Tag Archives: Stimson Formation

Curiosity: Tricky driving ahead

Posted on April 8, 2016 by rburnham

Sol 1305, April 7, 2016. The rough road across the Naukluft Plateau remains quite rough. This Navcam composite looks west-northwest, with low outcrops ahead and a shallow valley leading off to the left. Click image to enlarge. Sol 1305 raw … Continue reading →

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Curiosity update: Deja vu

Posted on April 7, 2016 by rburnham

Sol 1305-06, April 6, 2016, update from USGS scientist Ken Herkenhoff: Once again, the Sol 1303 drive stopped during wheel steering, apparently due to another short in the RTG.  While the power and mobility engineers investigate the fault and ways … Continue reading →

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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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