By 
February 15th, 2022
Curiosity’s location as of Sol 3386. Distance driven to this date: 16.92 miles/27.24 kilometers.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover at Gale Crater is now performing Sol 3387 duties.
Sean Czarnecki, a planetary geologist at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona reports that on Valentine’s Day, Curiosity was slated to carry out a full workload with Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) of “Loch Garten” followed by Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) photos of this target before and after dust removal.
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera photo taken on Sol 3386, February 14, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
In addition, ChemCam and Mastcam was set to image “Stivva Hea”’ and Mastcam will image “Blackcraig.”
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera photo taken on Sol 3386, February 14, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Navcam will be looking for dust devils and taking other images, while DAN, RAD, and REMS will be taking standard measurements.
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera photo taken on Sol 3386, February 14, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Steep slopes
In an earlier report focused on Sols 3385-3386, Vivian Sun, a planetary geologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said “we continue making progress towards the ‘Greenheugh Pediment’ and will hopefully be almost on top of the pediment after the weekend drive.”
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera photo taken on Sol 3386, February 14, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
As the robot climbs onto the pediment via its steep slopes, “Curiosity will drive as far as we have available navigation mesh, so this drive will be similar to the last plan’s drive in terms of distance,” Sun adds.
But before continuing the drive towards the pediment, the plan calls for plenty of contact science and remote sensing at the rover’s current location.
Curiosity Right B Navigation Camera image acquired on Sol 3386, February 14, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Three-dimensional understanding
“We will be obtaining APXS and MAHLI measurements of ‘Kintradwell,’ a smooth bedrock surface, that will provide us with more data about changes in bedrock composition as we approach the contact with the pediment capping unit.”
Curiosity Mast Camera Right mosaic, taken on Sol 3386, February 13, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
ChemCam observations of “Apardion” and “Copp Crag,” two nodular targets, will give compositional data on these diagenetic textures, similar to what researchers observed in past workspaces.
Dust removal image taken by Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), produced on Sol 3386, February 14, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
“We’ll also be thoroughly documenting the fantastic landscape around us, with more Mastcam and ChemCam imaging of ‘Maringma Butte,’ focusing in particular on a protruding lens of rocks, and Mastcam imaging of ‘Blackcraig Butte.’ Although we have imaged these buttes before from previous locations, these additional images are useful not only because they will be higher resolution (since we are closer now), but also because imaging the same feature from different angles is how we build up our three-dimensional understanding of the layering and sedimentology in these buttes,” Sun concludes.
Mast Camera (Mastcam) Left image taken on Sol 3386, February 14, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Mast Camera Right photo taken on Sol 3386, February 13, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Mast Camera Right photo taken on Sol 3386, February 13, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Mast Camera Right photo taken on Sol 3386, February 13, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
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.
Posted in Space News
