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Curiosity Blog, Sols 5022-5028: Cashing in at Cache Creek

A close-up, overhead view of reddish-brown Martian soil taken by the Curiosity rover. In the center is a distinct, circular area where the top layer of rough soil has been smoothed or brushed away, leaving faint concentric ring marks. A small, elongated rock fragment is embedded in the very center of this circular patch. The brushed circle contrasts with the surrounding undisturbed surface, which is covered in loose, coarse sand and small, crumbly pebbles.
Image via NASA; original credits at the source.
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Automatically curated summary from NASA.

According to NASA author Lucy Thompson, the Curiosity Mars rover entered the Cache Creek quad in Gale crater and successfully drilled its 48th rock target, named Basque Lakes. Operating under power constraints and age-related limitations, the team utilized instruments including APXS, MAHLI, ChemCam, Mastcam, and Navcam to analyze the target's chemistry, texture, and surrounding context. The team is conducting a CheMin X-ray diffraction analysis and plans a sample delivery to SAM to examine the mineral composition and gain insights into the rock's geological and depositional history.

Context and limitations

The mineral content and geological insights from the Basque Lakes drill target remain pending until CheMin X-ray diffraction and SAM instrument analyses are completed.

A rover sits on the hilly, orange Martian surface beneath a flat grey sky, surrounded by chunks of rock.
Image via NASA; original credits at the source.
Curiosity Blog, Sols 5022-5028: Cashing in at Cache Creek
Image via NASA; original credits at the source.
Curiosity Blog, Sols 5022-5028: Cashing in at Cache Creek
Image via NASA; original credits at the source.

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