iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 08/07/2026

Meanwhile on Mars: Curiosity Rover checks out this interesting rock located just in front of one of its six wheels. Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/fredk #Curiosity #MSL #MarsRover #NASA #Science #Space #Exploration #Solarocks #Mars #JPL #Meteorite #MeteorWrong

A detailed image of a dark-toned rock on Mars, highlighting its smooth polished features, compared with the light-tan colour of the weathered sedimentary bedrock that lie beneath the dark float rock. Could this be a meteorite, or just a dark coloured rock from higher up Mount Sharp?

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 03/05/2026

Meanwhile on Mars: For those that have been following along. After several days of robotic arm gymnastics, the slab of rock that was stuck on Curiosity Rover's drill bit has finally been liberated. Animated HazCam GIF from Sol 4883 (April 2, 2026) Shows a pair […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 30/04/2026

This was not on my Mars Bingo Card. Curiosity rover lifts the rock that is stuck to its drill, gives it a shake which liberated some loose material, but fails to dislodge the errant rock on Sol 4881 (April 30, 2026). The team has an option to eject the drill […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 29/04/2026

Meanwhile in Gale Crater. In this animated GIF we can see dust cascading from the rock that appears to have been lifted by Curiosity's drill bit. The timestamps show the 9 HazCam images were acquired over 15 minutes on Sol 4879 (April 28, 2026). I'm assuming […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 26/04/2026

Meanwhile on Mars: Did Curiosity Rover's just lift a rock after drilling into it? Here's a short animation of its drilling operation with timestamps on front HazCam images from Sol 4877 (April 26, 2026) The first subframe image shows the drill above the target […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 16/04/2026

How time flies.... 3 years! Ingenuity during its 26th flight on Mars (April 19, 2022)

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 07/03/2026

Screen capture of the mission map shows the recent path of the rover. The yellow line shows the 3 meter drive to the northeast

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 07/03/2026

Meanwhile on Mars: Perseverance rover completed a 15 minute drive to site 87.0 on March 5, 2026 (Sol 1792). This post-drive roughly processed image was assembled / cropped from 6 post-drive NavCam tiles. I'll add the drive details and updated location map in […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

$A composite image acquired by one of the mast-mounted cameras on Perseverance Rover that is exploring the planet Mars. The image looks slightly down onto the front of the Mars rover and its workspace just in front of the rover. The workspace contains a craggy and dark grey rocky outcrop. The exposed rock surfaces contain several fractures, with its near horizontal surfaces being peppered by a fine deposit of ocher coloured dust. Beyond the workspace are several other dark rocky outcrops that are surrounded by a mix of regolith (small crushed rock fragments, sand and pebbles). The view stretches to the horizon and the rolling hills that are northeast of the rover's current location, just outside Jezero crater. On the rover's dusty deck we can observe the stowed robotic arm. At the end of the arm is a turret that contains a large percussion drill, a small tank of compressed gas, as well as a number of science instruments and cameras. The rover arrived at this location after a short drive on March 5, 2026 (mission Sol 1792) it has been exploring this region for just over 5 earth years.$

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 28/01/2026

Curiosity Mars rover used LED lights on the end of its robotic arm to create this rare nighttime view of the Red Planet’s surface on December 6, 2025, the 4,740th Martian day, or sol, of the rover’s mission. Catch the full details on this link […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

The LED lights are part of the Mars Hand Lens Imager, or MAHLI, a camera on the end of Curiosity’s robotic arm. The image was captured by the Mast Camera, or Mastcam, on the rover’s mast, or “head.” On occasion, scientists have used MAHLI’s LED lights to illuminate areas deep in shadow during the day, such as the insides of drill holes and the inlet tubes leading to instruments in the rover’s belly. Much earlier in the mission, the Curiosity team used these LEDs at night to look for layering or other features in drill hole walls that would help them understand a rock’s composition. Since the mission changed its drilling method, the drill holes have come out too rough and dusty to see any such details.

After drilling a rock target nicknamed “Nevado Sajama” on November 13, 2025 (Sol 4,718), the team noticed the drill hole walls were smooth enough to try looking for layers and decided to try illuminating the drill hole at night. This drill hole was made during Curiosity’s exploration of a region full of geologic formations called boxwork, which crisscross the surface for miles and look like giant spiderwebs when viewed from space.

