Curiosity Mastcam Left image taken on August 25, 2015, Sol 1085.    Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Curiosity Mastcam Left image taken on August 25, 2015, Sol 1085.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

“Curiosity is currently making her way through some beautiful exposures of the Stimson unit,” reports Lauren Edgar of the USGS Astrogeology Science Center in Flagstaff, Arizona.

The rover completed a roughly 20-foot (6-meter) drive on Sol 1087 and Curiosity is in a good position for possible contact science early next week, Edgar adds.

Weekend work for the robot is that on Sol 1089 Curiosity is to drop off part of the Buckskin drill sample to the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Instrument Suite.

The plan calls for dumping the Buckskin post-sieve sample, and analyze it with the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS).

Bedrock features

The schedule also includes Mastcam and Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) imaging to document the dump pile, Edgar adds. “Sol 1090 consists of several ChemCam observations of the targets “Fox Hills,” “OBriens Creek,” and “Bearpaw” to investigate the bedrock and local alteration features.”

Curiosity Mastcam Left image taken on Sol 1087, August 28, 2015.  Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Curiosity Mastcam Left image taken on Sol 1087, August 28, 2015.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Also on tap is to acquire a large Mastcam mosaic to document the stratigraphy, and a Navcam deck pan for dust monitoring.

“This region has some particularly stunning views,” Edgar notes, “so I’m looking forward to seeing the new mosaics!”

Note: Dates of planned rover activities are always subject to change due to a variety of factors related to the Martian environment, communication relays and rover status.

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