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Sols 4180-4182: Imaging fest!<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"NASA's](\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/https-mars-nasa-gov-msl-raw-images-msss-04178-mhli-4178mh0008650011501003c00-dxxx.jpg?w=1632\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nThis Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) image shows all the features and textures we have in the area ranging from laminae to little nodules. The image was taken on May 7, 2024, Sol 4178 of the Mars Science Laboratory Mission, at 23:20:40 UTC.<\/div>\nNASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nEarth planning date: Wednesday,\u00a0May 8, 2024<\/p>\n
What a wonderful sight to see all the sedimentary structures. I am a geochemist, but I hear the excitement in the voices of my sediment-specialist colleagues, discussing all those textures and things to see. Generally, it is those features that allow us to determine what has happened in terms of the physics: Was it water or wind that brought the grains here? How fast was the flow? And then\u2026 what happened next? Well, that might be in my area of expertise, as it takes new minerals to grow between grains to make a loose sediment into a rock. And that\u2019s what we can learn from the chemical investigations. And today\u2019s plan once again has it all, but it is especially an imaging fest looking at all the structures and textures. Stay tuned for the images to make their way from Mars to Earth in the coming days.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s plan starts with the chemistry: APXS will use the cool hours of the early morning for its investigations on the brushed target \u201cHappy Isles.\u201d MAHLI will get images of Happy Isles and then move to start the imaging fest at a target named \u201cLaurel Mountain.\u201d This is to peak underneath a piece of overhanging rock to see how the layers below are actually connected \u2013 or not \u2013 to the layers that form the overhang. Spying on rocks? I guess so!<\/p>\n
The imaging fest then continues with over 170 Mastcam frames divided into four investigations. These are mosaics on the surrounding hills and slopes, namely on \u201cPinnacle Ridge,\u201d \u201cMilestone Peak\u201d and \u201cTamarack Flats.\u201d And Mastcam looks at the area closer to the rover, off the starboard side, an area where all the structures I talked about above are nicely visible from the rover mast\u2019s vantage point. And if that\u2019s not enough imaging, we will add some special imaging after the drive. We always take navigation camera images for navigation and imaging purpose during the next planning, but this time, we will also take additional Mastcam images in the drive direction. It\u2019s a complex landscape \u2026 and I am still happy I can watch the rover drive through it and don\u2019t have to hike myself!<\/p>\n
There are also plenty of environmental investigations in the plan. The atmospheric investigations include the usual cadence of REMS activities and DAN looks at the water in the subsurface with passive measurements. In addition to that, Curiosity will look at its top surface to look at the dust levels currently accumulated there, and a look to the crater rim will investigate the current opacity of the atmosphere (yes, that\u2019s more images, too!). Finally, Curiosity will be on the lookout for some dust devils. We\u2019ve managed to get a few really nice captures of those in the course of the mission, one of my favourites is this one here<\/a>, taken on sol 2847, over 1300 sols ago! If you want to see some in motion, here you go:\u00a0https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=k8lfJ0c7WQ8<\/a>. Time flies when you are having fun!<\/p>\nWritten by Susanne Schwenzer, Planetary Geologist at The Open University<\/p>\n
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![\"NASA's](\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/https-mars-nasa-gov-msl-raw-images-msss-04178-mhli-4178mh0008650011501003c00-dxxx.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>Earth planning date: Wednesday,\u00a0May 8, 2024<\/p>\n
What a wonderful sight to see all the sedimentary structures. I am a geochemist, but I hear the excitement in the voices of my sediment-specialist colleagues, discussing all those textures and things to see. Generally, it is those features that allow us to determine what has happened in terms of the physics: Was it water or wind that brought the grains here? How fast was the flow? And then\u2026 what happened next? Well, that might be in my area of expertise, as it takes new minerals to grow between grains to make a loose sediment into a rock. And that\u2019s what we can learn from the chemical investigations. And today\u2019s plan once again has it all, but it is especially an imaging fest looking at all the structures and textures. Stay tuned for the images to make their way from Mars to Earth in the coming days.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s plan starts with the chemistry: APXS will use the cool hours of the early morning for its investigations on the brushed target \u201cHappy Isles.\u201d MAHLI will get images of Happy Isles and then move to start the imaging fest at a target named \u201cLaurel Mountain.\u201d This is to peak underneath a piece of overhanging rock to see how the layers below are actually connected \u2013 or not \u2013 to the layers that form the overhang. Spying on rocks? I guess so!<\/p>\n
The imaging fest then continues with over 170 Mastcam frames divided into four investigations. These are mosaics on the surrounding hills and slopes, namely on \u201cPinnacle Ridge,\u201d \u201cMilestone Peak\u201d and \u201cTamarack Flats.\u201d And Mastcam looks at the area closer to the rover, off the starboard side, an area where all the structures I talked about above are nicely visible from the rover mast\u2019s vantage point. And if that\u2019s not enough imaging, we will add some special imaging after the drive. We always take navigation camera images for navigation and imaging purpose during the next planning, but this time, we will also take additional Mastcam images in the drive direction. It\u2019s a complex landscape \u2026 and I am still happy I can watch the rover drive through it and don\u2019t have to hike myself!<\/p>\n
There are also plenty of environmental investigations in the plan. The atmospheric investigations include the usual cadence of REMS activities and DAN looks at the water in the subsurface with passive measurements. In addition to that, Curiosity will look at its top surface to look at the dust levels currently accumulated there, and a look to the crater rim will investigate the current opacity of the atmosphere (yes, that\u2019s more images, too!). Finally, Curiosity will be on the lookout for some dust devils. We\u2019ve managed to get a few really nice captures of those in the course of the mission, one of my favourites is this one here<\/a>, taken on sol 2847, over 1300 sols ago! If you want to see some in motion, here you go:\u00a0https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=k8lfJ0c7WQ8<\/a>. Time flies when you are having fun!<\/p>\n Written by Susanne Schwenzer, Planetary Geologist at The Open University<\/p>\nShare<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n