Curiosity will begin a three-sol plan to cover part of the long weekend, with additional activities to be planned for tomorrow. The Geology Science Theme Lead faced challenges fitting everything into the plan while staying within power constraints.
On Sol 1176, the rover will acquire ChemCam and Mastcam images of a small patch of sand to assess its composition and morphology. The rover will then drive southwest, taking Navcam images for future targeting and running a change detection experiment to monitor sand movement in a small sandsheet.
The second sol will focus on environmental monitoring activities using ChemCam and Mastcam to assess the atmosphere’s composition and opacity. The morning of the third sol will involve using Navcam to monitor the atmosphere and search for dust devils. In addition, REMS will take observations to assess wind speeds as the team monitors the dunes.
Additional activities include ChemCam calibration, a Mastcam mosaic of the local bedrock, a clast survey, and Navcam atmospheric observations. CheMin will dump the “Greenhorn” sample and analyze an empty cell in preparation for upcoming sampling. After a busy holiday plan, Curiosity will take time to rest and recharge before continuing its exploration. Safe travels, Curiosity!