NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover used its left Mast Digicam, or Mastcam, to seize this 180-degree view of Gediz Vallis channel, taken on March 31, launched on July 18. This space was seemingly shaped by massive floods of water and particles that piled jumbles of rocks into mounds throughout the channel and created a protracted ridge downhill (Gediz Vallis ridge). The area, wealthy in salty minerals known as sulfates, is within the foothills of Mount Sharp, a 3-mile-tall (5-kilometer-tall) mountain inside Mars’ Gale Crater.
Picture credit score: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover at Gale Crater is now performing a slate of science duties.
Lauren Edgar, a planetary geologist at USGS Astrogeology Science Middle in Flagstaff, Arizona, stories that the robotic wrapped up actions at Fairview Dome.
Curiosity has began heading south in direction of its subsequent potential drill location within the Higher Gediz Vallis ridge marketing campaign.
Typical bedrock within the rover’s workspace, as seen by this Curiosity picture taken by the Entrance Hazard Avoidance Digicam on Sol 4251, July 22, 2024.
Picture credit score: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Bedrock chemistry
Final weekend, Curiosity made a drive of about 95 ft (29 meters)which set it up for contact science and distant sensing duties, Edgar notes.
Curiosity Chemistry & Digicam Distant Micro-Imager took this picture on Sol 4253, July 24, 2024.
Picture credit score: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL
A latest two-sol plan (Sols 4253-4254) contains Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) and Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) observations on a grey rock named “Discovery Pinnacle” to evaluate variations in bedrock chemistry and evaluate it to what Mars researchers have seen lately.
Additionally deliberate was a Chemistry and Digicam Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) take a look at “Miguel Meadow” to judge the standard bedrock within the rover workspace.
Curiosity Left B Navigation Digicam picture acquired on Sol 4252 July 22, 2024.
Picture credit score: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Variations in lithology
“The plan additionally features a Mastcam mosaic overlaying the big patch of light-toned rocks in entrance of the rover to search for variations in lithology,” Edgar explains. The lithology of a rock unit is an outline of its bodily traits seen at outcrop, in hand or core samples, or with low magnification microscopy.
Curiosity Proper B Navigation Digicam picture taken on Sol 4252, July 22, 2024.
Picture credit score: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Two ChemCam long-distance Distant Micro-Imager (RMIs) have been additionally deliberate to judge the stratigraphy uncovered by a channel minimize into the Gediz Vallis ridge deposit, and to look extra carefully at a well-laminated dark-toned boulder on the channel flooring.
Curiosity Proper B Navigation Digicam picture taken on Sol 4252, July 22, 2024.
Picture credit score: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Submit-drive imaging
“Then Curiosity will drive about 52 ft (16 meters) farther south,” Edgar stories, “and can take post-drive imaging to assist us consider one other patch of light-toned bedrock within the subsequent plan.”
Curiosity Proper B Navigation Digicam picture taken on Sol 4252, July 22, 2024.
Picture credit score: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Along with focused distant sensing, the latest plan contains observations of atmospheric opacity, trying to find mud devils, an autonomously chosen ChemCam AEGIS goal, and customary Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) and Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) actions.
Curiosity Mast Digicam Left picture taken on Sol 4251, July 22, 2024.
Picture credit score: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
AEGIS stands for (Autonomous Exploration for Gathering Elevated Science) – a software program suite that allows the rover to autonomously detect and prioritize targets.
“We’re all curious to see what Wednesday’s workspace will maintain,” Edgar concludes, “as we begin interested by the following place to drill!”
Curiosity Mast Digicam Left picture taken on Sol 4251, July 22, 2024.
Picture credit score: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
