Sols 4511-4512: Low energy after a big weekend?

Curiosity Rover’s weekend was busy, with full contact science, imaging tests, and a long 57m drive, leaving it low on power for Monday’s plan.
The team had to prioritize science activities within the rover’s power limit, squeezing in activities such as acquiring Mastcam mosaics, ChemCam LIBS observations, and APXS data collection.
Curiosity will continue its drive south and take post-drive imaging to prepare for Wednesday’s plan, with a focus on investigating local stratigraphic relationships and diagenetic features.
The rover will also investigate the finely-laminated bedrock in its workspace at “The Grotto” target using instruments like DRT, APXS, and MAHLI.
Despite the busy weekend, Curiosity is still making progress towards its exploration goals, including investigating boxwork structures on “Ghost Mountain” and monitoring active surface processes.

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Sols 4511-4512: Low energy after a big weekend?

A grayscale photograph of the Martian surface from the Curiosity rover

This image was taken by Left Navigation Camera onboard NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 4510 (2025-04-14 03:43:40 UTC).

NASA/JPL-Caltech

Written by Lauren Edgar, Planetary Geologist at USGS Astrogeology Science Center

Earth planning date: Monday, April 14, 2025

We all know the feeling: it’s Monday morning after a big weekend and you’re coming into the week wishing you’d had a little more time to rest and recharge. Well, Curiosity probably feels the same way today. Curiosity accomplished a lot over the weekend, including full contact science, a MAHLI stereo imaging test, testing the collection of ChemCam passive spectral data at the same time as data transmission with one of the orbiters, and some APXS and MAHLI calibration target activities, plus a long 57 m drive. It was great to see all of those activities in the plan and to see some great drive progress. But that means we’re a bit tight on power for today’s plan!

I was on shift as Long Term Planner today, and the team had to think carefully about science priorities to fit within our power limit for today’s plan, and how that will prepare us for the rest of the week. The team still managed to squeeze a lot of activities into today’s 2-sol plan. First, Curiosity will acquire Mastcam mosaics to investigate local stratigraphic relationships and diagenetic features. Then we’ll acquire some imaging to document the sandy troughs between bedrock blocks to monitor active surface processes. We’ll also take a Navcam mosaic to assess atmospheric dust. The science block includes a ChemCam LIBS observation on the bedrock target “Santa Margarita” and a long distance RMI mosaic of “Ghost Mountain” to look for possible boxwork structures. Then Curiosity will use the DRT, APXS and MAHLI to investigate the finely-laminated bedrock in our workspace at a target named “The Grotto.” We’ll also collect APXS and MAHLI data on a large nodule in the workspace named “Torrey Pines” (meanwhile the Torrey Pines here on Earth was shaking in today’s southern California earthquakes! All is well but it gave some of our team members an extra jolt of adrenaline right before the SOWG meeting). The second sol is focused on continuing our drive to the south and taking post-drive imaging to prepare for Wednesday’s plan.

Phew! Good job Curiosity, you made it through Monday.

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Q. What did Curiosity accomplish over the weekend?

A. Curiosity accomplished full contact science, a MAHLI stereo imaging test, testing the collection of ChemCam passive spectral data at the same time as data transmission with one of the orbiters, and some APXS and MAHLI calibration target activities, plus a long 57 m drive.

Q. Why is Curiosity feeling low energy today?

A. Curiosity accomplished a lot over the weekend, leaving it tight on power for today’s plan.

Q. What are the science priorities for Curiosity today?

A. The team had to think carefully about science priorities to fit within their power limit for today’s 2-sol plan, which includes acquiring Mastcam mosaics, imaging sandy troughs, and investigating finely-laminated bedrock.

Q. What is the target “Santa Margarita” on Curiosity’s bedrock?

A. The target “Santa Margarita” is a bedrock target where Curiosity will conduct a ChemCam LIBS observation to investigate its composition.

Q. Why is it important to monitor active surface processes on Mars?

A. Monitoring active surface processes helps scientists understand the geological history and evolution of Mars, which can provide clues about the planet’s past or future potential for life.

Q. What is the purpose of Curiosity’s drive to the south?

A. The second sol is focused on continuing Curiosity’s drive to the south and taking post-drive imaging to prepare for Wednesday’s plan.

Q. How did the team manage to fit a lot of activities into today’s 2-sol plan?

A. The team had to think carefully about science priorities to fit within their power limit, but still managed to squeeze in several activities.

Q. What is the significance of the “Torrey Pines” nodule on Curiosity’s workspace?

A. The “Torrey Pines” nodule is a large nodule that Curiosity will collect data on using APXS and MAHLI instruments to investigate its composition and properties.

Q. Why did some team members get an extra jolt of adrenaline before the SOWG meeting?

A. Some team members got an extra jolt of adrenaline because they were experiencing southern California earthquakes while working, which gave them a surprise boost of energy just before the meeting.