Sols 2131-2133 update by Vivian Sun: Colors Abound in Pettegrove Point (6 August 2018)
Curiosity is currently preparing to bump to her next drill site in the Pettegrove Point member, but not before gathering many observations at our current location.
There are interesting color variations in today’s workspace, with grey, tan, and red gradients across the outcrop that can be seen in the above image. Curiosity will document these color variations in detail with images from Mastcam and the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) and chemical measurements from the ChemCam and Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instruments. This is a lot of data to relay, but we expect downlinks from both the Mars Odyssey and the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter spacecrafts over the weekend.
On Sol 2131, the geology theme group planned ChemCam measurements of the targets “Shiant Isles” and “Inchnadamph,” which are grey-toned rocks. The observation on Inchnadamph is especially interesting because ChemCam will shoot two sets of 150 laser shots into the rock to see if there are chemical variations with depth. The APXS instrument will also make chemical measurements on a darker grey target “Mount Battock” and a lighter grey target “Scourie More,” in addition to a red target “Dobbs Linn” which will be brushed beforehand with the Dust Removal Tool (DRT). All of these targets will be documented with high-resolution Mastcam and MAHLI images.
On Sol 2132, Curiosity will acquire a Mastcam multispectral observation of all these targets to enable a detailed assessment of these color variations. Mastcam will also image the “Bullers of Buchan” target, which is an outcrop that may expose layering and nodules. Curiosity will then drive a few meters to our drill site.
Sol 2133 is packed with three science blocks filled with activities from the environmental theme group: Mastcam tau and crater rim extinction observations, Navcam zenith, suprahorizon, and dust devil movies, and Navcam line of sight observations. Curiosity will also make ChemCam passive measurements and an APXS atmospheric measurement. All of these observations will help with our ongoing monitoring of the atmosphere as the dust storm settles. After all of this, we look forward to seeing our drill workspace on Monday!
Sol 2134-2135 update by Rachel Kronyak: Third time’s a charm? (6 August 2018)
After a weekend full of contact science, remote science, and driving, Curiosity arrived at her next drill site within the Pettegrove Point member. Our previous two drilling attempts within the Pettegrove Point member haven’t been as successful as we’d have hoped; the rocks in this area are much harder than we’re used to - all the more reason to acquire and analyze a drill sample. We’re hopeful that our third drilling attempt does the trick!
Today we planned two sols to kick off our drilling campaign. On Sol 2134 we will perform triage contact science observations to document our new drill target, which we’ve named “Stoer.” We’ll use our Dust Removal Tool (DRT) to brush away some of the surface dust over Stoer before imaging it with the MAHLI camera and performing chemical analyses with the APXS instrument. To prepare for drilling, we’ll then perform a “pre-load” test, where we position the drill in contact with the Stoer rock surface and press down. This allows our mission engineers to verify that the rock is stable enough for drilling.
Later in the afternoon, we’ll assess the Stoer area with a Mastcam mosaic and perform some environmental monitoring observations with Navcam. Finally, we’ll place the APXS instrument on Stoer overnight to get a nice long chemical observation.
On Sol 2135, we planned a suite of remote science observations, including REMS, DAN, and Navcam atmospheric observations. After we move the robotic arm out of the way, we’ll perform two ChemCam LIBS analyses: one on Stoer, the other on the target “Strontian,” a nearby darker gray bedrock target. We’ll document both targets with Mastcam images and use additional camera filters to analyze Stoer; we call this observation a “multispectral” observation. We’ll end the day with a SAM electrical baseline test (EBT), which we periodically perform to monitor the SAM instrument’s electrical functions.
Sol 2136-2137 update by Sarah Lamm: Try, Try, and Try Again (8 August 2018)
After two sols of analyzing our intended drill site in the Pettegrove Point member, we began plans to drill the target “Stoer.” Stoer has had Mastcam images, MAHLI images, APXS, and ChemCam observations acquired over the past two sols. The two previous drill attempts in this geologic member have not been able to get to successful depth since the rocks have been more resistant than what we saw earlier in the mission. Pettegrove Point is an important area to get a drill sample from because it is categorized as lower Vera Rubin Ridge. Curiosity has previously visited this area of Pettegrove Point on Sol 2097. On that sol we had a target “Caithness” which is close to our intended drill hole, Stoer. This is the last drill attempt in Pettegrove Point.
Besides drilling Stoer, we have four other targets planned for these two sols. We have planned for one ChemCam target named “Glen Brittle,” and three Mastcam targets named “Belhelvie,” “Camas Mor,” and “Sandray.”
