Curiosity Sols 4920–4926: Surveying the Bands

Curiosity has been ascending Mount Sharp through physical bands of exposed rock with differing textures and tones. Planning for sols 4920 and 4921 left the rover in the middle of a rough-textured, dark-toned unit where brushing wasn’t possible; APXS chemistry and MAHLI micro-imaging were planned on “Salto La Cascada” and “Puerto de Rosas,” while ChemCam LIBS targeted bedrock “Kishuara” and a small layered float rock “La Rosita.” ChemCam’s RMI captured views of the “Mishe Mokwa” butte and dunes with tonal differences, and Mastcam collected mosaics of the “Valle Grande” channel, “Kimsa Chata” butte, nearby troughs, and the aircraft-carrier-shaped rock “El Matir.” Another drive moved Curiosity closer to the upper border of the dark-toned band.

Again brushing was not possible, so APXS and MAHLI were used on dark-toned bedrock targets “Santa Gracia” and “Laguna San Rafael,” with ChemCam LIBS also aimed at the bedrock.

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