We are now getting high
resolution images of the ground surrounding Curiosity. What we are
seeing are formations that conform nicely to our expectations of a
water transformed environment. I do want to see those cobble stones
real close though.
The ground on which it is
sitting is hardly water modified and I suspect that most of the
ground on Mars has a volcanic pedigree, allowing it to be windblown
but never reduced except mechanically. That provides ample ground
for curiosity to travel over with some ease.
It usually means that the
bedrock is well covered and we have to hope some water flows did do
some excavation. So far we have been involved in excavation be
asteroid impact. By the way, we have not been seeing really large
boulders on Mars. We have been seeing volcanic cinder fields with
the lights blown away. It should crunch a lot underfoot.
Exposed by Rocket
Engine Blasts: This color image from NASA's Curiosity rover shows an
area excavated by the blast of the Mars Science Laboratory's descent
stage rocket engines. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)
ScienceDaily (Aug. 12,
2012) — NASA's Curiosity rover has shipped back to Earth
high-resolution color images of its surroundings on Mars, sharpening
our views of an intriguing channel, layered buttes and a layer of
cobbles and pebbles embedded in a finer matrix of material. The
images show a landscape closely resembling portions of the
southwestern United States, adding to the impression gained from the
lower-resolution thumbnail images released earlier this week.
The 79 images that
went into the large mosaics were taken on Aug. 8, 2012 PDT (Aug. 9,
EDT) by Curiosity's 34-millimeter Mastcam. The black areas indicate
high-resolution images not yet returned by the rover.
The full-resolution
images are available at: http://www.nasa.gov/msland
Curiosity sent
lower-resolution versions of these images earlier in the week. The
latest versions, sent while Curiosity was undergoing a software
"brain transplant" and pausing in its acquisition of new
science data, are 1,200 by 1,200 pixels.
In one version of the
large mosaic, the colors portrayed are unmodified from those returned
by the camera. The view is what a cell phone or camcorder would
record, since the Mastcam takes color pictures in the exact same
manner that consumer cameras acquire color images. The second version
shows the colors modified as if the scene were transported to Earth
and illuminated by terrestrial sunlight. This processing, called
"white balancing," is useful for scientists to be able to
recognize and distinguish rocks by their color in more familiar
lighting.
Smaller mosaics of
some of the areas most interesting to science team members are also
available. One shows a section on the crater wall north of the
landing site, where a network of valleys believed to have formed by
water erosion enters Gale Crater from the outside. This is the
first view scientists have had of a fluvial system -- one relating to
a river or stream -- from the surface of Mars.
A second section of
the mosaic looks south of the landing site, towards Mount Sharp, a
peak that is about 3.4 miles (5.5 kilometers) high and taller than
Mt. Whitney in California. This provides an overview of the eventual
geologic targets Curiosity will explore in the next two years. Close
by is a rock-strewn, gravelly surface. Farther away is a dark dune
field, and beyond that lie the layered buttes and mesas of the
sedimentary rock of Mount Sharp.
Another section of the
mosaic shows an area excavated by the blast of the Mars Science
Laboratory's descent stage rockets. With the loose debris blasted
away by the rockets, details of the underlying materials are clearly
seen. Of particular note is a well-defined, topmost layer that
contains fragments of rock embedded in a matrix of finer material.
Curiosity continues to
be very healthy, with all instruments and engineering subsystems
operating as planned. There are no science or instrument activities
planned on Sol 5. Last night, the new flight software, which is
optimized for surface operations, was tested for the first time and
successfully executed all planned Sol 5 rover activities. The test
demonstrated that the new software is ready to support the upcoming
surface operations mission phase. After an afternoon nap, Curiosity
then returned to operating on its previous flight software, as
planned. The rover's primary main computer will be permanently
transitioned to the new flight software on Aug. 13.
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