Today I was ChemCam science downlink lead. This role processes data from previous sols and makes preliminary reports on ChemCam targets. Today was a slow day because data is currently backlogged. The downlink data is slowly trickling in, but uplink operations have not been slowed down. We still have enough information from the rover’s current location to send commands to the rover. Hopefully we can get all of the backlogged data soon and get caught up again.
Sol 2138-2140 update by Catherine O’Connell-Cooper: Success at Pettegrove Point! (13 August 2018)
On our third attempt at drilling within the Pettegrove Point member on the Vera Rubin Ridge, we have success! Curiosity has successfully drilled, and generated a pile of drill tailings.
This weekend’s plan is focused on the Stoer drill hole, the tailings derived from the drill and on portion characterization observations. The portion characterization is done prior to sending samples to the analytical instruments, SAM and CheMin, to ensure that the materials will not pose any threat to the instruments. ChemCam passive and Mastcam multispectral imaging will be taken of the drill tailings, to identify any potential differences between the surface and material from deeper within the drill hole. The ChemCam laser (LIBS) will be used to characterize the Stoer drill hole and a bedrock target “Greian,” which appears to show some colour variations. Mastcam will provide colour documentation for Greian.
There will also be Mastcam change detection on the drill tailings (to identify if there is any movement of the drill tailings) and continuing change detection on three targets (“Camas Mor,” “Belhelvie” and “Sandray”). Environmental measurements will be made to search for both cloud motion and dust devils.
Sols 2141-2142 update by Ashley Stroupe: Taking a closer look at the Stoer sample (13 August 2018)
In today’s plan, Curiosity begins analysis of the long-awaited Pettegrove Point drill sample at the “Stoer” target, which was successfully collected last week (and I had the pleasure of helping to sequence as a Rover Planner). Our main activity is the drop-off of sample to CheMin, based on the characterization of the drop-off portion size done in the weekend plan. There is still a good bit of wind, so the drop-off is around noon, during the calmest time. Overnight, CheMin will be busy analyzing the sample; we’ll have the results down late Wednesday, which can then inform decisions about dropping off sample to SAM as early as this weekend’s plan for analysis early next week.
On both sols of the plan, we’re continuing our atmospheric observations to monitor the dust storm as it continues to abate, with dust devil surveys, and zenith and horizon opacity imaging. We’ll be collecting additional ChemCam and Mastcam images of the drill hole, to look for vertical variability, and of the tailings, for change detection. ChemCam is also focused on mapping the bedrock variability by looking at several targets at various distances from the drill hole: “Pitlochry,” “Ben Lui,” and “Caltron Hill.” Mastcam will be taking supporting documentation and additional change detection images on targets “Belhelvie,” “Camas Mor,” and “Sandray”.
Sol 2143-2144 update by Brittney Cooper: False Alarm! (16 August 2018)
The planning day began with an interesting result from the previous plan’s ChemCam RMI analysis of a target that was referred to as “Pettegrove Point Foreign Object Debris” (PPFOD), and speculated to be a piece of spacecraft debris. In fact it was found to be a very thin flake of rock, so we can all rest easy tonight - Curiosity has not begun to shed its skin! Perhaps the target should have been given a different name befitting the theme of the current quadrangle in which Curiosity resides: “Rabhadh Ceà rr”, or “False Alarm” in Scottish Gaelic.
While indications of mechanical success from the previous plan’s CheMin analysis of the drill sample at the “Stoer” target were received, the data will not be down until late this evening, so the drill campaign is taking a small hiatus to do some remote observations in this two-sol plan.
Environmental monitoring of the dust opacity or “tau” in Gale crater continues with multiple observations planned on each sol to observe diurnal variations, as well as the day-to-day trends as the global dust storm declines (as seen in the Navcam image below, the crater is still quite dusty!). Additional cloud monitoring observations and a dust devil survey are also included.
ChemCam will be taking the remote sensing to another level with its laser (LIBS) on targets “Balnakeil,” “Ben Arkle,” “Traboyack,” and “Strontian 2” in the late morning of sol 2143, and “Loch Ranza” and “Strathconon” in the late morning of 2144. Following the ChemCam activities, Mastcam will provide additional change detection monitoring of the LIBS targets, as well as targets “Belhelvie,” “Camas_Mor,” “Sandray,” and the drill tailings of the “Stoer” drill target. These observations will take place on both sols to observe the effect of the wind on the tailings and regolith.
Once the SAM team receives the preliminary results of the CheMin analysis, they will decide whether or not to request a SAM drop-off in the weekend plan, to prepare the drill sample for baking in an oven for what’s known as an “evolved gas analysis” (EGA).
Curiosity is currently preparing to bump to her next drill site in the Pettegrove Point member, but not before gathering many observations at our current location.
