By 
December 1st, 2021
Curiosity’s location as of Sol 3312. Distance driven to date is 16.53 miles/26.61 kilometers.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover at Gale Crater is now performing Sol 3313 duties.
Susanne Schwenzer, a planetary geologist at The Open University; Milton Keynes, U.K., reports Curiosity is keeping itself busy exploring Gale crater, and this means having one last look at the Zechstein drill hole and its surroundings.
Curiosity Front Hazard Avoidance Camera Right B image taken on Sol 3313, December 1, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
The robot’s Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) is looking at Zechstein and so is the Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) with a Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) observation, which Mastcam will document.
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera photo acquired on Sol 3313, December 1, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Change detection target
“Mastcam will investigate the target ‘Ardsheal,’ a name which you may have heard before because it is [a] change detection target that we have looked at several times while we were stationary at Zechstein for the drilling,” Schwenzer adds.
Curiosity Rear Hazard Avoidance Camera Right B image taken on Sol 3313, December 1, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Curiosity’s Mastcam is scripted to also look at the rover deck, which Mars researchers are monitoring in regular intervals.
Curiosity Mast Camera Right image taken on Sol 3312, November 30, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
“Another regular activity, the atmospheric monitoring, is in the plan again,” Schwenzer points out.
Curiosity Mast Camera Right image taken on Sol 3312, November 30, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Interesting features
ChemCam plans a long distance Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) to look at all the highly interesting and variable structures in the landscape.
Curiosity Mast Camera Right image taken on Sol 3312, November 30, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Curiosity Chemistry & Camera Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) photo acquired on Sol 3313, December 1, 2021
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL
Curiosity Chemistry & Camera Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) photo acquired on Sol 3313, December 1, 2021
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL
“We have been seeing many interesting features lately, including ones such as on the ChemCam RMI,” Schwenzer notes. “Let’s see what the new ones will reveal!”
“There is a drive in the plan, and after the drive Curiosity will look at an area with many boulders to give some context on future investigations,” Schwenzer concludes. Last but not least, the rover’s Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) will obtain a new picture too.
Posted in Space News
