[meteorite-list] Curiosity Update: Assessing Drop-Off to Mars Rover's Observation Tray

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2012 13:51:42 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <201210252051.q9PKpgrp009056_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2012-336

Assessing Drop-Off to Mars Rover's Observation Tray
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
October 25, 2012

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity used its Mast Camera (Mastcam) during the
mission's 78th sol (Oct. 24, 2012) to view soil material on the rover's
observation tray. The observations will help assess movement of the
sample on the tray in response to vibrations from sample-delivery and
sample-processing activities of mechanisms on the rover's arm.

Curiosity is working with material from the fourth scoop of soil it
collected at the "Rocknest" patch of dust and sand. On Sol 77, a sieved
portion from this scoop was delivered to the Chemistry and Mineralogy
(CheMin) instrument inside the rover. This is the second soil sample for
CheMin analysis. The material from the fourth scoop is also being used
to scrub internal surfaces of the rover's sample-processing mechanisms
in preparation for delivery of a sample from a later scoop to the Sample
Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument.

Sol 78 activities included analysis of an atmosphere sample by SAM's
Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer and monitoring of environmental conditions
by the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) and the Radiation
Assessment Detector (RAD).

Sol 78, in Mars local mean solar time at Gale Crater, ended at 10:57
a.m. Oct. 25, PDT (1:57 p.m., EDT).

Guy Webster 818-354-6278
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
guy.webster at jpl.nasa.gov

2012-336
Received on Thu 25 Oct 2012 04:51:42 PM PDT