Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Curiosity’s location as of Sol 3576. Distance driven at that sol:17.79 miles/28.64 kilometers.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover at Gale Crater is now performing Sol 3578 duties.

Keri Bean, Rover Planner Deputy Team Lead at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, reports that the robot has approached an area with different type of rocks.

Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 3577, August 29, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The plan for Sol 3575 called for a big block of science activities.

First was a Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) activity on “Nova Estrela” which scientists will later look at with the robotic arm, followed by a ChemCam mosaic in the distance.

Then Mastcam was slated to take pictures of Nova Estrela, “Candado”, some of the recent rover tracks, some scouting images for a potential drill location nearby, and some of the Orinoco butte nearby, Bean adds.

Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera photo acquired on Sol 3576, August 28, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Atmospheric monitoring

“Finally, that block of science observations will end with an atmospheric monitoring activity, Bean notes. “After that the rover will take a short nap, and mid-afternoon wake up to take a Mastcam sky observation. We’ll take another nap before beginning the robotic arm activities in the late afternoon.”

As the arm Rover Planner, Bean was responsible for the arm commanding. “We are taking a look at three targets with the arm.”

Curiosity Right B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 3577, August 29, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

First, Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) photos of the “Los Rosos” target and a 1.8 centimeter offset of it, then some MAHLIs of Nova Estrela, then finally some MAHLIs of “Enamuna” before placing the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) down on Los Rosos for an APXS measurement.

Curiosity Right B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 3577, August 29, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

On the move

“Later in the Martian evening we’ll re-place APXS on the Los Rosos offset target to get a slightly different measurement. Later in the night we’ll stow the arm to prepare for the drive on the next sol,” Bean reports.

On sol 3576, the plan was to begin with a Mastcam of Bolivar, a ChemCam observation of Enamuna and a ChemCam mosaic, before following up with a Mastcam of Enamuna.

After that, Curiosity was to drive about 40 feet (12 meters) to a rock for robotic arm work in the next plan. After the drive, the plan called for use of the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) active activity.

Curiosity Right B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 3577, August 29, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Midday science

For the third sol of the plan, Sol 3577, there was to be a midday science observation set with ChemCam autonomously selecting a target and a slew of Navcam atmospheric observations.

Curiosity Right B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 3577, August 29, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

After a long nap, the rover was to take a single Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) image along with a cosmic ray survey.

Overnight there was scheduled use of the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) to make an atmospheric observation.

Curiosity Right B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 3577, August 29, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

“Curiosity will awake quite early in the morning of sol 3578 to do a Navcam pre-dawn cloud survey and slightly later in the morning another block of Navcam and Mastcam atmospheric observations,” Bean adds.

Also on tap, a lot of passive DAN measurements and background Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) and Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) observations, Bean concludes.