Another first for Curiosity’s instruments. We have deployed the brush (which is a rotating implement on the robotic arm) for the first time. This is important because Mars is a dusty planet and the dust can sometimes get in the way of spectral observations by MastCam and compositional analyses by the X-ray spectrometer APXS and Chemcam. The difference is clear from the reddish oxidised dusty surface and the cleaned, blue-grey surface underneath.
Wednesday 9th Jan. 2013 Sol 153
About jbridges
This blog is a record of my experiences and work during the Mars Science Laboratory mission, from the preparation, landing on August 5th 2012 Pacific Time, and onwards... I will also post updates about our other Mars work on meteorites, ExoMars and new missions. You can also follow the planetary science activities with @LeicsPlanets Professor John Bridges, School of Physics and Astronomy
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