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 21/01/2026

Curiosity Rover is back with a set of post solar-conjunction images from sol 4784 (January 20, 2026). The images are now available on the mission image server. This image was taken by one the rover's hazard avoidance cameras. It was acquired during mission Sol […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 17/12/2025

The feature is circled in the rover's robotic arm workspace. (De-Bayered MastCam) Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/fredk

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 17/12/2025

A small selection of overlapping MAHLI images from sol 4750 (December 17, 2025) assembled in MS-ICE of an interesting feature in Curiosity rover's current workspace. Additional focus stacked images are likely still on the rover, but I think these few cover the […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 15/12/2025

One can never have enough Selfies from Mars! This one from Perseverance Rover was acquired on December 12, 2025 (Sol 1711) using the SHERLOC WATSON camera. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech #Perseverance #MarsRover #M2020 #NASA #science #Space #Exploration #Solarocks #Mars #Selfie #JPL #SHERLOC #WATSON

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 07/12/2025

Checking out some interesting rocks with Perseverance's MastCam-Z camera during the morning of mission Sol 1703 (December 4, 2025). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS #Perseverance #MarsRover #M2020 #NASA #science #Space #Exploration #Solarocks #Mars #mastcam-z #rocks #JPL

Panoramic view of a Mars landscape, dominated by a reddish-brown, rocky terrain. Large, dark-colored boulders are scattered across the foreground, amidst smaller rocks and fine-grained regolith. The background features a flatter, more distant landscape of similar color, suggesting a wide expanse of the Martian surface outside Jezero Crater.

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 18/11/2025

Perseverance rover looks back after long drive to the southwest during November 17, 2025 (Sol 1686). The traverse distance was 285m (936ft), with a climb of 8.7m (28ft), drive duration was 220 minutes. Attached is a roughly processed tiled NavCam and the drive […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

A wide view of the Martian landscape captured by one of the rover's cameras, featuring the brownish-yellow dust covered terrain, with a small distant hill topped with darker boulders in an otherwise vast, near barren landscape.

Drive: Ending on Mars Solar Day, UTC Earth Date, Sol 1686, November 17, 2025
Drive: Duration in Minutes 220.0 Minutes, 3ʰ 39ᵐ 57ˢ
Distance: Drive path: (meters / feet) 85.34 m, 936.2 ft
Distance: Drive (point-to-point) meters / feet 277.00 m, 908.8 ft
Distance: To the Landing site (point-to-point) 10.89 km, 6.8 miles
Distance: To the Helicopter (point-to-point) 5.09 km, 3.2 miles
Distance: Total traverse 38.15 km, 23.7 miles
Distance: Longest drive distance 473.92 m, 1554.9 ft
Sols / Days since landing 1,686 Mars Days, 1,732 Earth Days
Drive: Number of drives since landing 481
Elevation: Mars Geoid (beginning of drive) -1909.75 m, -6265.6 ft
Elevation: Mars Geoid (end of drive) -1901.03 m, -6237.0 ft
Elevation: Change during drive ▲ 8.71 m, ▲ 28.6 ft
Elevation: Change since landing ▲ 668.88 m, ▲ 2194.5 ft
Elevation: Lowest below landing ▼ -15.96 m, ▼ -52.4 ft
Elevation: Highest above landing ▲ 783.91 m, ▲ 2571.9 ft
Location: RMC Index (To – From) 81_0, 80_2956
Location: Landing - Easting / Northing E: 4354494.086, N: 1093299.695
Location: Beginning-of-drive Easting/Northing E: 4343742.816, N: 1093138.352
Location: End-of-drive - Easting / Northing E: 4343607.604, N: 1092896.600
Location: End-of-drive - Latitude / Longitude 18.43782669, 77.25725413
Attitude: Roll (end-of-drive) 0.13° ↺,
Attitude: Pitch (end-of-drive) 4.90° ↺
Attitude: Tilt (end-of-drive) Tilt: 4.90°
Attitude: Yaw (degrees) Yaw: 180.39°, South

Apologies as some text edited / clipped due to ALT text limit

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 29/10/2025

Meanwhile on Mars: A Bayer reconstructed Mast Camera Mosaic from Sol 4700 (October 26, 2025). It features a section of the rocky ridge that surrounds the shallow depression in the boxwork region on Mount Sharp, where Curiosity rover is presently stationed […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

This mosaic was assembled from overlapping mast camera images acquired by Curiosity rover, it provides a close-up of eroded Martian rock formations, showcasing uneven, layered surfaces with reddish-brown tones and scattered fragments that have tumbled from the ridge.

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 23/10/2025

The view from the NavCam mounted on the rover's mast.

