Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Curiosity’s location as of Sol 3700. Distance driven at that time: 18.16 miles/29.23 kilometers
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover at Gale Crater is now performing Sol 3702 duties.

Reports Lucy Thompson, a planetary geologist at the University of New Brunswick; Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada: “The team came into our first day of planning for 2023 to learn that all our holiday activities had executed as expected!”

Curiosity Sol 3700 Front Hazcam image showing rover’s current workspace, the thin, resistant Marker band outcrop in top right of the image and the buttes ahead to the south. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Thompson notes that, as Curiosity ages, Mars researchers are thankful that the robot continues to do amazing science on Mars, and the holiday plans were no exception.

Dark fragments

“We finished up our investigations at the Marker band (for now anyway), analyzed bright material revealed in a scuff just below the Marker band and drove to the south to continue our climb of Mount Sharp,” Thompson adds.

Curiosity Right B Navigation Camera image acquired on Sol 3701, January 3, 2023.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Curiosity’s recent view of its surroundings reveal dusty, in place bedrock with dark fragments scattered over the surface, which do not appear to be in place.

Curiosity Mast Camera Left image taken on Sol 3700, January 2, 2023.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

“These dark fragments may be pieces of the Marker band or they may be associated with the in place bedrock just to the right of the rover,” Thompson points out. “Our activities are focused on documenting the chemistry, texture and context of the rocks in front of the rover, as well as looking further afield at the Marker band as it extends south, and the surrounding and distant buttes.”

Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 3701, January 3, 2023.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Bedrock chemistry

The rover’s Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) is analyzing two targets (“Uafaranda” and “Aliquelau”) with the Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) to document the chemistry of the bedrock at different distances from the nearby, overlying Marker band.

Curiosity Mars Hand Lens Imager photo produced on Sol 3700, January 2, 2023.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

“Do we see a change in the composition of the underlying bedrock as we get closer to the Marker band that might indicate alteration associated with the contact? To complement these observations, we are also investigating the “Uafaranda” bedrock target, after brushing to remove the ubiquitous dust cover, with APXS (chemistry) and MAHLI (close-up imaging).”

Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera photo acquired on Sol 3700, January 2, 2023.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Look for lateral changes

The Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) and the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) will also be used to examine the composition and texture of one of the dark-toned rocks (“Anarem”) that are strewn across the surface.

“This might help us determine the origin of these rocks. We are also documenting all three of these targets with Mastcam, as well as some nearby regolith-filled troughs (“Aoiau” and “Arraia”),” Thompson adds.

Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera photo acquired on Sol 3700, January 2, 2023.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

“We will image the Marker band at this location with Mastcam to look for lateral changes in its texture and structure relative to our previous locations, and some nearby buttes (“Alto Alegre”) for context with the surrounding terrain,” Thompson explains.

ChemCam long distance Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) mosaics will also be acquired of sections of two other buttes off in the distance.

Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera photo acquired on Sol 3700, January 2, 2023.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Southward

On the second sol of a 3-sol [Sols 3702-3704] New Year plan, Thompson reports that researchers hope to continue the robot’s path south by roughly 165-feet (50 meters) to fully document the terrain below Curiosity, and any transitions that may occur as the rover drives. A Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) photo is planned for after the drive.

Curiosity Front Hazard Avoidance Left B Camera image taken on Sol 3700, January 2, 2023.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The environmental science team was also busy and planned several observations to continue monitoring changes in atmospheric conditions, Thompson notes. These include: a Navcam large dust devil survey, a dust devil movie and suprahorizon movie, and a Mastcam basic tau observation.

Standard Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS), Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) and Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) activities round out this plan.

As always, dates of planned rover activities described in these reports are subject to change due to a variety of factors related to the Martian environment, communication relays and rover status.