From 'Bathurst Inlet' to 'Rocknest'

On Sol 55 (Oct. 1, 2012), Curiosity finished observations at the "Bathurst Inlet" rock target it had examined with instruments on the arm. Then the rover completed a drive of about 77 feet (23.5 meters) to arrive near a patch of wind-deposited soil called "Rocknest," which is a potential target for the first scooping activity.

This drive brought the total distance driven during the mission to about 0.30 mile (0.48 kilometer).

Sol 55 activities prior to the drive included use of the Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument on Bathurst Inlet.

A Sol 55 raw image from Curiosity's right Navigation Camera shows the calibration targets for the Mast Camera (Mastcam) and ChemCam, and the rover's UHF antenna, in the foreground, and the lower slope of Mount Sharp in the distance.

Sol 55, in Mars local mean solar time at Gale Crater, ended at 7:46 p.m. Oct. 1, PDT (10:46 p.m. EDT).