Tag Archives: Mars Science Laboratory

Curiosity update: A personal touch

Sol 1964, February 13, 2018, update by MSL scientist Mark Salvatore: Like yesterday, today’s plan is a bit on the thin side, as the rover’s power allotment will be primarily dedicated to activities associated with the Sample Analysis at Mars … Continue reading

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Curiosity: Checking out the next drill site?

Sol 1962-63, February 12-13, 2018. Curiosity is exploring an exposure of bedrock on Vera Rubin Ridge. As it has weathered, the rock has developed small modules. The Mastcam mosaic above was taken on Sol 1962, the front Hazcam view at … Continue reading

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Curiosity update: Getting ready for the SAM geochronology experiment

Sol 1963, February 12, 2018, update by MSL scientist Lauren Edgar: Over the weekend Curiosity drove ~52 m to the northeast to another patch of gray bedrock. The team is interested in characterizing the gray bedrock to determine if we … Continue reading

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Curiosity update: Final call

Sol 1961-62, February 9, 2018, update by MSL scientist Rachel Kronyak: Today we planned for a weekend of activities at the same location we’ve been at all week. While we’re ready and eager to see some new terrain, we had … Continue reading

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Curiosity: Southern view from the ridge-top

Sol 1959, February 8, 2018. Three Navcam frames show the southern horizon, from Mt. Sharp at left to the western buttes on the right. In between are the layered sediments that are Curiosity’s eventual goal. Closer to the camera lies … Continue reading

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Curiosity takes close look at tiny crystal shapes

Star-shaped and swallowtail-shaped tiny, dark bumps in fine-layered bright bedrock of a Martian ridge are drawing close inspection by NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover. This set of shapes looks familiar to geologists who have studied gypsum crystals formed in drying lakes … Continue reading

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Curiosity update: Old site, new tricks

Sol 1959-60, February 7, 2018, update by MSL scientist Michelle Minitti: Recovering from the SAM fault proved more challenging than expected, so our planned drive to the patch of pale tan bedrock in the image above did not take place. … Continue reading

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Potassium-argon dating of Mojave2 sample by Curiosity finds Amazonian-age jarosite

On the basis of studies of impact crater densities on Mars’s surface, scientists have separated the Red Planet’s geologic history into three broad divisions, the most recent of which is the Amazonian epoch. Because of the lack of available samples … Continue reading

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Curiosity update: Onwards towards gray patch

Sol 1957-58, February 5, 2018, update by MSL scientist Rachel Kronyak: Over the past several months we’ve made excellent progress up and along the Vera Rubin Ridge (VRR), taking stunning mosaics and using our instrument payload to examine the local … Continue reading

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Curiosity: Bloodstone Hill

Sol 1955, February 4, 2018. Curiosity’s Remote Micro-Imager shot five frames to profile the feature dubbed Bloodstone Hill. Click the image to enlarge it. Sol 1955 raw images (from all cameras), and Curiosity’s latest location.

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