Curiosity Climbs 24-Degree Mars Slope for Supersurface Imaging
Updated
Updated · Science@NASA · Aug 11
Curiosity Climbs 24-Degree Mars Slope for Supersurface Imaging
1 articles · Updated · Science@NASA · Aug 11
Summary
Curiosity reached detailed imaging range of Cerro Paine Grande, then climbed onto the candidate erosional supersurface and finished parked at about a 24-degree tilt.
Mastcam led the campaign with large stereo mosaics of the vertical outcrop face and a 360-degree panorama from the top, aimed at resolving possible wind- and water-shaped features around the discontinuity.
MAHLI, APXS and ChemCam examined rock layers below and atop the surface break, including targets Puyehue, Lago Palena, Sierra de Sangre and Laguna del Laja, plus a sand sample to compare compositions along the traverse.
The climb nearly matched Curiosity's 27-degree contact-science tilt record while still positioning the rover for close-up measurements.
The work is part of a broader effort in Gale Crater to reconstruct when deposition gave way to erosion and then returned, leaving a gap in Mars' rock record.