Sols 4207-4208: Sampling the Rocky Road

Curiosity was still at the ice cream shop today, surrounded by a variety of delicious rock flavors waiting to be sampled. In the previous plan, a particular rock caught the attention of the operations team, resembling Rocky Road both in appearance and in the fact that Curiosity had driven over it causing it to fracture. The team had wanted to use the APXS on this target named “Convict Lake,” but due to a lack of image data, they were unable to do so safely at a suitable distance. Undeterred, the operations team decided to shift their focus and obtain images of Convict Lake in order to better plan for APXS placement in today’s activities.

Despite not being able to use the APXS in the previous plan, the operations team was determined to make progress and gather important data on the fascinating rock formations in the area. By strategically acquiring images of Convict Lake, they were able to plan for a more precise placement of the APXS tool in today’s activities. This shift in strategy allowed Curiosity to continue its exploration and analysis of the rocks in its surroundings, ensuring that valuable information could be retrieved from Convict Lake.

With a new plan in place, the operations team worked diligently to ensure Curiosity’s success in studying Convict Lake. By adapting their approach and prioritizing image data collection, they were able to overcome the challenges faced in the previous plan and make significant progress in their analysis of the rocks in the area. The team’s perseverance and commitment to exploration allowed Curiosity to continue its crucial mission on Mars, uncovering valuable insights into the mysteries of the Red Planet’s geology.