[meteorite-list] NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover Climbing Toward Ridge Top

[Ron Baalke]

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6946

NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover Climbing Toward Ridge Top
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
September 13, 2017

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has begun the steep ascent of an iron-oxide-bearing 
ridge that's grabbed scientists' attention since before the car-sized 
rover's 2012 landing.

"We're on the climb now, driving up a route where we can access the layers 
we've studied from below," said Abigail Fraeman, a Curiosity science-team 
member at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

"Vera Rubin Ridge" stands prominently on the northwestern flank of Mount 
Sharp, resisting erosion better than the less-steep portions of the mountain 
below and above it. The ridge, also called "Hematite Ridge," was informally 
named earlier this year in honor of pioneering astrophysicist Vera Rubin.

"As we skirted around the base of the ridge this summer, we had the opportunity 
to observe the large vertical exposure of rock layers that make up the 
bottom part of the ridge," said Fraeman, who organized the rover's ridge 
campaign. "But even though steep cliffs are great for exposing the stratifications, 
they're not so good for driving up."

The ascent to the top of the ridge from a transition in rock-layer appearance 
at the bottom of it will gain about 213 feet (65 meters) of elevation 
-- about 20 stories. The climb requires a series of drives totaling a 
little more than a third of a mile (570 meters). Before starting this 
ascent in early September, Curiosity had gained a total of about 980 feet 
(about 300 meters) in elevation in drives totaling 10.76 miles (17.32 
kilometers) from its landing site to the base of the ridge.

Curiosity's telephoto observations of the ridge from just beneath it show 
finer layering, with extensive bright veins of varying widths cutting 
through the layers.

"Now we'll have a chance to examine the layers up close as the rover climbs," 
Fraeman said.

Curiosity Project Scientist Ashwin Vasavada of JPL said, "Using data from 
orbiters and our own approach imaging, the team has chosen places to pause 
for more extensive studies on the way up, such as where the rock layers 
show changes in appearance or composition. But the campaign plan will 
evolve as we examine the rocks in detail. As always, it's a mix of planning 
and discovery."

In orbital spectrometer observations, the iron-oxide mineral hematite 
shows up more strongly at the ridge top than elsewhere on lower Mount 
Sharp, including locations where Curiosity has already found hematite. 
Researchers seek to gain better understanding about why the ridge resists 
erosion, what concentrated its hematite, whether those factors are related, 
and what the rocks of the ridge can reveal about ancient Martian environmental 
conditions.

"The team is excited to be exploring Vera Rubin Ridge, as this hematite 
ridge has been a go-to target for Curiosity ever since Gale Crater was 
selected as the landing site," said Michael Meyer, lead scientist of NASA's 
Mars Exploration Program at the agency's Washington headquarters.

During the first year after its landing near the base of Mount Sharp, 
the Curiosity mission accomplished a major goal by determining that billions 
of years ago, a Martian lake offered conditions that would have been favorable 
for microbial life. Curiosity has since traversed through a diversity 
of environments where both water and wind have left their imprint. Vera 
Rubin Ridge and layers above it that contain clay and sulfate minerals 
provide tempting opportunities to learn even more about the history and 
habitability of ancient Mars.

For more about Curiosity, visit:

https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl

News Media Contact
Guy Webster
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-354-6278
guy.webster at jpl.nasa.gov

Laurie Cantillo / Dwayne Brown
NASA Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1077 / 202-358-1726
laura.l.cantillo at nasa.gov / dwayne.c.brown at nasa.gov

2017-241