There are interesting color variations in today’s workspace, with grey, tan, and red gradients across the outcrop that can be seen in the above image. Curiosity will document these color variations in detail with images from Mastcam and the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) and chemical measurements from the ChemCam and Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instruments. This is a lot of data to relay, but we expect downlinks from both the Mars Odyssey and the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter spacecrafts over the weekend.
On Sol 2131, the geology theme group planned ChemCam measurements of the targets “Shiant Isles” and “Inchnadamph,” which are grey-toned rocks. The observation on Inchnadamph is especially interesting because ChemCam will shoot two sets of 150 laser shots into the rock to see if there are chemical variations with depth. The APXS instrument will also make chemical measurements on a darker grey target “Mount Battock” and a lighter grey target “Scourie More,” in addition to a red target “Dobbs Linn” which will be brushed beforehand with the Dust Removal Tool (DRT). All of these targets will be documented with high-resolution Mastcam and MAHLI images.
On Sol 2132, Curiosity will acquire a Mastcam multispectral observation of all these targets to enable a detailed assessment of these color variations. Mastcam will also image the “Bullers of Buchan” target, which is an outcrop that may expose layering and nodules. Curiosity will then drive a few meters to our drill site.
Sol 2133 is packed with three science blocks filled with activities from the environmental theme group: Mastcam tau and crater rim extinction observations, Navcam zenith, suprahorizon, and dust devil movies, and Navcam line of sight observations. Curiosity will also make ChemCam passive measurements and an APXS atmospheric measurement. All of these observations will help with our ongoing monitoring of the atmosphere as the dust storm settles. After all of this, we look forward to seeing our drill workspace on Monday!
Sol 2134-2135 update by Rachel Kronyak: Third time’s a charm? (6 August 2018)
After a weekend full of contact science, remote science, and driving, Curiosity arrived at her next drill site within the Pettegrove Point member. Our previous two drilling attempts within the Pettegrove Point member haven’t been as successful as we’d have hoped; the rocks in this area are much harder than we’re used to - all the more reason to acquire and analyze a drill sample. We’re hopeful that our third drilling attempt does the trick!
Today we planned two sols to kick off our drilling campaign. On Sol 2134 we will perform triage contact science observations to document our new drill target, which we’ve named “Stoer.” We’ll use our Dust Removal Tool (DRT) to brush away some of the surface dust over Stoer before imaging it with the MAHLI camera and performing chemical analyses with the APXS instrument. To prepare for drilling, we’ll then perform a “pre-load” test, where we position the drill in contact with the Stoer rock surface and press down. This allows our mission engineers to verify that the rock is stable enough for drilling.
Later in the afternoon, we’ll assess the Stoer area with a Mastcam mosaic and perform some environmental monitoring observations with Navcam. Finally, we’ll place the APXS instrument on Stoer overnight to get a nice long chemical observation.
On Sol 2135, we planned a suite of remote science observations, including REMS, DAN, and Navcam atmospheric observations. After we move the robotic arm out of the way, we’ll perform two ChemCam LIBS analyses: one on Stoer, the other on the target “Strontian,” a nearby darker gray bedrock target. We’ll document both targets with Mastcam images and use additional camera filters to analyze Stoer; we call this observation a “multispectral” observation. We’ll end the day with a SAM electrical baseline test (EBT), which we periodically perform to monitor the SAM instrument’s electrical functions.
Sol 2136-2137 update by Sarah Lamm: Try, Try, and Try Again (8 August 2018)
After two sols of analyzing our intended drill site in the Pettegrove Point member, we began plans to drill the target “Stoer.” Stoer has had Mastcam images, MAHLI images, APXS, and ChemCam observations acquired over the past two sols. The two previous drill attempts in this geologic member have not been able to get to successful depth since the rocks have been more resistant than what we saw earlier in the mission. Pettegrove Point is an important area to get a drill sample from because it is categorized as lower Vera Rubin Ridge. Curiosity has previously visited this area of Pettegrove Point on Sol 2097. On that sol we had a target “Caithness” which is close to our intended drill hole, Stoer. This is the last drill attempt in Pettegrove Point.
Besides drilling Stoer, we have four other targets planned for these two sols. We have planned for one ChemCam target named “Glen Brittle,” and three Mastcam targets named “Belhelvie,” “Camas Mor,” and “Sandray.”
Today I was ChemCam science downlink lead. This role processes data from previous sols and makes preliminary reports on ChemCam targets. Today was a slow day because data is currently backlogged. The downlink data is slowly trickling in, but uplink operations have not been slowed down. We still have enough information from the rover’s current location to send commands to the rover. Hopefully we can get all of the backlogged data soon and get caught up again.
