Two drives on sols 4253 and 4255, with Curiosity reversing course on the latter one's final part.
There were indications of a new drill campaign so this can be for properly positioning the rover.



Fernando
_____________________________________________________________________
The Martian Way files can also be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OJH...BbQ?usp=sharing
Included are "The Martian Way" KMZ file, User's Guide, and MSL Orbital map of Gale crater.

A good drive on sol 4251. No new targets yet.



Fernando
_____________________________________________________________________
The Martian Way files can also be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OJH...BbQ?usp=sharing
Included are "The Martian Way" KMZ file, User's Guide, and MSL Orbital map of Gale crater.

Update of the KML file to sol 4246. A bit late as I was traveling on the last weekend.

 The_Martian_Way_MSL_Curiosity_Sol_4246_2024JUL22.kmz ( 1.57MB ) Number of downloads: 72


A change log can be found in post #494

Fernando
_____________________________________________________________________
The Martian Way files can also be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OJH...BbQ?usp=sharing
Included are "The Martian Way" KMZ file, User's Guide, and MSL Orbital map of Gale crater.

Moved the target again! This time it is correct. Added a few target's names and the drive on sol 4246.



Fernando
_____________________________________________________________________
The Martian Way files can also be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OJH...BbQ?usp=sharing
Included are "The Martian Way" KMZ file, User's Guide, and MSL Orbital map of Gale crater.

A new drive uphill on sol 4244. Moved a target's name, hope it is the right location!



Fernando
_____________________________________________________________________
The Martian Way files can also be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OJH...BbQ?usp=sharing
Included are "The Martian Way" KMZ file, User's Guide, and MSL Orbital map of Gale crater.

In about one month (on August 19-20) JUICE will fly by the Moon and then Earth.
The double flyby, a first of its kind, will set JUICE on a course to Jupiter via a "shortcut" past Venus.

See the full information at https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Spa...ou_need_to_know

Update of the KML file to sol 4241.

 The_Martian_Way_MSL_Curiosity_Sol_4241_2024JUL14.kmz ( 1.56MB ) Number of downloads: 88

A change log can be found in post #494

Fernando
_____________________________________________________________________
The Martian Way files can also be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OJH...BbQ?usp=sharing
Included are "The Martian Way" KMZ file, User's Guide, and MSL Orbital map of Gale crater.

A look ahead. The blue "notional route" and the red actual path.

"... across the straights, around the Horn: how far can sailors fly? ..."*



Fernando
_____________________________________________________________________
The Martian Way files can also be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OJH...BbQ?usp=sharing
Included are "The Martian Way" KMZ file, User's Guide, and MSL Orbital map of Gale crater.
*Keith Reid, Gary Brooker - Procol Harum

A new, zigzagging, shorter than planned, drive on sol 4241, perhaps the inclined terrain is a bit too slippery.



Fernando
_____________________________________________________________________
The Martian Way files can also be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OJH...BbQ?usp=sharing
Included are "The Martian Way" KMZ file, User's Guide, and MSL Orbital map of Gale crater.

A short drive on sol 4237 and Curiosity has passed the 32 km mark, keeping its 4th place in the longest distance driven by the Moon and Mars rovers.



Fernando
_____________________________________________________________________
The Martian Way files can also be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OJH...BbQ?usp=sharing
Included are "The Martian Way" KMZ file, User's Guide, and MSL Orbital map of Gale crater.

Thank you very much indeed for your kind words Floyd.
Fernando

Curiosity dedicated the second quarter of 2024 to investigating the Gedis Vallis channel, slowly moving southward and upward. A new hole, Mammoth Lakes, was drilled, a campaign that took quite a few sols.

Here is a visualization of Curiosity's travels on the second quarter of 2024. In all images North is at the top.

The path for sols 4143 to 4230 (April 1st to June 30th, 2024):



The above in a wider context (since sol 3076, April 1st, 2021):




For the route summaries of previous quarters and their contexts please see:

• 1Q 2024 Post #2121
• 4Q 2023 Post #2074
• 3Q 2023 Post #2043
• 2Q 2023 Post #1973
• 1Q 2023 Post #1924
• 4Q 2022 Post #1873
• 3Q 2022 Post #1828
• 2Q 2022 Post #1779
• 1Q 2022 Post #1725
• 4Q 2021 Post #1634
• 3Q 2021 Post #1608 (includes mission-wide and Gale-crater-wide contexts).

Fernando
_____________________________________________________________________
The Martian Way files can also be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OJH...BbQ?usp=sharing
Included are "The Martian Way" KMZ file, User's Guide, and MSL Orbital map of Gale crater.

According to the rover updates for sols 4236-4238 Curiosity has finished its investigations at the current location and will drive away during this weekend.
Here is an updated KML file with all the new target names.

