After our adventures further uphill, Curiosity is backing down hill to get to the start of the path she will take up to the “Greenheugh Pediment.” We are still surrounded by amazing stratigraphy and have the benefit of having been through here before. We can fill in missing pieces of terrain, and follow up interesting observations. Mastcam and ChemCam imaging fills both needs today.
Mastcam will acquire stereo mosaics across the base of “Maringma” butte, and across another butte east of our current location. Both mosaics are aimed at imaging sedimentary structures in these vertical exposures.
In complementary fashion, ChemCam will cover the eastern butte layering with a 10×1 RMI mosaic. Mastcam will also image a stretch of tilted bedrock layers, dubbed “Plomo,” that stretch uphill away from the rover.
Closer to the rover, ChemCam, MAHLI and APXS were also busy at this stop. Typically on a “touch and go” sol, we look at a given target with APXS and MAHLI, and then shoot another target with ChemCam to, in effect, spread the wealth of data we acquire across a workspace.
Today, in part because we have ChemCam, APXS, and MAHLI data from this area from our first pass, we had the opportunity to focus all three instruments on one target, “El Dorado.” We hope between APXS, MAHLI, and ChemCam, one instrument strikes gold at this prominent bedrock layer.
After our drive down hill, DAN will acquire both active and passive measurements, MARDI will acquire an image of the terrain under the left front wheel, ChemCam will autonomously shoot a target in the rover vicinity, and Mastcam will acquire a sky survey. REMS and RAD will continually monitor the environment as we start to move out of winter in Gale.
Related Links
Curiosity Mars Science Laboratory
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more
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Sols 3374-3375: MAHLI Lets the Dog Out at the Prow!
Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 04, 2022
In our weekend drive we aimed to get up close to the “Toron” block, which is a “float rock” or out of place chunk of bedrock in the workspace. Unlike many float rocks, Toron’s original location (tantalizingly out of reach on “The Prow,”) can be pinpointed with confidence, which allows us to analyze the upper reaches of The Prow from a safe position.
The rover planners placed the rover in the optimal position to plan some amazing contact science. APXS analysis of the block (target “Sumuru”, in the … read more