TL;DR
Get school and study supplies delivered free — and shop member deals
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Access to Prime Big Deal Days deals on October 6–7
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
NASA’s Curiosity rover spent sols 5029–5035 completing CheMin analysis of a drilled sample from the Basque Lakes site and preparing it for work by the SAM laboratory. SAM’s tunable laser spectrometer measured volatiles; its results will help the team decide whether to run a separate mass spectrometry analysis.
NASA’s Curiosity rover spent sols 5029–5035 completing analysis of a drilled rock sample from the Basque Lakes site, including work by its CheMin and SAM laboratory instruments. The SAM team will use results from a tunable laser spectrometer measurement of volatiles to decide whether to conduct a separate mass spectrometry analysis next week, according to the mission team’s Oct. 5 report.
The rover team said the week centered on wrapping up CheMin analysis, preparing the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument suite, or SAM, and analyzing the sample with SAM’s tunable laser spectrometer (TLS). CheMin’s data informed SAM’s decision to analyze the sample at all. The TLS run measures volatiles present in the material; SAM is waiting for its results before deciding whether to follow up with a separate mass spectrometry analysis.
Laboratory work draws a significant share of Curiosity’s daily power budget. During this drill campaign, much of the rest of the rover’s science payload took a back seat, the report said. The team used available power for observations that set the sample and drilling location in context, alongside its routine environmental measurements.
Mastcam captured a 360-degree mosaic of the surroundings to document the geological setting. Its color and higher resolution compared with Navcam helped guide closer imaging of structures near the rover’s workspace. ChemCam’s Remote Micro-Imager photographed the Cordillera butte, while ChemCam also collected chemistry data from the Basque Lakes drill hole, French Creek sand ripples over bedrock, and loose gray clasts called Wooley and Fireside. The report did not identify the clasts’ origin.
Why the Sample Needs Two Labs
The sequence shows how Curiosity’s onboard laboratories can shape the next step in an investigation. CheMin’s findings were part of the basis for SAM taking up the sample, and the TLS measurement now supplies information about its volatile components. The team’s pending decision means the laser results will help determine whether another, distinct form of analysis is warranted.
That work comes with a practical trade-off. The laboratory instruments use a substantial portion of the rover’s daily power, leaving less capacity for other payload activities during drilling campaigns. In this plan, the team balanced that cost by collecting contextual images and chemistry measurements, as well as continuing environmental monitoring. The report describes the work and decision process, but does not give mineral or volatile results that would support conclusions about the sample’s composition.
chemistry lab glassware set for beginners
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
From Drill Site to Rover Lab
Curiosity’s regular plans commonly include mosaics from Mastcam and ChemCam, chemistry measurements from ChemCam and APXS, images from MAHLI and MARDI, and systematic readings from REMS, RAD and DAN. Drilling changes the balance: it provides material that CheMin and SAM can analyze inside the rover, while their operations require a large portion of available power.
The Basque Lakes drill hole is the source of the sample at the center of this week’s plan. Alongside laboratory work, the rover team gathered observations to document the setting, including a broad view of nearby geology and closer images of features around the workspace. Those images provide context for the sample and help direct later observations.
The plan also included seven photometry observations spread across fixed times of day, using Mastcam with Navcam. They track how targets’ observed spectral characteristics change with the Sun’s angle. NASA says the measurements help researchers interpret images from both the rover and cameras in orbit. ChemCam’s additional measurements covered material in and around the workspace, rather than only the drilled sample.
portable laser spectrometer for science experiments
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
The TLS Result Is Pending
The report does not provide the CheMin findings, the TLS measurement results, or a final decision on mass spectrometry. It is consequently unclear what minerals or volatiles the sample contains, and whether SAM will carry out the additional analysis next week. The mission team’s report also does not state when those results or the decision will be released.
The origin of the loose gray clasts named Wooley and Fireside remains unknown in the report. It also gives no specific results from the seven photometry observations or the routine atmospheric and surface monitoring. Those activities are described as part of the plan, rather than as findings.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
SAM Awaits Its Next Measurement
The immediate next step is for the SAM team to review the TLS volatile measurement and decide whether to schedule a separate mass spectrometry analysis. The report says that follow-up could take place next week, but does not confirm that it will. Until the team reports the result and its decision, the scope of further laboratory work on the Basque Lakes sample remains open.
Curiosity’s environmental monitoring is also set to continue through regular readings from REMS, RAD and DAN, along with camera checks on dust, clouds and dust devils. The rover team can then add further imaging or chemistry observations as power and planning priorities allow. NASA’s account does not specify the dates or targets of the rover’s subsequent plans.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
What sample did Curiosity analyze?
It was material from the Basque Lakes drill hole, which CheMin analyzed before SAM took up its own work.
What did SAM’s tunable laser spectrometer measure?
The TLS run measured volatiles present in the sample. The NASA report does not publish the measurement results.
Will SAM conduct mass spectrometry next?
The team has not confirmed that. SAM will use the TLS results to decide whether to conduct a separate mass spectrometry analysis, possibly next week.
What else did Curiosity observe during the drill campaign?
The rover took a 360-degree Mastcam mosaic, collected ChemCam data from nearby materials, planned seven photometry observations and continued routine environmental monitoring.
Source: primary
Halloween Picks
halloween
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