Sol 2138-2140 update by Catherine O’Connell-Cooper: Success at Pettegrove Point! (13 August 2018)
On our third attempt at drilling within the Pettegrove Point member on the Vera Rubin Ridge, we have success! Curiosity has successfully drilled, and generated a pile of drill tailings.
This weekend’s plan is focused on the Stoer drill hole, the tailings derived from the drill and on portion characterization observations. The portion characterization is done prior to sending samples to the analytical instruments, SAM and CheMin, to ensure that the materials will not pose any threat to the instruments. ChemCam passive and Mastcam multispectral imaging will be taken of the drill tailings, to identify any potential differences between the surface and material from deeper within the drill hole. The ChemCam laser (LIBS) will be used to characterize the Stoer drill hole and a bedrock target “Greian,” which appears to show some colour variations. Mastcam will provide colour documentation for Greian.
There will also be Mastcam change detection on the drill tailings (to identify if there is any movement of the drill tailings) and continuing change detection on three targets (“Camas Mor,” “Belhelvie” and “Sandray”). Environmental measurements will be made to search for both cloud motion and dust devils.
Sols 2141-2142 update by Ashley Stroupe: Taking a closer look at the Stoer sample (13 August 2018)
In today’s plan, Curiosity begins analysis of the long-awaited Pettegrove Point drill sample at the “Stoer” target, which was successfully collected last week (and I had the pleasure of helping to sequence as a Rover Planner). Our main activity is the drop-off of sample to CheMin, based on the characterization of the drop-off portion size done in the weekend plan. There is still a good bit of wind, so the drop-off is around noon, during the calmest time. Overnight, CheMin will be busy analyzing the sample; we’ll have the results down late Wednesday, which can then inform decisions about dropping off sample to SAM as early as this weekend’s plan for analysis early next week.
On both sols of the plan, we’re continuing our atmospheric observations to monitor the dust storm as it continues to abate, with dust devil surveys, and zenith and horizon opacity imaging. We’ll be collecting additional ChemCam and Mastcam images of the drill hole, to look for vertical variability, and of the tailings, for change detection. ChemCam is also focused on mapping the bedrock variability by looking at several targets at various distances from the drill hole: “Pitlochry,” “Ben Lui,” and “Caltron Hill.” Mastcam will be taking supporting documentation and additional change detection images on targets “Belhelvie,” “Camas Mor,” and “Sandray”.
Sol 2143-2144 update by Brittney Cooper: False Alarm! (16 August 2018)
The planning day began with an interesting result from the previous plan’s ChemCam RMI analysis of a target that was referred to as “Pettegrove Point Foreign Object Debris” (PPFOD), and speculated to be a piece of spacecraft debris. In fact it was found to be a very thin flake of rock, so we can all rest easy tonight - Curiosity has not begun to shed its skin! Perhaps the target should have been given a different name befitting the theme of the current quadrangle in which Curiosity resides: “Rabhadh Ceà rr”, or “False Alarm” in Scottish Gaelic.
While indications of mechanical success from the previous plan’s CheMin analysis of the drill sample at the “Stoer” target were received, the data will not be down until late this evening, so the drill campaign is taking a small hiatus to do some remote observations in this two-sol plan.
Environmental monitoring of the dust opacity or “tau” in Gale crater continues with multiple observations planned on each sol to observe diurnal variations, as well as the day-to-day trends as the global dust storm declines (as seen in the Navcam image below, the crater is still quite dusty!). Additional cloud monitoring observations and a dust devil survey are also included.
ChemCam will be taking the remote sensing to another level with its laser (LIBS) on targets “Balnakeil,” “Ben Arkle,” “Traboyack,” and “Strontian 2” in the late morning of sol 2143, and “Loch Ranza” and “Strathconon” in the late morning of 2144. Following the ChemCam activities, Mastcam will provide additional change detection monitoring of the LIBS targets, as well as targets “Belhelvie,” “Camas_Mor,” “Sandray,” and the drill tailings of the “Stoer” drill target. These observations will take place on both sols to observe the effect of the wind on the tailings and regolith.
Once the SAM team receives the preliminary results of the CheMin analysis, they will decide whether or not to request a SAM drop-off in the weekend plan, to prepare the drill sample for baking in an oven for what’s known as an “evolved gas analysis” (EGA).
Curiosity update, sols 2093-2162: Three tries to successful drill atop Vera Rubin Ridge-- 6
![Curiosity update, sols 2093-2162: Three tries to successful drill atop Vera Rubin Ridge-- 6]()
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October 15, 2018
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