Tag Archives: Marias Pass

Curiosity update: Drill testing and analyzing ‘Ch-paa-qn’

Sol 1059, July 29, 2015, update from USGS scientist Ryan Anderson: Today the main event is a “mini-start hole”, which is the name for a new type of initial drilling test that we are trying out on the target “Buckskin”. … Continue reading

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Curiosity: Under the wheel

Sol 1057, July 28, 2015. A seldom-seen point of view, taken by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on the instrument arm, shows the rocks directly underneath one of the wheels. Sol 1057 raw images (from all cameras), and Curiosity’s … Continue reading

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Curiosity update: ‘Getting ready to drill Buckskin’

Sol 1057-1058, July 27, 2015, update from USGS scientist Ryan Anderson:  The “bump” over the weekend was successful, so we are right where we want to be to attempt drilling at “Buckskin” in the “Lion” area. I was on duty … Continue reading

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Curiosity: Close-up on part of Apikuni Mountain

Sol 1053, July 24, 2015. Four composited Navcam frames give a good view of the broken rock layers of Apikuni Mountain, where it stands near Lion. (Click image for a larger version.) Sol 1053 raw images (from all cameras), and … Continue reading

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Curiosity update: ‘Closing in on high-silica targets’

Sol 1055-1056, July 24, 2015, update from USGS scientist Ryan Anderson: The main priority in today’s plan is to nudge the rover a bit closer to the target “Buckskin”, which is in the area where we have discovered rocks high … Continue reading

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Curiosity: Outcrop scouting near Lion

Sol 1053, July 24, 2015. The Hazcam records the approach to the outcrop standing above the Lion target (light area in the center of the upper image), with Mt. Sharp in the background. At closer range (lower image), the outcrop … Continue reading

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Curiosity: Contact at Missoula

Sol 1051, July 22, 2015. Released as part of the news about Curiosity’s instruments finding silica-rich rocks is this mosaic of MAHLI images of the Missoula outcrop. Pale mudstone (bottom of outcrop) meets coarser sandstone (top) in this geological contact … Continue reading

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Curiosity: High-silica rocks found at Marias Pass

Approaching the third anniversary of its landing on Mars, NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has found a target unlike anything it has studied before — bedrock with surprisingly high levels of silica. Silica is a rock-forming compound containing silicon and oxygen, … Continue reading

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Curiosity: Mastcam at the Lion

Sol 1051, July 22, 2015. The Mastcam (using its 34mm wide-angle optics) shot a mosaic of frames covering the approach the Lion outcrop (lighter area at top left). Click the image for a larger version in a new tab. Sol … Continue reading

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Curiosity update: ‘Approaching Lion’

Sol 1051-1054, July 22, 2015, update from USGS scientist Ken Herkenhoff: After driving just over 20 meters, the rover stopped 4.4 meters short of the Sol 1049 drive goal because the vehicle pitch exceeded the 15-degree limit set by the … Continue reading

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