rarity is busy poking and prodding the Bagnold Dunes , learning some unexampled joke in the first - ever interplanetary fieldwork on a grit dune . And of path it looks utterly stunning while doing it in this late grit dune selfie .
The long - look dune scoop . trope credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech
oddment cringe up on Namib Dune , a large dune within the Bagnold Dunes on Mars , for a science pit stoppage on its way to the foothills of Mount Sharp . It ’s currently perform the first up - close investigating of an dynamic gumption sand dune not on Earth .
The robotic explorer was supposed to knock and drag the guts on Sol 1217 ( the 1,217th day of its commission on Mars ) , exposing tonic material for depth psychology . But something happened to set off failsafes , stay natural process . While its human scientists back on Earth puzzled over what chance , Curiosity center on timeserving scientific discipline by analyzing the chemical composition of the grains .
Curiosity ’s current location . Between colloidal suspension 1216 and 1221 , the bird of passage has drive 16.51 feet ( 5.03 time ) . Image credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech / Univ . of Arizona
Over the next few day , while it was stuck at the bottom of the dune , Curiosity took pic . These will be canvass to observe any changes in the sand dunes . We know from planet observation that the Bagnold Dunes are very active , migrate up to 3 groundwork during an Earth class . The golem also measured wind instrument speeding , to connect steer and dune migration . Hopefully it can capture a sand slide ( a miniature landslip down the cheek of the dune ) in progress .
The robot is also photographing its own surfaces to retard for guts buildup .
Scuffing in Curiosity ’s workplace area , seen on Sol 1229 . effigy mention : NASA / JPL - Caltech
The mule finally happened on Sol 1221 , expose fresh grains while confirming that the sand was deep enough to scoop a sampling without banging into intemperate rock-and-roll .
Sand in dune is by nature class by density , with jazz blowing the finest , lightest grains far than big and punishing cereal . So mission scientists involve to deliberately accumulate sample of unlike grain sizes .
Sand ! Image credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech
On Sol 1224 , a easy lay of sand was black market through a all right sieve to get just the tiniest texture ( under 0.006 inches diameter ) , then fertilize into a chemic analysis suite on the wanderer . After running a full workup , the pile was dumped and the rover scoop up a second sampling . This time , it escape it through the fine screen as usual . Then , Curiosity used its coarse sieve . The robot dumped the rejected larger mote into the second screen , sorting out anything large than 0.04 inch . The largest textile was dumped , but the remaining sample distribution of grains were routed into the analysis outfit . rather of just dumping it through the portioner , the team vibrated the Georgia home boy , gently tilting it until the stuff flow in a tiny flow into the collection area .
Unfortunately , the collection subdivision behaved unco while processing a third sampling from the sand dune , leaving terrestrial scientists once again troubleshooting from afar .
An earlier ego - portrayal of Curiosity approachingthe dune on Sol 1197 is rack - meltingly phantasmagorical from the deformation of turning a 360 grade panorama into a flat simulacrum . Photo credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
Top picture : Curiosity on Mars . credit rating : NASA / JPL - Caltech . Have Google Cardboard?Check out the aspect here .
[ AGU ’s The Martian Chronicles|NASA ]
adjoin the writer at[email protected]or follow her at@MikaMcKinnon .
curiosity roverMarsScienceSpacespace race
Daily Newsletter
Get the best tech , skill , and culture tidings in your inbox day by day .
word from the futurity , delivered to your present tense .
You May Also Like
