[NASA] Sols 4270-4272: Sample for SAM

[SpaceMan 0]

Curiosity Navigation

• Curiosity Home
• Science
• This is the hidden content, please

  • Sign In
  • or
  • Sign Up
• Multimedia
• Mars Missions
• The Solar System

2 min read

Sols 4270-4272: Sample for SAM

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

An image of “Discovery Pinnacle,” a target of the NASA Mars rover Curiosity’s APXS (Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer), taken from about 5 centimeters (about 2 inches) above. Curiosity used the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), located on the turret at the end of the rover’s robotic arm, to capture two to eight images of the target, then used an onboard focusing system to merge those into one image, on sol 4253 — Martian day 4,253 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — July 24, 2024, at 03:10:00 (UTC).

NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Earth planning date: Friday, Aug. 9, 2024

The focus for this three-sol weekend plan is delivering a portion of the Kings Canyon drill sample to SAM for Evolved Gas Analysis (EGA), following on from a successful CheMin analysis. The CheMin and SAM analyses, coupled with APXS and ChemCam analyses, will tell us about the composition and mineralogy of this block within the Gediz Vallis channel ********. We can compare it to the composition and mineralogy of the intriguing Mammoth Lakes drilled sample at Whitebark Pass, which was near the elemental sulfur blocks, and also within the Gediz Vallis ********, as well as to the bedrock outside the channel and other previous drilled samples. This will help inform the source(s) of the blocks, which could be derived from higher up on Mount Sharp. 

To further characterize the Kings Canyon block and immediate vicinity, we will acquire three ChemCam LIBS analyses. The “Gabbot Pass” target is on the same light-toned rock as the drill target. “New Army Pass” will investigate the edge of the drilled block, which exhibits textural and tonal similarities to an interesting previous APXS target, “

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.” Finally, “Bridalveil Falls” is on a freshly broken, bright rock on the edge of the drilled block. Mastcam will provide documentation imaging of the three targets.

Looking further afield, we continue to image the stunning scenery surrounding us from this vantage point. We planned a ChemCam long distance remote imager (LD RMI) mosaic of the Gediz Vallis channel form to the south, and an extension of a Mastcam mosaic of the Milestone Peak area of the ********. These mosaics will help us to further characterize the Gediz Vallis deposits, and hopefully the processes responsible for their emplacement (e.g., debris flow or rock avalanche). We will also acquire a Mastcam mosaic of the Texoli butte, which represents a cross section of the rock layers that we will eventually drive over when we leave the Gediz Vallis ******** and continue climbing Mount Sharp.

It isn’t just about the rocks though! The environmental and atmospheric science team also have several observations in this plan to monitor changes in the atmosphere. These include Mastcam tau and Navcam line of sight observations, as well as Navcam zenith, suprahorizon and dust ****** movies. Standard DAN, RAD and REMS activities round out the plan.

Written by Lucy Thompson, Planetary Geologist at University of New Brunswick

Share

• 
  
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
  

Details

Last Updated

Aug 12, 2024

Related Terms

• This is the hidden content, please

  • Sign In
  • or
  • Sign Up

Explore More

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png">

2 min read

Sols 4268-4269: Admiring Kings Canyon

Article


8 hours ago

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png">

3 min read

Sols 4266-4267: Happy ‘Landiversary,’ Curiosity

Article


5 days ago

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png">

3 min read

Sols 4263-4265: A Royal Birthday Celebration at Kings Canyon

Article


1 week ago

Keep Exploring

Discover More Topics From NASA

Mars

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited…

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png">

All Mars Resources

Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,…

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png">

Rover Basics

Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a…

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png">

Mars Exploration: Science Goals

The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four…

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png">

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up