 The_Martian_Way_MSL_Curiosity_Sol_4236_2024JUL07.kmz ( 1.51MB ) Number of downloads: 40

A change log can be found in post #494

Fernando
_____________________________________________________________________
The Martian Way files can also be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OJH...BbQ?usp=sharing
Included are "The Martian Way" KMZ file, User's Guide, and MSL Orbital map of Gale crater.

Update of the KML file including hole #41.

 The_Martian_Way_MSL_Curiosity_Sol_4222_2024JUN24.kmz ( 1.56MB ) Number of downloads: 82

A change log can be found in post #494

Fernando
_____________________________________________________________________
The Martian Way files can also be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OJH...BbQ?usp=sharing
Included are "The Martian Way" KMZ file, User's Guide, and MSL Orbital map of Gale crater.

Curiosity drilled its 41st hole, Mammoth Lakes, at the third location. The grey bar on the right is a wheel track.



Images credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Fernando

Nice montage! Meanwhile Curiosity drilled hole #41 at Mammoth Lakes.



Fernando
_____________________________________________________________________
The Martian Way files can also be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OJH...BbQ?usp=sharing
Included are "The Martian Way" KMZ file, User's Guide, and MSL Orbital map of Gale crater.

KML file update to sol 4210.

 The_Martian_Way_MSL_Curiosity_Sol_4210_2024JUN11.kmz ( 1.56MB ) Number of downloads: 76

A change log can be found in post #494

Fernando
_____________________________________________________________________
The Martian Way files can also be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OJH...BbQ?usp=sharing
Included are "The Martian Way" KMZ file, User's Guide, and MSL Orbital map of Gale crater.

Update to sol 4208 with target names.



Fernando
_____________________________________________________________________
The Martian Way files can also be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OJH...BbQ?usp=sharing
Included are "The Martian Way" KMZ file, User's Guide, and MSL Orbital map of Gale crater.

Thank you Paul. I'm glad it is being enjoyed. And I'm still having fun doing it (but free time is diminishing).
I am traveling right now so any updates won't come before mid to end of the week.
Cheers
Fernando

KML file update to sol 4200.

 The_Martian_Way_MSL_Curiosity_Sol_4200_2024JUN03.kmz ( 1.56MB ) Number of downloads: 90


A change log can be found in post #494

Fernando
_____________________________________________________________________
The Martian Way files can also be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OJH...BbQ?usp=sharing
Included are "The Martian Way" KMZ file, User's Guide, and MSL Orbital map of Gale crater.

A 9m drive on sol 4200 and Curiosity is less than 7m away from the 32km mark!



Fernando
_____________________________________________________________________
The Martian Way files can also be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OJH...BbQ?usp=sharing
Included are "The Martian Way" KMZ file, User's Guide, and MSL Orbital map of Gale crater.

New target names from sol 4199 but no drive to report. The blue line is the MSAR 10 (Mount Sharp Ascent Route).



Fernando
_____________________________________________________________________
The Martian Way files can also be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OJH...BbQ?usp=sharing
Included are "The Martian Way" KMZ file, User's Guide, and MSL Orbital map of Gale crater.

A long drive of 38+ m over the long weekend. Curiosity did take a shorter route...



Fernando
_____________________________________________________________________
The Martian Way files can also be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OJH...BbQ?usp=sharing
Included are "The Martian Way" KMZ file, User's Guide, and MSL Orbital map of Gale crater.

My thanks to Phil for the information on the planned landing site.

I have added to the KML file a ground overlay for the location, using a crop of an LROC high resolution image (getting very close to the post max size).
Full credit included in the file. I encourage users to expand the file on the GE viewer panel and find all the features within it.

 Chang__e_6_Landing_Site_2024MAY28.kmz ( 2.92MB ) Number of downloads: 84


Fernando

I hope this is the right thread...

The paper titled "Landing site of the Chang'e-6 lunar farside sample return mission from the Apollo basin" includes enough information and images to allow creating a KML file for Google Moon (in Google Earth).
Full credit to the authors is included in the KML file and is displayed by clicking the underlined "Chang'e 6 Landing Site" title. The included base image has better resolution than the underlying Google imagery. Unfortunately it proved impossible (to me) to perfectly match the image to the Google imagery. Nevertheless, I think it is worth it and hope it may be of some use, now that the landing is approaching.

Just as with the the Curiosity KML file, download the file below to your favorite place and double click it. This should invoke Google Earth, and a message prompting to allow to change to the Moon should appear. All comments are welcome, especially if you run into any problems!

 Chang__e_6_Landing_Site_2024MAY26.kmz ( 2.92MB ) Number of downloads: 124


Fernando