Curiosity Blog: Sol 4788-4797 - A Weekend of Exploration on Mars
The Curiosity rover has emerged from its holiday behind the Sun and is back to work on Mars, providing scientists with a chance to reconnect with the Martian surface. Over the weekend, the rover conducted several activities, including imaging a sandy area and taking a small drive to its drill location.
One of the main goals for this week's activities was to conduct a rare SAM (Sample Analysis at Mars) experiment, which requires the instrument's last container of tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH). TMAH is a chemical used to help identify organic molecules in Martian samples. To ensure the success of this experiment, the rover conducted a rehearsal of the sample handoff on Wednesday.
During the weekend, Curiosity also imaged a broken white rock in the workspace using its APXS, MAHLI, and ChemCam instruments. The images were taken to better understand the composition of the rock and how it interacts with the Martian environment.
The rover's drill location for this week is about 2 meters away from "Nevado Sajama," a site that was drilled in November. Curiosity will be conducting its next drill at this location, which may provide new insights into the Martian geology and potential biosignatures.
In related news, NASA has released an image of the Martian surface taken by Curiosity's Mast Camera (Mastcam). The image shows a rocky area with shallow cracks filled with small rocks, as well as a drill hole in the ground near the center of the frame.
For more information on Curiosity's activities and science discoveries, visit the Mission Updates page or learn about the rover's science instruments.
The Curiosity rover has emerged from its holiday behind the Sun and is back to work on Mars, providing scientists with a chance to reconnect with the Martian surface. Over the weekend, the rover conducted several activities, including imaging a sandy area and taking a small drive to its drill location.
One of the main goals for this week's activities was to conduct a rare SAM (Sample Analysis at Mars) experiment, which requires the instrument's last container of tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH). TMAH is a chemical used to help identify organic molecules in Martian samples. To ensure the success of this experiment, the rover conducted a rehearsal of the sample handoff on Wednesday.
During the weekend, Curiosity also imaged a broken white rock in the workspace using its APXS, MAHLI, and ChemCam instruments. The images were taken to better understand the composition of the rock and how it interacts with the Martian environment.
The rover's drill location for this week is about 2 meters away from "Nevado Sajama," a site that was drilled in November. Curiosity will be conducting its next drill at this location, which may provide new insights into the Martian geology and potential biosignatures.
In related news, NASA has released an image of the Martian surface taken by Curiosity's Mast Camera (Mastcam). The image shows a rocky area with shallow cracks filled with small rocks, as well as a drill hole in the ground near the center of the frame.
For more information on Curiosity's activities and science discoveries, visit the Mission Updates page or learn about the rover's science instruments.
. It's always exciting to see what new discoveries they'll be making on Mars. That SAM experiment sounds really cool - it's like a detective trying to solve the mystery of Martian life 
. But what's really interesting to me is how these experiments are helping us learn more about the geology and potential biosignatures on Mars 
. I wonder if this new drill location will reveal some hidden secrets about our neighbor planet... or maybe even give us a hint about where we might find life beyond Earth? 
NASA's Curiosity rover is back to work on Mars & its giving me all the excitement 
! so like they're conducting these cool SAM experiments 2 analyze samples & identify organic molecules in Martian rocks that would be SO cool 4 us humans 2 know if there's life beyond earth lol! btw, those drill locations r getting closer 2 some crazy geological insights 
idk but im hyped 4 more updates from Curiosity can't wait 2 c what it discovers next 
I'm loving this update from Mars - it feels like we're getting closer to unraveling some of the Red Planet's secrets! 
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. The idea that they might find biosignatures is mind-blowing, and I'm super curious (pun intended) to see what their next drill reveals at "Nevado Sajama". Fingers crossed for some groundbreaking discoveries! 
But it's not just about finding aliens, it's also about learning more about the planet itself and how it works. Pretty neat stuff 
. Its also kinda cool that they had to rehearse a sample handoff experiment, just in case something goes wrong during the actual drill 
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. Love how they're back to work, getting all up close and personal with the Martian surface 
. That SAM experiment sounds intense 
, hope it yields some juicy samples 
. Wonder what kind of secrets are hiding beneath the surface 
. Anyway, can't wait to see more updates from Curiosity 
. That's like driving from LA to Vegas and back again... twice! 
The fact that they're studying the composition of rocks and how they interact with the Martian environment is giving me life! 
and we still haven't found any signs of life or anything interesting 
. what's the point of drilling 2 meters away from some other spot that was drilled last month 
? are they really that bored on Mars 
?
... err, I mean, the rover! Anyway, I'm excited to see what new discoveries they make about those Martian rocks and whether we'll finally find out if there's life on Mars 
! I love how they're getting back into their sampling groove, especially with that SAM experiment - can't wait to learn more about those organic molecules 
and I'm so here for it! Keep exploring, Curiosity team 
. And what is up with all these chemicals they use on Mars? TMAH sounds like somethin outta a sci-fi movie 
at least it's not just a big ol' dust storm like last year...or was that just a cleverly edited video 
? seriously though, those SAM experiments are super important for figuring out if there's any organic material on the Martian surface. maybe one day we'll actually find proof of life and not just have to keep asking ourselves "what if?" 
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. i mean, the fact that they had to do a rehearsal of the sample handoff experiment is just genius 
. anywayz, i'm literally so hyped for this rover to drill into that rock and potentially uncover some proof of life on mars