posted on November 10, 2014 by rburnham

Sol 804, November 10, 2014. Mission controllers are driving Curiosity around on the edges of the Pahrump Hills outcrop to hit various targets. Here we see the Hazcam views, front and back.           Sol 804 raw … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Curiosity update: ‘Shoemaker’

Posted on November 9, 2014 by rburnham

Sol 803-804, November 7, 2014, update from USGS Scientist Ken Herkenhoff: “I’m not on shift today, but keeping up with planning because I’m scheduled as SOWG Chair again on Monday.  And of course I’m curious to see how Curiosity is … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Curiosity: Zapping the scuff

Posted on November 7, 2014 by rburnham

Sol 801, November 7, 2014. The rover’s ChemCam laser instrument is taking pot shots at the sand exposed in the ripple scuffed open by Curiosity’s wheel (for more, see here). Top image: first frame, second frame.         … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Curiosity update: ‘Investigating the scuff’

Posted on November 6, 2014 by rburnham

Sol 801-802, November 5, 2014, update from USGS Scientist Ken Herkenhoff: “The short drive and wheel scuffing activities planned for Sol 799 all completed as planned, leaving the rover in position for detailed examination of the scuff.  Planning is still … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Curiosity finds an orbital hematite match

Posted on November 4, 2014 by rburnham

Reddish rock powder from the first hole drilled into a Martian mountain [Confidence Hills] by NASA’s Curiosity rover has yielded the mission’s first confirmation of a mineral mapped from orbit. “This connects us with the mineral identifications from orbit, which … Continue reading →

Posted in Reports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off