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Sols 2061-2062: Time to feed CheMin

Sols 2061-2062: Time to feed CheMin

After successfully drilling the "Duluth" target on Sol 2057 (as seen in the above Mastcam image), the science team is eager to find out what it's made of. As SOWG Chair today, it was exciting to plan the drop-off of material to CheMin and overnight CheMin analysis. Hopefully we'll get some good data about the mineralogy of this sample!

In addition to the CheMin activities, the team planned another ChemCam observation of the "Duluth" drill hole, and nearby bedrock and vein targets named "Prosit" and "Grand Marais." On Monday we delivered three portions of the drill material to a nearby rock surface, and in today's plan we're monitoring those piles to see if any of the fines are moving in the wind. We'll also check for changes in a sandy ripple named "Esko." Both change detection observations will be repeated on the second sol, along with a Mastcam mosaic to provide more context for this drill location. The environmental theme group also planned a couple of Navcam dust devil observations, a Mastcam tau, and a Mastcam crater rim extinction activity to monitor dust in the atmosphere.

Looking forward to finding out what this rock is made of!

Written by Lauren Edgar, Planetary Geologist at USGS Astrogeology Science Center