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Our mini campaign on this section of the “Greenheugh pediment” and the rocks immediately below it (which ran over the past 85 sols) is coming to an end, and today we planned our last contact science here at the base of Tower Butte, on its western side. Our long term plan is to return to the pediment, but as orbital data indicates that we are unlikely to find any access points anytime soon, it may be at least several months before we get the chance to climb back up.
Today’s workspace (shown above) consists of a fragmented looking bedrock, with abundant thin white veins and raised ridges, crosscutting the bedrock. APXS and MAHLI are categorizing “typical” bedrock here, analyzing the target “Beefstand Hill” and hoping to avoid the veins! ChemCam and Mastcam, on the other hand, are looking at the variability here, likely caused by the veins, and are targeting three targets “Dysart,” “Corpach” and “Berwick upon Tweed,” in order to compare the “typical” with the “other.” A good example of Curiosity using all her instruments to get as much information as possible!
Our planned drive (roughly 40 metres) for this plan will bring us back into our investigation of the clay rich unit in the “Glen Torridon” region. We are searching for a suitable drill location, our sixth (!) as part of the Glen Torridon campaign. Our end of drive location will place us mid-way between Tower Butte and Western Butte.
The environmental theme group (ENV) planned several routine activities to monitor dust levels in the crater and atmosphere. The southern hemisphere of Mars (where Gale crater is located) is moving into its summer season. This means an increase in dust in the atmosphere, so dust storms and dust devils become more likely, and these background monitoring activities take on a new importance.
I will be APXS Strategic Planner next week and am looking forward to helping pick our next drill target in the Clay unit.
Written by Catherine O'Connell-Cooper, Planetary Geologist at University of New Brunswick