Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Curiosity Mastcam Left image taken on Sol 1589, January 24, 2017.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is carrying out science duties during Sol 1591.

The Sol 1589 and Sol 1590 plan went well, with the robot wheeling roughly 102 feet (31 meters).

Still sick  

Curiosity’s Chemistry & Camera (ChemCam) remains “sick” and some diagnostic activities are being planned for the upcoming weekend, reports Ryan Anderson, a planetary scientist at the USGS Astrogeology Science Center in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Curiosity Navcam Left B image acquired on Sol 1590, January 25, 2017
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

“We are approaching the Bagnold Dunes,” Anderson adds, “so in order to save time and allow more room for science activities at the dunes, today’s plan does not include a drive.”

Wheel inspection

Instead, on the plan is a Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) check-up of the rover wheels.

Curiosity Navcam Left B image taken on Sol 1590, January 25, 2017
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Prior to that wheel inspection, the Sol 1591 plan starts with Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) and MAHLI of the bedrock target “Munsungun,” followed by Mastcam of “Daniel Island” and “Chapman.”

Short bump

“After the MAHLI images of the wheels, we will do a short ‘bump’ drive to get in position for weekend science,” Anderson says.

Curiosity’s Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Instrument Suite is slated to do an evolved gas experiment overnight.

Then on Sol 1592, the robot’s Navcam is scheduled for a dust devil search and Mastcam has some multispectral images of Hematite Ridge.

Curiosity Navcam Right B image acquired on Sol 1589, January 24, 2017.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Mastcam also has a small stereo mosaic of “Maple Mountain.”

Driving distance

A map the Curiosity rover’s location for Sol 1589 was released on January 25.

The map shows the route driven by NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity through the 1589 Martian day, or sol, of the rover’s mission on the Red Planet that began in August 2012.

Numbering of the dots along the map line indicate the sol number of each drive. North is up.

The base image from this map is from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment Camera (HiRISE) in NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

From Sol 1587 to Sol 1589, Curiosity has driven a straight line distance of about 94.78 feet (28.89 meters).

Since touching down in Bradbury Landing in August 2012, Curiosity has driven 9.53 miles (15.34 kilometers).