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 23/10/2025

Meanwhile on Mars: An uphill drive lasting ~67 minutes for Perseverance rover during mission Sol 1661 (October 22, 2025). The distance was ~44 meters due north, climbing ~9.2 meters, with an end-of-drive tilt of 18.7°. Attached is a processed rear HazCam image […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 14/10/2025

9 overlapping ChemCam RMI images acquired during sol 4687 assembled into a mosaic using MS-ICE. Curiosity rover acquired additional images, but they have yet to be downlinked from the rover in the correct format on the public server. Credits […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 14/09/2025

Then & Now on Mars: Images acquired 13 years apart feature Curiosity rover's MAHLI camera with its lens cap fully closed. The first image was taken just 32 Sols after landing in 2012, the second image was taken a few days ago on Sol 4,656 (September 11, 2025 […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 12/09/2025

Meanwhile on Mars: Early Morning Imaging. 16-tile Left NavCam. Sol 1622, 05:55 LMST. Friday September 12, 2025. Credits NASA/JPL-Caltech. #Perseverance #MarsRover #M2020 #NASA #science #Space #Exploration #Solarocks #Mars

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 07/09/2025

A rather special RMI telephoto mosaic (10 images from Curiosity rover) looking towards the not so distant Yardang Unit. We've been driving towards that unit for many years, but this view is really nice. I'm assuming the lack of suspended dust in the atmosphere […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 16/08/2025

Wheel tracks and what appears to be distant clouds seen in this composite image taken by Perseverance rover. The base images were acquired after a drive to the southeast of close to 202 meters during sol 1595 (August 15.2025). The image was assembled / cropped […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 06/08/2025

Perseverance Rover at 'Falbreen': The rover used its Mastcam-Z camera to capture this 360-degree panorama of an area nicknamed "Falbreen" on May 26, 2025 (Sol 1516) Ninety-six separate images were stitched together to make the panorama. Check out the 3 full […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 04/08/2025

It's been a rough path at times, but she's still traversing. Post-drive NavCam acquired August 3, 2025 (mission sol 4619). Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech #Curiosity #MSL #MarsRover #NASA #Science #Space #Exploration #Solarocks #Mars

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 01/08/2025

A pair of float rocks imaged by one of Perseverance rover's zoomable mast cameras (MastCam-Z). Both were acquired during mission Sol 1580 (July 31, 2025). They were captured at the maximum zoom setting (110mm) and feature quite different rock types. Image […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 01/08/2025

A new location for Curiosity rover, after its 26 meter drive during its mission Sol 4614 (July 30, 2025). Attached is a post-drive workspace mosaic assembled from overlapping MastCam images, the data from the drive, and a screenshot of the traverse map (with […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 30/07/2025

A drive for Curiosity rover on its mission sol 4612. Attached is a post-drive workspace mosaic assembled from 15 overlapping Bayer reconstructed MastCam images, the detailed data from the drive, and a screenshot of the traverse map (with scale) showing the path […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

$Tan colored dust obscures a rocky outcrop in front of the rover's robotic arm. The rocks in the rovers workspace are fractured, the outcrop has one larger fracture partially filled with darker sand. The surface of the rock has been softened after eons of erosion by wind blown sands and dust. In the workspace we can see the shadow of the rovers mast where the camera that acquired the images that make up this mosaic is mounted.$ An orbital view of a section of a Tan colored Mt Sharp on Mars shows the current location of the rover. A white line has been drawn on the image that shows the path of the rover as it wove its way towards the boxwork section that it is exploring today. White dots on the path show where the rover paused each drive to conduct science and or recharge its batteries.

An orbital view of a section of a Tan colored Mt Sharp on Mars shows the current location of the rover. A white line has been drawn on the image that shows the path of the rover as it wove its way towards the boxwork section that it is exploring today. White dots on the path show where the rover paused each drive to conduct science and or recharge its batteries.

This is a table of drive data returned by the rover. I'm not sure if adding this alt text here is of use, but it may make it available to a text reader? Let me know if it adds value so I can add it next time

An example of the text in the table

Distance: This drive distance: 13.25 m
Distance: To the landing Site: point-to-point: 13.30 km
Drive: Sol / Days since landing: 4612
Drive: Number of drives since landing: 1287
Elevation: Mars Geoid (beginning of drive): -3624.33 m
Elevation: Mars Geoid (end of drive): -3623.51 m
Elevation: Change during drive: ▲ 0.82 m
Elevation: Change since landing: ▲ 877.46 m
Elevation: Lowest below landing: ▼ -20.34 m
Elevation: Highest above landing: ▲ 877.46 m

