The site counter tells you what coordinate system is being used to locate the rover and targets. Back at the landing site the first images could be used to make a base map showing where everything is, so the cameras, ChemCam etc. can be pointed to specific locations. After the rover drove a short distance on sol 16, and again on sol 21, the same coordinate system still works for new observation planning. But eventually you get too far away and you have to set up a new coordinate system. That's a new site. The counter gets incremented as each new one is established.

Spirit and Opportunity have had hundreds of sites between them. Eventually Curiosity will have lots as well.

Phil

Funny you should mention it, looks like it's explained here (see the last three paragraphs or so).

This isn't something new to MSL, by the way; the same system is used on MER, and basically everything most of what we're extrapolating about MSL is based on that, as far as I know. See, for example, Mars Exploration Rover Coordinate Systems Relevant to Imaging & Rover Motion Counter by Justin Maki. (Well actually we can see in some of the NAIF data that the concept of sites is used for MSL, too.)

(Oops, didn't see Phil's earlier post.)

Oy! Thanks to you and Phil for the explanations and thanks for the link. That's what happens when one fails to keep up with Emily's blog! An unusual lapse on my part.

It is a convenience. After you drive for a while, the rover coordinates, and the coordinates of various targets, start to have many significant digits and it is easy to make mistakes when manually checking large numbers. Therefore, we periodically reset the origin of the coordinate system and we refer the new X, and Y coordinates to the new "site index" to avoid confusing the same coordinates but relative to a different origin. These coordinate systems are always parallel to each other, that is, X is always pointed to North and Y is always pointed to East but the location of coordinate 0, 0 changes at each site index.

Paolo

ChemCam views of the drill bit coming down now! Neato.

This one begs the question, which one is scarier to have pointed at you -- a percussive drill or a laser beam?

I'll take MSL's laser over the drill anyday. Mainly for the less blood and gore factor

This just in - the rock which was brushed a few sols ago is called Wernecke (from the 'where is Curiosity' part of the MSL website).

It's really bugging me that i can't find that last drill contact location. Anyone else see it?

Phil

Here's an animated GIF of the drill bit (ChemCam - Sol 172).

http://makeagif.com/media/1-29-2013/OzNl2F.gif

I think I found the missing contact point (circled in white); looks like the post rested on a small pebble which then moved just a little bit - it is more than just the shadow moving. I used lines on each image to verify that is was indeed the pebble that moved, and the distance vector between the locations is almost identical to that in the other images (which assumes MAHLI was at the same height).


Blink animation, scaled 200%:


Airbag

I think you're right!

Phil

Forgive me as I'm a noob. But I do know rock "Hiliti" type drills (only in Concrete and Granite type rock). This looks like the fouling they were worried about.

EDIT: I realize now that the angle makes the flukes look fouled. But that is not the case.

Here's a preliminary look at the very nice (and huge!) Sol 170 MC34 panorama. Interestingly, it seems the big 15 frame block that's missing at upper right seems to have been purposefully skipped, as the row sequence numbers do not show any numeric break across the 3 rows of the gap. This faces the low sun angle, so not sure if that was a consideration or not. The other two missing frames at right have thumbs down so presumably will be in soon, and there are two more missing frames that appear to extend the far upper right of the pan. There's a small stitching anomaly at the left flank and base of Mt.Sharp I'll try and fix in the final version. There's a ton of detail in here of areas not previously covered by the MC's on the flat of bay.

Click thumb for half resolution version (15000 x 4285 px - 9.24MB):


The original came in at just over 32,000 pixels so I reduced it to 30,000 for now to save the JPG easily after PS post-processing. Will render a full sized version when the missing frames are in. For now, the near full resolution version (30000 x 8569 px - 26.72MB - ZIP File) is here: Sol170-MC34-Mt.Sharp-Yellowknife-Panorama-30000x8569px.zip

The big block at the lower left also appears to have been purposefully skipped

Seriously, I don't know why they would skip a big area like that; perhaps it was covered by some earlier sequence or that's the divide between multiple sequences which will be filled in shortly?

This is a seriously scenic spot; it would be absolutely crazy not to fill in that "missing block at lower left"!! There's gotta be something we can do to make some noise about that.

Patience! We'll be here for weeks.

Phil