Curiosity Blog, Sols 4982–4987: Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

After spending two planning cycles investigating an erosional surface, Curiosity is back on course to ascend Mount Sharp. As fall begins in Gale Crater, temperatures and dust storm likelihood are dropping, but the rover continues monitoring for the last late-season local and regional dust storms.

On Monday's plan (Sols 4982–4985), MAHLI reacquired selected images for the mosaic of 'Tres Morros' to capture a detailed view of the feature's underside. APXS measured the DRT-brushed bedrock target 'El Motacusal' and the unbrushed 'Alto de Carmen,' both documented with MAHLI images. ChemCam carried out LIBS spectroscopy on 'Lagunas Bravas' and 'Parququcha,' plus Remote Micro-Imaging on Mishe Mokwa. Mastcam captured a near-field mosaic of the erosional ridge 'Los Toldos' and a distant mosaic of bedrock 'Los Ladrillos,' along with color documentation of previous ChemCam targets. The rover then drove 30 meters to its next location.

The Friday plan (Sols 4985–4987) found flat bedrock, but the left-front wheel was perched on a small rock, making DRT contact unsafe. Despite that, MAHLI and APXS performed contact science on targets 'Mamorecillo' and 'Aguas Claras,' and MAHLI imaged its calibration target. ChemCam analyzed three targets, including the dark-toned resistant layer 'Yura Kasa,' while Mastcam continued mosaics of the stratigraphy above the erosional contact. The plan also included extensive environmental monitoring for dust activity, keeping with the season's transition.