Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Curiosity Front Hazard Avoidance Camera Right B image acquired on Sol 3193, July 30, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is now performing Sol 3194 tasks.

“Curiosity is continuing to climb through an area where orbital data show the layers of Mount Sharp are transitioning from clay-bearing to sulfate-bearing,” reports Abigail Fraeman, a planetary geologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “I continue to be dazzled by the textures we’re seeing, especially the prevalence of centimeter sized bumps and lumps poking out of the bedrock.”

Fraeman notes that the robot’s Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) has captured a particularly whimsical image of an interesting rock texture. The whole field of view is about 16.5 cm across, so this is a very tiny feature!

Curiosity Chemistry & Camera (ChemCam) Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) photo taken on Sol 3190, July 27, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL

Scenic terrain

A recently scripted plan for sols 3192 and 3193 include contact science, remote sensing, and driving.

Curiosity Right B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 3193, July 30, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Curiosity was set to observe a nodular bedrock target named “Champeaux” with its Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) and Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) first thing in the morning on sol 3192.

Curiosity Right B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 3193, July 30, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Then the plan scripts capturing Mastcam and ChemCam RMI mosaics of some of the scenic terrain surrounding Curiosity, a ChemCam Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) observation of “Manaurie,” and additional Mastcam images of surrounding outcrops.

Strategic route

“After wrapping up science at this site, we’ll drive along our strategic route up Mount Sharp and spend the second sol [3193] of the plan collecting observations that monitor the environment,” Fraeman says.

Also on tap is acquiring a ChemCam autonomously selected Autonomous Exploration for Gathering Increased Science (AEGIS) observation.