Mars Exploration News
MARSDAILY
Making the Most of Limited Data: Sols 3278-3279
This image was taken by Left Navigation Camera onboard NASA's Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 3727. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech.
Making the Most of Limited Data: Sols 3278-3279
by Ken Herkenhoff | Planetary Geologist - USGS Astrogeology
Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 01, 2023

The Sol 3727 drive went well, positioning the rover at the transition in the Marker Band that was the goal of the drive. As expected, we did not receive enough image data to allow DRT brushing to be planned, but we were able to plan APXS and MAHLI observations of a rough bedrock target named "Primavera."

The lack of complete, full-resolution Navcam coverage made it more challenging than usual to select and accurately point at targets of interest. I focused on planning long-distance RMI observations, and despite the limited data we were able to plan an RMI mosaic of a distant block with interesting textures exposed. We also planned a LIBS raster on a nearby nodular rock named "Shulinab."

Mastcam will take an image of Shulinab for context and acquire stereo mosaics of a dark linear feature, the planned drive direction, and some stones that don't appear to be derived from the local bedrock. The Left Mastcam will also acquire a 7x6 mosaic of textures near the rover.

After all these activities have completed, the rover will drive about 26 meters to a brighter patch of ground, unstow its arm and take images of the arm workspace in preparation for contact science planning on Wednesday. Mastcam will once again measure the amount of dust in the air above the rover by imaging the Sun, then will search for ice clouds and take an image of Mars' larger moon Phobos after sunset.

On Sol 3729 Navcam will search of dust devils and ChemCam will autonomously search for and shoot its laser at an outcrop target. That evening, Navcam will search for clouds during twilight. As usual, REMS and DAN activities are spread throughout the plan.

Related Links
Curiosity Mars Science Laboratory
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
MARSDAILY
Aiming for the Triple Junction: Sols 3723-3724
Pasadena CA (JPL) Jan 27, 2023
Your blogger is a little tired right now... I am just back from a field trip to the salt flats in Botswana, guided by colleagues from BIUST University, walking, viewing and sampling in 38C heat. It was great to walk around and see with my own eyes geology relevant to Mars here on Earth. This enhances my - and more generally our - understanding of the physical and chemical processes that underly observations on Mars. I have been doing some analogue research in the Ntwetwe Pan, but while looking at ... read more

MARSDAILY
Building a catalog to lunar trash to track

Will lunar rover Jade Rabbit have company for the next Lantern Festival?

China to advance lunar exploration program

Turning astronauts into Moon explorers

MARSDAILY
China's Deep Space Exploration Lab eyes top global talents

Chinese astronauts send Spring Festival greetings from space station

China to launch 200-plus spacecraft in 2023

China's space industry hits new heights

MARSDAILY
Webb detects extremely small main-belt asteroid

Small asteroid 'serendipitously' detected using James Webb telescope

Curious comet's rare close approach

SwRI-led Lucy team announces new asteroid target

MARSDAILY
NASA's Juno Team assessing camera after 48th flyby of Jupiter

Webb spies Chariklo ring system with high-precision technique

Europe's JUICE spacecraft ready to explore Jupiter's icy moons

Exotic water ice contributes to understanding of magnetic anomalies on Neptune and Uranus

MARSDAILY
SwRI investigations reveal more evidence that Mimas is a stealth ocean world

Webb Space Telescope, Keck team up to study Saturn's moon Titan

MARSDAILY
Daily data delivery milestone achieved

LeoLabs expands weather radar coverage of Southern Hemisphere in the Indo-Pacific region

Esri joins the Overture Maps Foundation to help build interoperable open map data

Global land rush

MARSDAILY
Design a spacesuit for ESA

NASA announces finalists in challenge to design future astronaut food

NASA names first person of Hispanic heritage as chief astronaut

UAE 'Sultan of Space' grapples with Ramadan fast on ISS

MARSDAILY
A nearby potentially habitable Earth-mass exoplanet

Two nearby exoplanets might be habitable

Will machine learning help us find extraterrestrial life

AI joins search for ET

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.