Curiosity’s Arm over ‘Marimba’ target on Mount Sharp

Curiosity’s arm over ‘Marimba’ target on Mount sharp Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover began close-up investigation of a target called “Marimba,” on lower Mount Sharp, during the week preceding the fourth anniversary of the mission’s dramatic sky-crane landing. The Navigation Camera (Navcam) on Curiosity’s mast took this image on Aug. 2, 2016, during the 1,418th Martian day, or sol, since Curiosity landed inside Gale Crater on Aug. 6, 2012, Universal Time (Aug. 5, PDT).

In this scene, the rover has extended its arm over a patch of bedrock selected as the target for rover’s next drilling operation. The drilling collects rock powder for onboard laboratory analysis. The arm is positioned with the rover’s wire-bristle Dust Removal Tool above the target.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project’s Curiosity rover and the rover’s Navcam.
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