Sols 4491-4492: Classic Field Geology Pose – NASA Science

A grayscale, extreme wide-angle image of Martian terrain shows an exaggerated, curved horizon in the distance, where mesas rise from the ground. The entire field between that and the image foreground is covered in rocks of varying sizes poking out of the ground at various angles, with very few patches of flat ground. Many of the rocks are sunlit and very light gray, compared to the medium gray of the soil. Some of the soil in between the rocks appears wavy, as if sculpted by wind or water. Parts of the Curiosity rover are visible, but shadowed, in the four corners of the image, and the rover is casting a shadow covering most of the lower left corner of the image. One wheel is visible at the far right, perched atop a rock in the lower right corner.

Written by Lauren Edgar, Planetary Geologist at USGS Astrogeology Science Center

Earth planning date: Monday, March 24, 2025

If you’ve ever seen a geologist in the field, you may have seen a classic stance: one leg propped up on a rock, knee bent, head down looking at the rocks at their feet, and arm pointing to the distant stratigraphy. Today Curiosity decided to give us her best field geologist impression. The weekend drive went well and the rover traversed about 23 meters (about 75 feet), but ended with the right front wheel perched on an angular block. In the Front Hazcam image above, you can see the right front wheel on a small block, and the rover’s shadow with the mast staring out at all the exciting rocks to explore. Great pose, but not what we want for planning contact science! We like to have all six wheels on the ground for stability before deploying the robotic arm. So instead of planning contact science today, the team pivoted to a lot of remote sensing observations and another drive to climb higher in this canyon.

I was on shift as Long Term Planner today, and it was fun to see the team quickly adapt to the change in plans. Today’s two-sol plan includes targeted remote sensing and a drive on the first sol, followed by an untargeted science block on the second sol.
On Sol 4491, ChemCam will acquire a LIBS observation of a well-laminated block in our workspace named “Big Narrows,” followed by long-distance RMI observations coordinated with Mastcam to assess an interesting debris field at “Torote Bowl.” The team planned a large Mastcam mosaic to characterize the stratigraphy at Texoli butte from a different viewing geometry than we have previously captured. Mastcam will also be used to investigate active surface processes in the sandy troughs nearby, and an interesting fracture pattern at “Bronson Cave.” Then Curiosity will drive further to the south and take post-drive imaging to prepare for the next plan. On the second sol the team added an autonomously selected ChemCam AEGIS target, along with Navcam movies to monitor clouds, wind direction, and dust.

Keep on roving Curiosity, and please watch your step!

Sols 4491-4492: Classic Field Geology Pose – NASA Science

Similar Content