Astrogeology Science Center

A short drive was planned in the previous sol to place Curiosity just below the top of the pediment. The drive went extremely well, and the workspace available for tosol’s plan is beautiful and full of tantalizing outcrops. 

Highlights of our February happenings.

On February 13, NASA announced the selection of the Io Volcano Observer as one of the four proposals for future Discovery-class missions to move a step closer to launch later this decade. The good news comes just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Mark your calendars for STEM Night at the Northern Arizona University Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff Arizona on March 9, from 5 to 7 pm.  Astrogeology volunteers will be back again this year with STEM activities for everyone. Our community,  as well as the nation,  can always count on us to do our part to help children get excited about STEM.  We're hoping to see you there! 

Curiosity is parked at the “Hutton” drill site, just below the contact with the overlying Greenheugh pediment.  After a successful drill last week, the rover has been focused on ongoing analyses of the drill sample and further characterization of this site.  

Colin Dundas, a Research scientist at the Astrogeology Science Center, recently had a paper published on February 3, in the scientific journal Icarus, entitled "An aeolian grainflow model for Martian Recurring Slope Lineae."  Slope Lineae are a lively topic of debate in planetary science.

Despite a short notice to invite the public to the Astrogeology Science Center Watch Party on January 23, local people came to watch Dr. Justin Hagerty deliver a lecture from the Menlo Park Conference Center in California.

The Sol 2657 drive went well, so we have new bedrock exposures to explore on Sol 2658.  The goal for today is to get good chemical and remote sensing data in this location before proceeding uphill toward the south.  A "touch-and-go" sol is planned, starting with a short APXS integration on a bedrock slab named "Marchmont."  

We request the honor of your presence at the Astrogeology Science Center Watch Party on January 23, 2020. Our very own director, Dr. Justin Hagerty, will speak about How the Astrogeology Science Center is integral to the past, present, and future investigation of the Solar System, from the USGS...

Curiosity is still on the shoulder of Western Butte at a location that provides a good vantage point, exposes changes in stratigraphy, and reveals some interesting float blocks in our workspace. 

MSL blog post for January 8, 2020