Mars Curiosity

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity is investigating the contacts between the boxwork unit and the layered sulfate unit. The rover is currently driving southward across the uppermost portion of the boxwork unit, characterized by smooth bedrock with less obvious boxwork structures.

During the past week, the rover's MAHLI instrument imaged targets named after geographic locations around the Andes in South America, including 'Piedras Bonitas' and 'La Calera'. The APXS instrument analyzed a brushed, nodular bedrock at 'Jaruma' and a larger nodule at the unbrushed 'Constancia'.

Mastcam acquired several mosaics, including an 18×1 mosaic on Monday and a 19×3 mosaic on Friday, to help understand the origin and evolution of the boxwork unit. The rover also monitored dust in the atmosphere using different tools.