Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Curiosity Mast Camera Left image acquired on Sol 3415, March 16, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover at Gale Crater is now performing Sol 3417 tasks.

Abigail Fraeman, a planetary geologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, reports that a Monday drive by the robot was successful, and the rover is fully surrounded by the rocks that cap the Greenheugh pediment.

“From here we can see hundreds of ventifacts – a term that describes rocks which have been abraded by wind-blown sand into distinctive, flattened facets with crisp edges,” Fraeman explains. “This terrain is very different from what we’ve become used to seeing during our climb up Mt. Sharp!”

Curiosity Mast Camera Left image acquired on Sol 3415, March 16, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Less dusty ventifact

A recently scripted plan is all about exploring the local area.

That plans calls for collecting Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) and Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) observations of a relatively large, less dusty ventifact near the rover’s wheel at a target named “Knott.”

Elsewhere on that same rock, Fraeman adds, researchers will also collect a Chemistry and Camera Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) observation of a target with neat sedimentary structures named “Old Nab,” as well as a ChemCam Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) observation of another area of the rock named “Little Mell.”

Curiosity Mast Camera Left image acquired on Sol 3415, March 16, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

“We’ll also collect several Mastcam mosaics of targets near and far, as well as a standard set of observations to monitor our environment. The first day of the plan concludes with a drive to the southwest, towards a very small crater that might give us an interesting glimpse into the sedimentary structures in the area,” Fraeman reports.

Young geomorphic feature

Slightly closer, the rover can also see the distinctly layered nature of Gediz Vallis Ridge, which sits on top of the pediment and is one of the youngest geomorphic features on Mt. Sharp.

Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 3416, March 16, 2022.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

“At our perch on the top of the pediment, we have a spectacular view of the terrain below. We can see across the plains of Gale crater where we landed all the way to the crater’s rim tens of miles in the distance,” Fraeman adds.

“Slightly closer, we can also see the distinctly layered nature of Gediz Vallis Ridge, which sits on top of the pediment and is one of the youngest geomorphic features on Mt Sharp. Between the ventifacts and the viewshed, it’s quite an imposing place to rest before our next drive,” Fraeman concludes.