Sol 3319: Shoot the Gap

Curiosity is preparing to “shoot the gap”and dash through the Maria Gordon notch (the cliff-lined valley seen in the image above) in the sols ahead. Already we have a spectacular view of the 12 m (39 feet) tall cliff on the right/west side of the Notch and today’s plan included additional imaging of the cliff face.

DAN is planning a mini-campaign to study the composition of the cliff face and we began preparing for that today with two DAN “active”sequences (when DAN generates neutrons to bombard the ground below the rover and help determine its hydration and composition) and a long DAN “passive”sequence (when we let the Universe provide the neutrons).

We additionally scheduled brief contact science with APXS and MAHLI on a large block in the workspace, a drive, and a late afternoon Mastcam sky survey to study airborne dust particles.

Today’s drive will bring us into the edge of the valley seen in the image, where we can identify an ideal location for DAN’s planned campaign later this week.

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Onwards and Sidewards for Curiosity on Sol 3313

Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 02, 2021

The rover rarely drives in a straight line, and our recent drive took the “road less traveled” to investigate a bunch of boulders shed down from a cliff face off to the side of our expected traverse to the south. Why? Beneath the Greenheugh Pediment, the flat-lying, high-standing escarpment to the west, the scientists could see a unique layer with a convoluted texture.

In our drive today, we’re headed to blocks from this layer that have rolled down close to the cliff base. First, the rover will do … read more

Tags: Mars