MISSION UPDATES | October 20, 2014

Sols 785-786 Update On Curiosity From USGS Scientist Lauren Edgar: Comet Siding Spring

Written by Lauren Edgar, Planetary Geologist at USGS Astrogeology Science Center

Sols 785-786 Update On Curiosity From USGS Scientist Lauren Edgar: Comet Siding Spring Over the weekend, a number of Mars spacecraft observed a rare encounter with comet Siding Spring . Curiosity successfully observed the comet with Mastcam, Navcam and ChemCam RMI. Today we’re planning two sols during which Curiosity will drive closer to the rock outcrop " Book Cliffs ," and perform some remote sensing. This is part of a bigger campaign to survey the Pahrump Hills. During the drive we will acquire a series of MARDI images to document the geology along the traverse. The plan also includes ChemCam observations of the targets "Ibex Pass," "Hayden Peak," and "Saddle Peak" with corresponding Mastcam images to characterize the local geology. After the drive we’ll acquire our standard post-drive imaging. The plan also includes several Navcam observations to monitor the atmosphere. I’ll be on duty as the Geology Science Theme Lead starting on Sol 787 so I’m getting up to speed on the current science plans and looking forward to exploring the Pahrump Hills!

Dates of planned rover activities described in these reports are subject to change due to a variety of factors related to the Martian environment, communication relays and rover status.