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 18/07/2025

It may have moved, but Perseverance rover managed to abrade some of the targets weathered surface for further investigation. Here's two images from Sol 1567 (July 17, 2025), a processed NavCam tile (for context), and a close-up of the patch from the SHERLOC […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 17/07/2025

Pushing a rock around on Mars! Time lapse from Perseverance Rover's HazCam (timestamps included). Watch closely, to see the movement of the shadows from the robotic arm, the rock, the sand grains, the drill mechanism, and the dust all moving around. Animation […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 05/07/2025

Meanwhile of Mars: Curiosity Rover's robotic arm workspace during mission sol 4588 (July 3, 2025) after a drive to the northwest of ~23 meters (~76 ft). Assembled from 15 Bayer reconstructed L-MastCam sub-frame images. Image Credits […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 30/06/2025

Meanwhile on Mars! Another drive in the crater rim campaign / walkabout, sees Perseverance rover still searching for a site to collect a core sample. Here's a composite image using 6 overlapping processed NavCam tiles, that were acquired after the drive to RMC […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 28/06/2025

Perseverance rover's drill attempting to create an abrasion patch during June 27, 2025 (Sol 1547). This animation is assembled from 15 raw images, that captured by one of its front hazard avoidance cameras, over a period of about 10 minutes. Image Credit […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 26/06/2025

Meanwhile in Gale crater (the one on the planet Mars) Curiosity's robotic arm workspace. It's assembled from 15 overlapping Bayer reconstructed images from the rover's MastCam acquired during sol 4578 after a drive to the west and further into the Boxwork […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 24/06/2025

Meanwhile on Mars: Perseverance rover completed a short drive to the north on sol 1542, revisiting an earlier location where it paused overnight on sol 1502. #PerseveranceRover #NASA #science #Space #Exploration #Solarocks #Mars #data #map

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 20/06/2025

The sol 1540 drive data, a screen grab of the official traverse map, and 2 roughly processed post drive tiled-NavCam images. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/UofA

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 20/06/2025

Meanwhile on Mars: Perseverance Rover looks back after a 4.5 hour long drive, heading north the drive distance was ~404 meters. This post-drive image was acquired by one of the rover's navigation cameras. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech #Perseverance #MarsRover […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 15/06/2025

Meanwhile on Mars: Perseverance rover checking out its coring bit and the fractured bedrock that broke up during drilling (image center). Attached is a 9-tile processed NavCam [3854x2894px] of the workspace, and a MastCam-Z image of the drill and its coring bit […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 15/06/2025

@abesamma I hope so too, it's off to the side of the notional path to the Yardang unit, so fingers crossed we'll at least get a closer look. Here's a wider view of the formation at the lower right of this MastCam view. And a recent MARDI image of what might […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 14/06/2025

Odd rocks of Gale crater. Curiosity Rover's ChemCam RMI captures the 'Layers at the base of the “Mishe Mokwa” hill'. Long distance telescopic image from mission sol 4569 (June 13, 2025) Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL #Curiosity #MSL #MarsRover #NASA #Science […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 10/06/2025

Meanwhile of Mars: An animation of three MastCam images from Curiosity rover from June 8, 2025 (Sol 4564) shows a portion test where small amounts of powdered rock from sample hole 43, is carefully dropped onto the closed port of the SAM instrument suite. If […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 09/06/2025

Meanwhile on the planet Mars: Curiosity Rover drills its 43rd sample hole on June 8, 2025 (mission sol 4564) Attached is an animated GIF of NavCam subframe images captured during the drilling process. I've added the timestamps (local mars solar time) on each […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 05/06/2025

Here's a MastCam-Z image, checking out the condition of its rotary percussive drill and the abrasion bit used to create the patch. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 05/06/2025

Meanwhile on Mars! Perseverance rover images its latest abrasion patch. For scale the patch has a diameter of about 5 cm (2") This image from its SHERLOC WATSON camera was acquired on June 5, 2025 (Sol 1526) at the local mean solar time of 12:26. Credits: NASA […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 05/06/2025

Perseverance rover using one of its abrasion bits in its rotary percussive drill, to remove the surface of a patch of rock during sol 1525 (June 4, 2025) for further investigation. The diameter of the bit is ~5 cm (2 inches). Attached is a quick and dirty […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · 31/05/2025

Curiosity Rover's robotic arm workspace on mission sol 4554 (May 30, 2025) after a drive to the south-southwest of ~29 meters (~96 ft) and a climb of 2.6 meters (8.6ft). The mosaic was assembled from 15 overlapping Bayer-reconstructed L-MastCam sub-frame images […] [Original post on fosstodon.org]

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