Wednesday 3rd October Sol 57

The
hazard cameras onboard Curiosity can give a valuable low angle view of the ground surface
in front of the rover.  Here we see the small
ridge of dust and sand that we will scoop for our imminent experiments.  Dust can be useful as well as a
nuisance.  Because it is fine grained it
has been blown over wide regions and thus homogenised its composition.  So when we analyse dusty soil we are getting an average crustal composition and set of minerals. That will  be a valuable addition to our knowledge of Mars and a good way of comparing to other planetary crusts, revealing any fluid processes that may have altered the martian crust over time.

We will also be analyzing the rocks surrounding the dust sampling area to determine their origin.