By 
February 8th, 2022
Curiosity’s location on Sol 3379. Distance driven at that time is 16.86 miles/27.14 kilometers.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover at Gale Crater is now performing Sol 3381 duties.
Reports Michelle Minitti, a planetary geologist at Framework in Silver Spring, Maryland: “After our adventures further uphill, Curiosity is backing down hill to get to the start of the path she will take up to the “Greenheugh Pediment.” We are still surrounded by amazing stratigraphy and have the benefit of having been through here before.”
Curiosity Mast Camera Left image taken on Sol 3379, February 7, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Curiosity Mast Camera Left image taken on Sol 3379, February 7, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Curiosity Mast Camera Left image taken on Sol 3379, February 7, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Mars researchers are eager to fill in missing pieces of terrain, and follow up interesting observations.
Curiosity’s Mastcam and Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) imaging fills both needs.
Curiosity Mast Camera Left image taken on Sol 3379, February 7, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Curiosity Mast Camera Left image taken on Sol 3379, February 7, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Maringma butte
“Mastcam will acquire stereo mosaics across the base of “Maringma” butte, and across another butte east of our current location,” Minitti adds. “Both mosaics are aimed at imaging sedimentary structures in these vertical exposures.”
In complementary fashion, ChemCam will cover the eastern butte layering with a 10×1 Remote Micro-Imager (RMI)
mosaic. “Mastcam will also image a stretch of tilted bedrock layers, dubbed “Plomo,” that stretch uphill away from the rover,” Minitti explains.
Curiosity Front Hazard Avoidance Camera Right B image taken on Sol 3379, February 7, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Closer to the rover, ChemCam, the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI)
And Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) were also busy at this stop.
Spread the wealth
Typically on a “touch and go” sol, scientists look at a given target with APXS and MAHLI, and then shoot another target with ChemCam to, in effect, Minitti says, “spread the wealth of data we acquire across a workspace.”
In part, because scientists have ChemCam, APXS, and MAHLI data from this area from their first pass, researchers had the opportunity to focus all three instruments on “El Dorado.”
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera image acquired on Sol 3379, February 7, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
“We hope between APXS, MAHLI, and ChemCam, one instrument strikes gold at this prominent bedrock layer,” Minitti reports.
Down hill
After the robot’s drive down hill, the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) will acquire both active and passive measurements, the Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) will acquire an image of the terrain under the left front wheel, ChemCam will autonomously shoot a target in the rover vicinity, and Mastcam will acquire a sky survey, Minitti explains.
Front Hazard Avoidance Camera Left B image taken on Sol 3378, February 6, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Curiosity’s Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) and
Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) will continually monitor the environment as the robot starts to move out of winter in Gale Crater, Minitti concludes.
Posted in Space News
