The triangular shaped rock in the immediate foreground contains the crushed nodule targets “Helmsdale Boulder Beds” and the “Crovie” bedrock target. In the background, the slope is covered with grey float blocks similar to those being imaged by Mastcam. The pediment-capping rock is at the top of the image, just right of center.
This image was taken by Curiosity’s Front Hazard Avoidance Camera on Sol 3270, October 17, 2021
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover at Gale Crater is now performing Sol 3272 duties.

The Red Planet robot is back in gear, following a few weeks of hibernation, reports Lucy Thompson, a planetary geologist at University of New Brunswick; Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada

“Curiosity went into hibernation for a few weeks, executing only routine environmental and radiation monitoring activities, while the Sun was positioned between us and Mars (conjunction),” Thompson notes. October 18 was a first day of planning since Mars has emerged from behind the Sun.

Curiosity Front Hazard Avoidance Camera Right B photo acquired on Sol 3271, October 18, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Healthy status

“Curiosity is healthy after her rest, and we wasted no time planning a multitude of science activities,” Thompson adds.

Prior to conjunction, Curiosity drove away from the Maria Gordon drill site to an area nearby that contained large (roughly 6-7 centimeters across) resistant nodules (“Helmsdale Boulder Beds”).

“We deliberately drove over the nodules to crush them and expose their fresh interiors for examination by a number of the science instruments,” Thompson explains. “The team is interested in determining the chemistry of the nodules relative to the flat bedrock. Why are they resistant? How does their composition compare to other nodules previously encountered, and what might this tell us about fluids that were present in these rocks?”

The workspace imaging that came down to Earth confirmed that Curiosity had successfully broken some of the nodules, such that researchers were able to make several observations just before conjunction. But they were not able to use the arm mounted APXS and MAHLI instruments; we did not want the arm left out over conjunction.

Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera image acquired on Sol 3271, October 18, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Bedrock target

Today, we took advantage of pre-planning prior to conjunction to acquire Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) and Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) images on the crushed “Helmsdale Boulder Beds.”

MAHLI is to image another fresh-looking nodule, “Goose Stone.” These observations will be complemented with Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) measurements and Mastcam images on the same crushed “Helmsdale Boulder Beds” target and the “Crovie” bedrock target.

Curiosity Rear Hazard Avoidance Camera Right B photo acquired on Sol 3271, October 18, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Pediment-capping rock

Looking further afield, Thompson reports, Curiosity will image resistant, pediment-capping rock in the distance with the ChemCam Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) and Mastcam.

“The pediment is a gently sloping surface that appears to cut across the underlying rocks that we are currently driving over. Mastcam will also image some grey float rocks that may be derived from those pediment-capping rocks,” Thompson says.

Also on tap is uplinking several environmental observations including Mastcam images “to detect changes in the unconsolidated sediment and wind activity while Curiosity has been parked in the same location for the last few weeks. Atmospheric observations are also planned to look for dust devils and to measure the opacity of the atmosphere.”

Note: It also appears that NASA’s Mars Insight lander and the NASA Perseverance rover have begun relaying post-conjunction imagery. Still awaiting word on China’s Zhurong rover.

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