Sols 2365-66, April 2, 2019, update by MSL scientist Catherine O’Connell-Cooper: One of the primary goals of the Curiosity mission, to determine the composition of a region which appears to be rich in clays (informally known as “Glen Torridon”), is getting closer to being achieved. Our weekend drive was designed to bring us to an area of flat-lying bedrock, which we had hoped might contain a drillable surface. At the start of planning, we were very excited to see a larger, flat slab of bedrock towards the back of this outcrop, so we decided to maneuver around to that end of the outcrop, so that we can assess the suitability of this rock as a drill target.
First, we will categorize the composition of the bedrock from the position that we are in. APXS will analyze “Longannet” to ensure that we are still within our desired compositional range, and MAHLI will image this target, for comparison to previous targets. ChemCam will analyze a comparable target called “Tartan.” Mastcam will image Tartan and “Lumphanan,” which may be a fragment of an iron meteorite.
We then make a short drive (<15 meters) to the other side of this outcrop and take Mastcam imaging of the potential drill site. This will allow the engineers and rover planners at JPL to examine the bedrock in more detail and assess its suitability for drilling (for example, looking at rock coherency, presence of veins, homogeneity of the surface). These images will be downlinked ahead of the start of planning on Wednesday, so that we can make an informed decision. A key activity in this two-sol plan will be to clean the gas column in the “Sample Analysis at Mars” instrument (SAM), in advance of drilling and analyzing a new target… [More at link]
HiRISE reveals small-scale shapes that often correlate with mineral units and provides information about stratigraphy (i.e., what’s on top and relative ages). This image was acquired for co-analysis with a spectrometer instrument also on our spacecraft called CRISM (Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars). It shows polygonal units that match clay-rich areas. Plus, this region is colorful!
