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November 19th, 2021
An example of one frame of the long distance, ChemCam RMI of the pediment caprock scientists have been acquiring while parked at the Zechstein drill site (taken on Sol 3299).
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover at Gale Crater is now performing Sol 3302 tasks.
The robot remains at the Zechstein drill sample site, reports Lucy Thompson, a planetary geologist at the University of New Brunswick; Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.
Curiosity Front Hazard Avoidance Camera Left B image acquired on Sol 3301, November 19, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Instrument Suit and Fluorescence Instrument (CheMin) instrument teams decided that they did not require further analyses of the Zechstein drill sample.
Curiosity Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) photo produced on Sol 3301, November 19, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
It is the turn of the arm-mounted Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) and Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instruments to have their taste of the drilled fines, Thompson adds.
Curiosity Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) photo produced on Sol 3301, November 19, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Dumped material
“The Zechstein sample held within the drill bit assembly will be dumped out onto the ground, imaged by MAHLI and then analyzed by APXS to determine the composition,” Thompson points out. “The composition of the dumped material can be compared to the chemistry of the brushed bedrock surface (prior to drilling) and the fines surrounding the drill hole (yet to be acquired) to look for variations with depth. The compositional data can also assist in interpretation of the CheMin and SAM data.”
Curiosity Right B Navigation Camera image acquired on Sol 3301, November 19, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Balancing the power requirements of all the desired observations, as well as of future activities, is always part of the planning process, Thompson says.
Drive away
The Mars research team must carefully prioritize what other science observations to include in a newly scripted plan, to ensure that they have enough power to drive away from the Zechstein location in the next plan.
“Curiosity is parked in an area where we expect to transition from clay- to sulfate-bearing rocks,” Thompson notes, “and close to the unconformable contact with the overlying, resistant, pediment-capping Siccar Point group sandstones, so there is no shortage of observations on our wish list!”
This image was taken through the fisheye lens of Curiosity’s front Hazcam, which is mounted close to the ground. It shows the workspace in front of the rover and towering Siccar Point, visible in the upper right. This image was taken by Front Hazard Avoidance Camera (Front Hazcam) on Sol 3274.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
The science team chose to continue Mastcam imaging of Siccar Point, Maria Gordon notch and the base of the pediment, which will also be imaged with long distance Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) and its Remote Micro-Imager (RMI).
Curiosity Right B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 3301, November 18, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Interrogate bedrock target
“In the vicinity of the Zechstein drill hole, ChemCam will interrogate the chemistry of the nearby bedrock target, ‘Burrell’ with its laser, and perform passive spectroscopy on the dumped Zechstein drill fines. Both will also be imaged with Mastcam,” Thompson reports.
Lastly, environmental monitoring activities will include a Navcam dust devil survey, line of site observation and cloud movie. Standard Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN), Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) and Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) activities round out the plan.
Posted in Space News
