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New Images From Mars: September 5-8

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First Image From Curiosity’s Arm Camera With Dust Cover Open
The reclosable dust cover on Curiosity’s Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) was opened for the first time during the 33rd Martian day, or sol, of the rover’s mission on Mars (Sept. 8, 2012), enabling MAHLI to take this image. 

The level of detail apparent in the image shows that haziness in earlier MAHLI images since landing was due to dust that had settled on the dust cover during the landing. 

The patch of ground shown is about 34 inches (86 centimeters) across. The size of the largest pebble, near the bottom of the image, is about 3 inches (8 centimeters). Notice that the ground immediately around that pebble has less dust visible (more gravel exposed) than in other parts of the image. The presence of the pebble may have affected the wind in a way that preferentially removes dust from the surface around it. 

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems

 

Martian Ground Seen by Arm Camera With and Without Dust Cover (Thumbnails)

As the last step in a series of inspections of the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) aboard NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity, this camera’s reclosable dust cover was opened for the first time during the 33rd Martian day, or sol, of the rover’s mission on Mars (Sept. 8, 2012), enabling MAHLI to take the center image of this set. The other two images presented here for comparison were taken before the cover was opened (left) and after the cover was closed again (right). 

All three images here are thumbnails, approximately one-eighth the resolution of the full-size MAHLI images. The full-size images corresponding to the two cover-closed thumbnails were not yet received on Sept. 8. All three images were taken from the same position: about 5 feet (1.5 meters) above the ground, facing down. The patch of ground shown in each image is about 34 inches (86 centimeters) across. 

Comparison of these cover-closed and cover-open images shows that haziness in MAHLI images taken on previous sols was due to a thin film of dust that settled on the dust cover during Curiosity’s landing. 

The main purpose of Curiosity’s MAHLI camera is to acquire close-up, high-resolution views of rocks and soil at the rover’s Gale Crater field site. The camera is capable of focusing on any target at distances of about 0.8 inch (2.1 centimeters) to infinity. 

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems

 
RRover Takes Self Portrait
On Sol 32 (Sept. 7, 2012) the Curiosity rover used a camera located on its arm to obtain this self portrait. The image of the top of Curiosity’s Remote Sensing Mast, showing the Mastcam and Chemcam cameras, was acquired by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI). The angle of the frame reflects the position of the MAHLI camera on the arm when the image was taken. The image was acquired while MAHLI’s clear dust cover was closed.

The image was taken on a day when MAHLI and other instruments and tools on the turret were being inspected using the rover’s Mastcams and Navcams. The MAHLI cover was in the closed position in order to inspect the dust cover to ensure that the cover, its hinge, and the volume it sweeps when it opens are clear of debris.

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems

Opportunity Eyes Rock Fins on Cape York, Sol 3058

Rock fins up to about 1 foot (30 centimeters) tall dominate this scene from the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. The component images were taken during the 3,058th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity’s work on Mars (Aug. 23, 2012). The view spans an area of terrain about 30 feet (9 meters) wide. 

Orbital investigation of the area has identified a possibility of clay minerals in this area of the Cape York segment of the western rim of Endeavour Crater. 

The view combines exposures taken through Pancam filters centered on wavelengths of 753 nanometers (near infrared), 535 nanometers (green) and 432 nanometers (violet). It is presented in approximate true color, the camera team’s best estimate of what the scene would look like if humans were there and able to see it with their own eyes. 

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell Univ./Arizona State Univ.

 

NASA Mars Rover Curiosity Begins Arm-Work Phase 


After driving more than a football field’s length since landing, NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity is spending several days preparing for full use of the tools on its arm.
 
The left eye of the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity took this image of the camera on the rover’s arm, the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), during the 30th Martian day, or sol, of the rover’s mission on Mars (Sept. 5, 2012). 
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS 

Curiosity extended its robotic arm Wednesday in the first of six to 10 consecutive days of planned activities to test the 7-foot (2.1-meter) arm and the tools it manipulates.

“We will be putting the arm through a range of motions and placing it at important ‘teach points’ that were established during Earth testing, such as the positions for putting sample material into the inlet ports for analytical instruments,” said Daniel Limonadi of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., lead systems engineer for Curiosity’s surface sampling and science system. “These activities are important to get a better understanding for how the arm functions after the long cruise to Mars and in the different temperature and gravity of Mars, compared to earlier testing on Earth.”

Since the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft placed Curiosity inside Mars’ Gale Crater on Aug. 5 PDT (Aug. 6 EDT), the rover has driven a total of 358 feet (109 meters). The drives have brought it about one-fourth of the way from the landing site, named Bradbury Landing, to a location selected as the mission’s first major science destination, Glenelg.

“We knew at some point we were going to need to stop and take a week or so for these characterization activities,” said JPL’s Michael Watkins, Curiosity mission manager. “For these checkouts, we need to turn to a particular angle in relation to the sun and on flat ground. We could see before the latest drive that this looked like a perfect spot to start these activities.”

The work at the current location will prepare Curiosity and the team for using the arm to place two of the science instruments onto rock and soil targets. In addition, the activities represent the first steps in preparing to scoop soil, drill into rocks, process collected samples and deliver samples into analytical instruments.

Checkouts in the next several days will include using the turret’s Mars Hand Lens Imager to observe its calibration target and the Canadian-built Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer to read what chemical elements are present in the instrument’s calibration target.

“We’re still learning how to use the rover. It’s such a complex machine — the learning curve is steep,” said JPL’s Joy Crisp, deputy project scientist for the Mars Science Laboratory Project, which built and operates Curiosity.

After the arm characterization activities at the current site, Curiosity will proceed for a few weeks eastward toward Glenelg. The science team selected that area as likely to offer a good target for Curiosity’s first analysis of powder collected by drilling into a rock.

“We’re getting through a big set of characterization activities that will allow us to give more decision-making authority to the science team,” said Richard Cook, Mars Science Laboratory project manager at JPL.

Curiosity is one month into a two-year prime mission on Mars. It will use 10 science instruments to assess whether the selected study area ever has offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life. JPL manages the mission for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.



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