2 min read

Sols 2592-2593: ‘…Till Birnam Forest Come to Dunsinane’

Sols 2592-2593: '...Till Birnam Forest Come to Dunsinane'

Because of several power-hungry activities, Curiosity's planned science activities needed to be rather thin for the next two sols. However, we were still able to plan some great science observations and get us ready for our next move through the clay-bearing Glen Torridon region. First, Curiosity will acquire a series of Mastcam images of the surrounding workspace to document the rock texture and composition along the western slope of Central Butte, a large topographic high that has been the target of exploration over the past week or so. These observations will include multispectral images of the most recent contact science target (named "Muckle Flugga," see image), two high-resolution mosaics (one of the terrain just off the front-right wheel and one of the edge of Central Butte), and imaging of a knobby rock unit in front of the rover. Then, Curiosity will perform a maneuver called "Full MAHLI Wheel Imaging," where we use the MAHLI instrument to image Curiosity's wheels to monitor damage over the course of its traverse. The following day, Curiosity will drive away from its current location and continue exploring the Glen Torridon Unit, followed by some post-drive imaging to aid with planning weekend science activities.

Two new target names in today's plan are "Birnam Wood" and "Dunsinane," which are both referred to in Shakespeare's famous tragedy Macbeth. Fortunately, Curiosity doesn't have to worry about battling royalty for control of the throne - Curiosity is already the Ruler of Gale crater!

Written by Mark Salvatore, Planetary Geologist at University of Michigan

Share

Details

Last Updated
Oct 29, 2024
Editor
NASA Science Editorial Team

Related Terms

Explore More

A grayscale photograph of the Martian surface from the Curiosity rover captures medium gray, very uneven terrain in front of the rover, with many angular, lighter-toned, medium-sized rocks protruding from the smooth soil. The bottom of the frame shows part of the rover, running from the middle left to the lower right corner of the image, including part of its robotic arm which carries a nameplate imprinted with “Curiosity” outlined in all capital letters, and to the right of that a line drawing of the rover.
2 min read

Sol 4370-4371: All About the Polygons

Article5 days ago
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 week 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)

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.