We have a stunning new view of Mt Sharp and the channels running off it. As we drive into the canyons after the Bagnold dunes campaign, we will see high cliffs of sedimentary rocks surrounding us. The team is considering where to drill next within the Stimson sandstone and we are looking for the best […]
Mars Science Laboratory Blog
4th September 2015 Sol 1094
This NavCam mosaic shows the Williams outcrop in front of us, which is part of the Stimson unit. Increasingly the stratigraphers will be able to split the sediments into different units highlighting changing environments. A striking feature of the outcrop are the light toned areas around fractures running across the landscape. ChemCam shows us that […]
31st August 2015 Sol 1091
I am Geo Science Theme Lead today (Geo STL). Our top priority is to retake the APXS compostional analyses on the Buckskin drill tailings, as we missed first time around. This Navcam image shows APXS placed over the tailings on a flat rock surface. The outcrop in front of us is called Williams. It has […]
19th August 2015 Sol 1079
This fantastic new selfie has just been returned. It is a mosaic of images from MAHLI taken over our recent drill site at Buckskin. Buckskin has turned out to be very silica rich and very hydrated. They key to where the water is locked in the rocks will be in the detail of the ChemCam and […]
1st August 2015 Sol 1060
Successful drilling at Buckskin! Like the other drill holes this is showing how thin red Mars is.
30th July 2015 Sol 1059
We have started drilling at Belkin, first a minidrill hole before the main drill hole. Belkin has been chosen because this sedimentary horizon has some very high silica enrichments. That may have occurred as the Gale sediments were altered by subsurface fluids after burial. As the basaltic composition was altered (as we saw from the […]
17th July 2015 Sol 1047
The science team is considering the next drill target. ChemCam and APXS results suggest that the sediment compositions are changing within the Murray Formation, with more altered compositions. This NavCam view, from Marias pass, looking toward the crater rim shows how we have started to gain some elevation, we are currently at about -4440 m, […]
9th July 2015 Sol 1039
This MastCam image shows an important close up view of the Stimson sandstone – Pahrump mudstone contact. The light clasts may be sulfate like gypsum, and broken up fragments of the sulfate veins that we have been seeing since Yellowknife Bay. This could be important for understanding the burial and alteration history of the sediments […]
30th June 2015 Sol 1030
Planetary conjunction has ended and communication of science results between Curiosity , Mars orbiters and Earth is possible again. The first images show us in our position at the Stimson outcrop, and we are starting to take more analyses. The time gap does not appear to have affected the rover and we are resuming full […]
15th June 2015 Sol 1015
Planetary conjunction – with no MSL operations – is an ideal time for a team meeting. We have just finished a a Mars Science Laboratory team meeting in Paris (Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle) and at the IAS Orsay. This gave us a chance to discuss the latest ChemCam data calibration and how that may change our […]
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