Curiosity Mars Rover: Central Butte Campaign Continues

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is now finishing up Sol 2591 duties.

Studies Fred Calef, a planetary geologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Curiosity’s Central Butte marketing campaign continues and the rover is traversing alongside an ever narrowing ledge.

“To proceed ahead, we have to take a number of steps again and make a U-turn round to a much less steep part to proceed,” Calef provides. “This ledge-forming materials itself is an attention-grabbing pitted mudstone outcrop that we’d like to analyze.”

Pebble forming block

The robotic not too long ago carried out a touch-and-go maneuver taking Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS), Chemistry and Digicam (ChemCam), Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), and Mastcam measurements on a block referred to as “Nedd.”

Nedd could also be pebble forming and contributing to the floor texture seen from orbit and on the bottom, Calef factors out.

Dipping strata

“As well as, we’ll get some Mastcam imaging on ‘Quarff,’ the place we expect there’s some dipping strata telling us how these rocks have been laid down prior to now. Additionally, we’ll purchase Mastcam of ‘Banffshire,’ our subsequent drive location,” Calef stories.

“We wrap up the drive with some observations on the lookout for mud devils and clouds for understanding wind route,” Calef says. Final, however not least, a Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) picture can be taken to doc the smaller rocks (“clasts”) that make up the floor, he concludes.