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“Curiosity is heading toward the next potential drilling site, which is located in an area where light and dark bands alternate. Before we get there, we will collect extensive contact science data on these fragmented blocks of bedrock to document compositional and textural variations. Today’s two-day mission plan includes contact science and driving on the first Martian day, and untargeted remote sensing on the second Martian day.”
I chaired the SOWG today and the day was planned very well – I love the plan and how well it came together, fit within our power, data and time constraints, while getting some great science done. The plan starts with exposing new surface at the bedrock target “Antikythera” using DRT and then assessing its chemistry using APXS. We will then collect some additional chemical observations of the same target using ChemCam and Mastcam Multispectral. The team also plans to do several Mastcam mosaics at “Delphi”, “Mycenae” and “Zagori” to assess the local bedrock and some resist fins, and to record nearby ripple fields and look at the bedform pinnacle from the side. We will also use ChemCam RMI to get a long-range mosaic looking back at Peace Vallis, and do Mastcam tau observations to assess atmospheric opacity. In the afternoon, MAHLI will image the DRT target “Antikythera”, followed by a flyby of about 26 meters and imaging in preparation for the next steps of the plan. The second Martian day included autonomously selected ChemCam targets and Navcam observations to assess dust in the atmosphere and search for dust devils.
The planned trip will take us into a new mapping quadrangle, informally known as the Bishop Quadrangle. Our informal naming convention is to divide the exploration area into square quadrilaterals (0.025 degrees of longitude or latitude on each side), each of which is assigned the name of a town with a population of less than 100,000 people. As Curiosity investigates a target within a quadrangle, we assign the target a name that corresponds to the geological structures and features near that town on Earth. Bishop, California, located in the Owens Valley, is the starting point for a trip to the High Sierra, including some amazing geology. It feels like a fitting name for the next leg of Curiosity’s journey, climbing Mount Sharp!
For more information on how and why the Mars Rover team named features on Mars, check out the recent News.
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