Written by Deborah Padgett, OPGS Mission is responsible for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Earth Plan Date: Friday, April 25, 2025
On SOL 4520 and 4521, curiosity should study layered rocks in its workspace and then drive. Unfortunately, the communications pass did not go as expected, preventing the program from being transferred. Our rovers are good, but metaphorically, it "twists the thumb" waiting for the expected Wednesday contact of the Earth. This is a process known as "beat", which occurs when the Earth fails to call a spacecraft at a specified time. The communications station is now backed up, so the team assembled a weekend plan that was developed by postponing the event on Wednesday and an additional full day of targetless scientific observation after driving. The extra two days before the program was implemented, letting our science team add another interesting goal to connect the science of the starting location.
On SOL 4522, Curiosity will begin scientific observations with a Mastcam 14 x 3 mosaic on the new target “Mesa Peak,” a flat, layered outcrop named on the Santa Monica Mountains in Southern California, covered with sandstone-like rocks and provides an oceanic landscape island to the Passage Islands. Two MASTCAM examination slots will be performed to record evidence of differences in ground motion. ChemCam will then glow on the "fan palm" nodule rock to determine its surface composition. Its telescope RMI camera then imaged the distant "Torote Bowl". After a series of REM observations, curiosity will unstable its arms and begin a detailed study of the "Hale Telescope", a beautifully layered stone with the target name to commemorate the famous 200-inch telescope (5.1m) in Palomar Mountain, northeast of San Diego.
Although it has been nearly 80 years, the Hale Telescope at the Palomar Observatory can still compete for annual observation time through teams organized by Caltech and its partners. Here, 5500 feet of Southern California "on the roof" (thank you, Carole King!), I have some of the happiest times in graduate school.
The curious arm will first deploy APX to touch the "Hale Telescope". The Mahli microscopic imager will then take extreme close-up photos of the rock and the nearby "Cerro Alto" target. Finally, the APX will measure the composition of the "Hale Telescope" in a measurement lasting two hours, similar to the exposure time required for the actual 200-inch telescope to measure the redshift of the quasars, determining that they are at cosmological distances. The SOL 4522 ends with a curious arm, preparing for the next SOL's drive.
On 4523, Curiosity will perform Mastcam mosaics of “Puerto Suelo” and “Potrero Seco,” as well as companion observation of the ChemCam target “Fan Palm” and an AEGIS-selected target from Sol 4919. ChemCam will then use laser spectroscopy to obtain surface composition of “Mesa Peak” and train the RMI telescope on intriguing formations along the side of Texoli Bart. MastCam will follow up on the "Laser ZAP" picture of "Mesa Peak". The Science Block ended with a NAVCAM 360-degree dust investigation. After that, Curiosity will drive about 20 meters (about 66 feet), near or over some large rocks, and then drive after imaging with Hazcams, Navcam and Mastcam. Afterwards, the rovers will conduct Aiquan Watch and take photos of the carnival on the ground below the rover.
On SOL 4524, the Science Block will focus on the atmosphere, including a Super Horizon Cloud movie, The Dust Devil's Investigation and Mastcam Dust Obacity Obisaction. There will also be a chemical library of Aegis selected targets for laser spectroscopy.
In the early morning of SOL 4525, curiosity will wake up, use Navcam to perform morning inlays on the Western "boxing" formations, and then turn Navcam toward the sky towards Suprahorizon and Zenith Cloud Movies, and the opaque dust spreading over high wind spinners. MastCam will then make its own dust observation, which will end the plan. If the team finds the wheel of curiosity sitting firmly on Martian soil instead of rocks, our rovers will once again connect with science on new rocks and continue to head to the box office she wants.