Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Curiosity Chemistry & Camera Remote Micro Imager (RMI) photo taken on Sol 2761, May 13, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has started Sol 2762 operations.

Michelle Minitti, a planetary geologist at Framework in Silver Spring, Maryland reports that last weekend activities at the “Glasgow” drill site proceeded smoothly, particularly delivery of Glasgow drill sample to the robot’s Chemistry & Mineralogy X-Ray Diffraction/X-Ray Fluorescence Instrument (CheMin) and CheMin’s first analysis of the sample.

Curiosity Front Hazard Avoidance Camera Left B image acquired on Sol 2761, May 13, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

“That meant we were clear to move forward with the next step of drill sample analysis – preparing [the Sample Analysis at Mars Instrument Suite] SAM to analyze the gases that bake off of the Glasgow sample,” Minitti explains. “Even with the SAM preparatory activities, we had enough power and time in the plan to continue a wide imaging and chemistry survey of our surroundings.”

Curiosity Rear Hazard Avoidance Left B Camera image taken on Sol 2761, May 13, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Drill hole interior

Curiosity’s Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) will once again target the interior of the Glasgow drill hole, Minitti adds, this time using a slightly different raster shape than the weekend analysis in order to hit different parts of the drill hole wall.

Much of the bedrock around us is dotted with the gray, resistant bumps seen in a ChemCam Remote Micro Imager (RMI) photo of the target “Loch Olabhat,” which was analyzed over the weekend.

Curiosity Chemistry & Camera Remote Micro Imager (RMI) photo taken on Sol 2761, May 13, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL

“ChemCam appeared to detect differences in chemistry between the gray bumps in this target and their host bedrock. Thus, ChemCam will again target Loch Olabhat to investigate these apparent differences further,” Minitti notes.

Another nearby target, “Bishops Loch,” which also has a mix of the layered bedrock and gray bumps seen in Loch Olabhat, will also serve as a ChemCam target in order to increase scientific understanding of chemistry differences throughout the bedrock.

Curiosity Chemistry & Camera Remote Micro Imager (RMI) photo taken on Sol 2761, May 13, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL

Zone of terrain

“Mastcam planned two large mosaics off the starboard side of the rover that cover the mid-ground between us, the base of ‘Tower Butte,’ and the base of the slope up to the ‘Greenheugh’ pediment,” Minitti points out.

“This zone of terrain,” Minitti adds, “gives us a more detailed view of the transition from the bedrock we are drilling now and the pediment cap rock we recently drilled at “Edinburgh.” A particular section of the slope up to the Greenheugh pediment exposes bedrock that could be related to yet another one of our recent drill holes, “Hutton” (wow, we have been busy!). To get a closer look, ChemCam planned a 10 frame RMI mosaic across this outcrop, named “Grimbister.””

Curiosity Right B Navigation Camera photo acquired on Sol 2760, May 11, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Rover deck imaging

Minitti says that environmental monitoring continues as per usual, with Mastcam and Navcam imaging the sky and the rover deck for changes brought about by the changing seasons.

Curiosity Right B Navigation Camera photo acquired on Sol 2760, May 11, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Navcam will also acquire a movie looking for dust devils.

Curiosity’s Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS), the Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD), and the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) will keep their regular watch over weather conditions, radiation environment, and the ground under the rover, respectively, throughout the plan, Minitti concludes.