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February 3rd, 2019
Curiosity Front Hazcam Left A photo acquired on Sol 2308, February 2, 2019.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is now performing Sol 2309 duties.
A new set of images from the robot show operations, working the current workspace in front of the Mars machinery that is very rubbly, with no bedrock that is reachable by the rover arm.
Curiosity Navcam Left A image taken on Sol 2308, February 2, 2019.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Reports Vivian Sun, a planetary geologist at NASA/JPL in Pasadena, California, most of the clay-bearing unit is likely composed of this rubbly material, so it’s important to characterize its composition and texture.
Overlapping areas
To that end, scientists made Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) measurements of this material on Sol 2308, using a rastering technique where the APXS was slated to be placed over three overlapping spots in the workspace.
Curiosity Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) photo produced on Sol 2308, February 2, 2019.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Curiosity ChemCam Remote Micro-Imager photo taken on Sol 2308, February 2, 2019.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL
By obtaining chemical measurements over different, but slightly overlapping areas, Sun notes, scientists will be able to distinguish the compositions of the pebbles from the sand and soil in the APXS field of view.
Posted in Space News
