Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Curiosity’s workspace had a big piece of bedrock in plain view! This image was taken by Front Hazard Avoidance Camera (Front Hazcam) on Sol 3449.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover at Gale Crater is now performing Sol 3451 duties.

Reports Susanne Schwenzer, a planetary geologist at The Open University, Milton Keynes, U.K., the rover has again found itself dealing with a rock right under the Mars machinery.

“But this time, we were excited about it as the rover was in a stable position parked on a big piece of bedrock, presenting itself flat as a pancake, ready to be brushed and analyzed.”

Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 3449, April 20, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Warm season

But there was a problem that required discussion, Schwenzer adds.

A recent plan was originally a ‘touch-and-go’ sol, where the robot puts the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) down for a short integration before driving away.

Curiosity Front Hazard Avoidance Camera Left B photo acquired on Sol 3449,April 19, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

“Those ‘touch-and-go’ measurements return brilliant analysis throughout most of the Martian seasons,” Schwenzer explains, “but right now we are in a warm season, and that means it’s too warm for really good data at the time those ‘touch-and-go’ measurements are happening.”

Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 3449, April 20, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Different rock types

Therefore the science team discussed carefully how important the target is, and if it warrants the rover to stay in place to get the APXS measurement at a colder time of the day, and therefore get the best possible data quality.

Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 3449, April 20, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

“Once again, rover progress had to be weighed against the importance of the data. We decided the diversity of the region and the quality of the targets, together with the hypothesis on the different rock types and their formation we can test here warrants us to stay,” Schwenzer notes.

Data feast

As a result there is a plethora of science activities in the plan, and the team is looking forward to have another data feast over the weekend -and of course to seeing the data.

Curiosity Right B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 3450, April 20, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Here are the details:

APXS and the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) have two and three activities, respectively.

“The pancake-shaped rock the rover is parked on will be brushed and investigated with APXS and MAHLI on a target called ‘Shandon.’ APXS and MAHLI are also investigating the edge of the bedrock on a target called ‘Nesting,’ which is at the edge of the big, flat rock and allows side-on view,” Schwenzer reports.

Curiously bright

Finally, MAHLI is looking at ‘Rumblings,’ which is a curiously bright and textured target that the team thinks might be alteration features and would like to know more about. MAHLI will likely also allow for APXS in a future plan, despite the targets being a bit spikey.

Curiosity Right B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 3450, April 20, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

“The MAHLI images will show if we can get APXS to touch in a safe way, but of course, MAHLI images are always welcome science data, too, especially on textured targets like this one,” Schwenzer points out.

Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) is investigating two targets, ‘Tonga,’ which is on the bedrock and ‘Kirby Lonsdale,’ a vein target.

Curiosity Chemistry & Camera (ChemCam) Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) photo acquired on Sol 3450, April 20, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL

Multispectral investigation

“Mastcam is taking documentation images of the two ChemCam targets and doing a multispectral investigation on the brushed area,” Schwenzer adds. “More Mastcam images are planned in form of a 16×4 mosaic on the target ‘Onich Dry Gorge,’ which was imaged from a distance and we are now getting much higher resolution images from a closer distance.”

ChemCam is adding to the images through a long distance Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) and an RMI of rocks broken up by the rover wheels.

“Lots of data and images, and more to come over the weekend at this interesting location,” Schwenzer concludes.