2 min read

Sols 4253-4254: Pit Stop for Contact Science

A grayscale photograph of the Martian surface, in a wide-angle, nearly fisheye view, shows a large, flat, medium gray area in front of the rover, where pebbles and soil are interspersed with large, lighter-colored slabs, which are peeking up from underground. Shadows of parts of the rover form a U around the bottom perimeter of the frame. Two other instruments are just visible, poking into the upper left and right corners of the frame.
This image was taken by Front Hazard Avoidance Camera (Front Hazcam) onboard NASA's Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 4251 (2024-07-22 00:02:59 UTC
NASA/JPL-Caltech

Earth planning date: Monday, July 22, 2024

Last week we wrapped up activities at Fairview Dome and started heading south towards our next potential drill location in the Upper Gediz Vallis ridge campaign. We had about a 29-meter (about 95 feet) drive over the weekend, which set us up nicely for contact science and remote sensing today.

Today’s two-sol plan includes APXS and MAHLI on a gray rock named “Discovery Pinnacle” to assess variations in bedrock chemistry and compare it to what we have seen recently. We also planned ChemCam LIBS on “Miguel Meadow” to evaluate the typical bedrock in our workspace, as seen in the above image from the front Hazcam. The plan also includes a Mastcam mosaic covering the large patch of light-toned rocks in front of the rover to look for variations in lithology. Two ChemCam long-distance RMIs are also planned to evaluate the stratigraphy exposed by a channel cut into the Gediz Vallis ridge deposit, and to look more closely at a well-laminated dark-toned boulder on the channel floor. Then Curiosity will drive about 16 meters (about 52 feet) farther south, and will take post-drive imaging to help us evaluate another patch of light-toned bedrock in the next plan. 

In addition to targeted remote sensing, today’s plan includes observations of atmospheric opacity, searching for dust devils, an autonomously selected ChemCam AEGIS target, and standard DAN and REMS activities.

We’re all curious to see what Wednesday’s workspace will hold as we start thinking about the next place to drill! Meanwhile, much of the science team is gathered in Pasadena, California, this week at the Tenth International Conference on Mars, sharing lots of exciting results from the mission thus far. Looking forward to what comes next!

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

Share

Details

Last Updated
Jul 23, 2024
Editor
NASA Science Editorial Team

Related Terms

Explore More

A grayscale photograph of the Martian surface shows, in the foreground, medium gray soil that looks like wind-blown sand dunes, with a few rounded, medium-sized rocks poking up from the ground. Beyond this area, and covering the upper half of the frame in this circular image, is much more rocky terrain, with both sharp and rounded rocks of all sizes covering the ground.
3 min read

Sols 4368-4369: The Colors of Fall – and Mars

Article1 day ago
A grayscale landscape photo from Mars, showing a broad, medium gray, rock-strewn plain in the foreground extending far into the distance, surrounded by several hills. The closest hill, in the lower right corner, rises up toward the side of the frame, and is darker than the floor below. A little farther out, on the left, a gentle slope rises from the low middle of the frame to middle of the left side; it’s about the same color as the valley floor, except for a band at its farthest edge, which darkens abruptly as if covered in shadow. The terrain appears softer than the ground below, more sandy than rocky. Beyond that along the same rising plane is a much lighter area, with scattered tiny peaks that are darker – looking like the top of a baked meringue pie. The channel floor runs between these hills, then appears to curve toward the right, behind the first hill and in front of the second. Finally, one other rounded peak appears above the horizon, behind these other two hills in the lower right of the frame, all of this below a light-gray sky filling more than half of the frame above.
3 min read

Sols 4366–4367: One of Those Days on Mars (Sulfate-Bearing Unit to the West of Upper Gediz Vallis)

Article3 days ago
A close-up color photo from the Martian surface shows a pale orange rocky outcropping, which looks on top like a sheet of coarse sandpaper, and on the side facing the camera like the feature is made from numerous, stacked thin layers, with undulating edges that make it look like a topographic map. Atop the feature are multiple plates of smooth stone in the same pale orange color, in different shapes, at different angles to each other, with a texture resembling clippings of thick, dense felt.
2 min read

Sols 4362-4363: Plates and Polygons

Article1 week ago
Keep Exploring

Discover More Topics From NASA

Mars

New InSight into the Red Planet Poster

All Mars Resources

Rover Basics

NASA's Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image using its SHERLOC WATSON camera, located on the turret at the end of the rover's robotic arm.

Mars Exploration: Science Goals

Water carved channels and transported sediments form fans and deltas within lake basins in this image of Mars' Jezero crater.