Exploring Mt Sharp north of the dunes - Part 1: Beyond Pahrump Hills, Site 45-50, Sol 923-1147, March 12-October 28, 2015 Options

[PaulH51]

Enjoyed those animations from Herobrine

Here is the latest Curiosity Mission Update from Ken Herkenhoff - 'Sol 1091: Lots of MAHLI Targets' LINK

...The team is very interested in the outcrop in front of the rover, so I had a very busy day as MAHLI/MARDI uplink lead today, even though we are planning just one sol. We planned in advance for MAHLI nighttime imaging of CheMin's inlet and MAHLI's calibration target (using white and UV LEDs), so those activities were ready to go this morning. But we had to prioritize and plan the details of observations of other contact science targets. Because the Sol 1089 MAHLI images and APXS placement were not perfectly centered on the Buckskin dump pile, our top priority is to repeat those observations with updated positioning. We planned MAHLI images of a target dubbed "Devon," which will also be measured by APXS. Many of the targets of interest are difficult to reach with the arm, so the rover planners requested relatively low-resolution MAHLI images of them to support planning of more contact science on Sol 1092. These targets were named "Pentagon," "Lebo," "Ivanhoe," and "Ledger," with Ledger being imaged in stereo by Mastcam because it is a candidate for brushing with the DRT. Finally, the APXS will be placed on the dump pile for overnight integration...

[Herobrine]

Well, if you like Curiosity GIFs, those last two, from Sol 1046, are just shrunken versions from a set of larger GIFs I made in July but never posted, one for each of the 9 camera angles, mentioned in my last post, of the Sol 1046 wheel checkout.
They're about 2 MiB each, though they're still only half the dimensions of the original frames (I love the quality MAHLI and MASTCAM provide).
From MAHLI:
http://i.imgur.com/TCNsW1J.gif
http://i.imgur.com/TFnOD4W.gif
http://i.imgur.com/ygKY0cJ.gif
http://i.imgur.com/9XiYPa4.gif
From MASTCAM:
http://i.imgur.com/vZOaJXG.gif
http://i.imgur.com/galBJXa.gif
http://i.imgur.com/EzxVUB6.gif
http://i.imgur.com/7D1RblZ.gif
http://i.imgur.com/Azgcw1X.gif

Edit: As long as I'm posting large GIFs, the full-size frames, corresponding to that Sol 1089 animation I posted, have been downlinked, so here's a larger, cleaner version:
http://i.imgur.com/NbL1q7y.gif

[fredk]

Ridiculously long and delicate "spoon" in suspension from sol 1089:

[Phil Stooke]

Crazy - are you sure you didn't make that up, Fredk? No wonder Mars is getting all this attention in the weirder media these days.

Phil

[Herobrine]

This whole area is full of interestingly eroded stuff.

There's a wider "suspended spoon" near the top-middle of that image (original is on the left).
Some of these thin overhangs are quite large; hopefully, Curiosity doesn't have the ground, that appeared solid, collapse beneath it.

[atomoid]

ha! had the same soupspoon impression of those new sol1089 images!

[PaulH51]

I guess we should start looking for the knife and fork so we have the full set

Here is the latest plan: Curiosity Mission Update: by Lauren Edgar, Sol 1092: Stimson Contact LINK

Really good to see that they provided links to images of three of the science targets

...The Sol 1092 plan includes targeted remote sensing followed by more contact science. In the midday science block, we’ll acquire ChemCam and Mastcam on the targets “Rabbit Hills” and “Horseshoe Hills” to investigate some of the alteration features seen here. We’ll also acquire some large Mastcam mosaics of the “Williams” area to investigate the sedimentary structures. The plan also includes a ChemCam RMI autofocus test, and a Navcam movie to monitor the atmosphere. In the afternoon, we’ll acquire closer MAHLI imaging on “Lebo,” “Ivanhoe,” and “Ledger,” using the information we gained from the Sol 1091 MAHLI finder frames. Since "Ledger” is a nice flat ledge, it’s also a good target for the DRT, so we can brush away the dust to expose a fresh surface. Then we’ll place the APXS on “Ledger” for an overnight integration. We’re in really early slide sols this week (meaning planning starts at 6am), but that hasn’t stopped the team from putting together some very full plans!

[Phil Stooke]

Here's a circular view from Jan's recent panorama - it gives a good idea of the arrangement of outcrops here.

Phil

[atomoid]

white vein sol1089

[jccwrt]

I put together a few "postcards" from Curiosity's end of drive NavCam images:


Curiosity Postcard sol 1083 by Justin Cowart, on Flickr


Curiosity Postcard - Sol 1085 by Justin Cowart, on Flickr


Curiosity Postcard - Sol 1087 by Justin Cowart, on Flickr

[PaulH51]

I put together a few "postcards"....

Wonderful, hope you can make more of these in the future?
Here is the latest plan: Curiosity Mission Update: by Lauren Edgar: Sol 1093: Leaving the Williams area LINK

After successful contact science on the Stimson unit in the Williams area, it’s time to get back on the road. In today’s plan we’ll finish up a few activities at the Williams area, and then continue on our drive towards Bridger Basin and eventually the Bagnold Dunes.
Today’s plan consists of ChemCam and Mastcam observations on the targets “Interlake,” “Ledger,” and “Mackay Dome.” Then we’ll image the “Ledger” target using all of the Mastcam camera filters, and take another Mastcam clast survey image to look for any changes in the time that we’ve been here. We’ll also use Mastcam to look at the sun to measure the atmospheric opacity. Then we’ll take a short drive and acquire post-drive imaging to help with targeting in tomorrow’s plan. It’s exciting to be driving again, and I’m sure we’ll encounter some beautiful views as we continue to drive through this interesting terrain.

[PaulH51]

Two of the Focus merged MAHLI's from the Stimson Unit, sol 1092. Both show a wide mix of grain sizes, and Ivanhoe bears few marks from the DRT brushes, suggesting it could be harder than some of the recent DRT targets. Thanks to Gerald for the MAHLI Ruler.

Ledger (post DRT) & Ivanhoe

[Gerald]

"CheMin's inlet funnel will be vibrated in an attempt to remove a particle from the screen over the funnel."
The attempt has been successful:

[jvandriel]

The Navcam L panoramic view on Sol 1093.

Jan van Driel

[PaulH51]

The attempt has been successful:

Good to hear that was cleared