Members Can Post Anonymously On This Site
Ariane 6 development: progress on all fronts
-
Similar Topics
-
By NASA
Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio Mosaics More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions Mars Home 2 min read
Sols 4556-4558: It’s All in a Day’s (box)Work
NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image using its Right Navigation Camera on June 2, 2025 — Sol 4558, or Martian day 4,558 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 12:23:56 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech Written by Sharon Wilson Purdy, Planetary Geologist at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Earth planning date: Friday, May 30, 2025
When you are scheduled to participate in Science Operations for the rover’s weekend plan, you know it’s going to be a busy morning! Assembling the activities for Friday through Sunday (Sols 4556 through 4558) was no exception. I participated on this shift as the “keeper of the plan” for the geology and mineralogy theme group where I worked with members of the science and instrument teams to compile a set of observations for the rover to complete over the weekend. The rover continues to drive over a surface of shallow, sometimes sand-filled depressions that are separated by raised ridges — informally known as the “boxwork structures.” On this Friday, we were tasked with assessing the ground in our immediate vicinity to determine if the low-lying bedrock in the hollows was suitable for drilling.
With a focus on packing the plan with remote sensing activities to understand the bedrock around us, we used the ChemCam laser to analyze the chemistry of two bedrock targets, “La Tuna Canyon” and “Cooper Canyon,” that were also documented by Mastcam. ChemCam and Mastcam also teamed up to image an interesting dark ridge nearby named “Encinal Canyon.” Mastcam created stereo mosaics to document the nature of the candidate drill sites that were near the rover, in addition to the “Blue Sky Preserve” stereo mosaic that beautifully captured the nature of the boxwork structures in front of us. The environmental theme group included some of their favorite activities in the plan to monitor the clouds, wind, and the atmosphere.
Curiosity has successfully completed numerous long drives (about 20+ meters, or 66 feet and beyond) in the past several weeks but this weekend the rover got a bit of a reprieve — the rover will drive approximately 7 meters (about 23 feet) to get situated in front of a possible drill site. I’m eagerly looking forward to seeing what unfolds on Monday!
.
Share
Details
Last Updated Jun 03, 2025 Related Terms
Blogs Explore More
2 min read Sols 4554–4555: Let’s Try That One Again…
Article
4 days ago
2 min read Sol 4553: Back to the Boxwork!
Article
5 days ago
3 min read A Dust Devil Photobombs Perseverance!
Article
5 days ago
Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited…
All Mars Resources
Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,…
Rover Basics
Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a…
Mars Exploration: Science Goals
The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four…
View the full article
-
By Space Force
Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman visited Space Systems Command at Los Angeles Air Force Base May 22, engaging more than 500 Guardian acquirers to discuss their outsized impact on missions across the Space Force and Department of Defense.
View the full article
-
By NASA
2 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
A digital rendering of the NASA-supported commercial space station, Vast’s Haven-1, which will provide a microgravity environment for crew, research, and in-space manufacturing.Vast NASA-supported commercial space station, Vast’s Haven-1, recently completed a test of a critical air filter system for keeping future astronauts healthy in orbit. Testing confirmed the system can maintain a safe and healthy atmosphere for all planned Haven-1 mission phases.
Testing of the trace contaminant control system was completed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, as part of a reimbursable Space Act Agreement. Vast also holds an unfunded Space Act Agreement with NASA as part of the second Collaborations for Commercial Space Capabilities initiative.
Adrian Johnson, air chemist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, operates the Micro-GC, which is used to measure carbon monoxide levels, during a trace contaminant control system test in the environmental chamber.NASA The subsystem of the environmental control and life support system is comprised of various filters designed to scrub hazardous chemicals produced by both humans and materials on the commercial station. During the test, a representative chemical environment was injected into a sealed environmental chamber, and the filtration system was turned on to verify the trace contaminant control system could maintain a healthy atmosphere.
“Testing of environmental control systems and subsystems is critical to ensure the health and safety of future commercial space station crews,” said Angela Hart, program manager for NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “Through NASA’s agreements with Vast and our other industry partners, the agency is contributing technical expertise, technologies, services, and facilities to support companies in the development of commercial stations while providing NASA important insight into the development and readiness to support future agency needs and services in low Earth orbit.”
NASA-supported commercial space station, Vast’s Haven-1, trace contaminant control filters and support hardware pictured within the environmental chamber at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama.NASA Experts used the same environmental chamber at Marshall to test the International Space Station environmental control and life support system.
The knowledge and data gained during the recent testing will help validate Vast’s Haven-1 and support future Haven-2 development.
NASA supports the design and development of multiple commercial space stations through funded and unfunded agreements. NASA plans to procure services from one or more companies following the design and development phase as part of the agency’s strategy to become one of many customers for low Earth orbit stations.
For more information about commercial space stations, visit:
www.nasa.gov/commercialspacestations
Keep Exploring Discover More Topics
Commercial Space Stations in Low Earth Orbit
NASA is supporting the development of commercially owned and operated space stations in low Earth orbit from which the agency,…
Low Earth Orbit Economy
Commercial Crew Program
NASA’s Low Earth Orbit Microgravity Strategy
View the full article
-
-
By Space Force
Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John F. Bentivegna outlined key strategic, operational and personnel initiatives during the Air and Space Forces Association's Warfighters in Action event, May 5.
View the full article
-
-
Check out these Videos
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.