Rocknest (Mars)

Sandpatch

Rocknest

Rocknest sand patch on Mars (September 28, 2012).

Feature type| Sand patch
Coordinates| 4°35′S 137°26′E﻿ / ﻿4.59°S 137.44°E﻿ / -4.59; 137.44

Rocknest is a sand patch on the surface of Aeolis Palus, between Peace Vallis and Aeolis Mons (Mount Sharp), in Gale crater on the planet Mars. The patch was encountered by the Curiosity rover on the way from Bradbury Landing to Glenelg Intrigue on September 28, 2012. The approximate site coordinates are: 4°35′S 137°26′E﻿ / ﻿4.59°S 137.44°E﻿ / -4.59; 137.44.

The sand patch is downhill from a cluster of dark rocks. NASA determined the patch to be the location for the first use of the scoop on the arm of the Mars Curiosity rover.[1] The Rocknest patch is about 1.5 m (4.9 ft) by 5 m (16 ft).

## Discovery and material analysis

[edit]

On October 7, 2012, a mysterious bright object (image), discovered in the sand at Rocknest, drew scientific interest. Several close-up pictures (close-up 1) (close-up 2) were taken of the object and preliminary interpretations by scientists suggest the object to be "debris from the spacecraft".[2][3][4] Nonetheless, further images in the nearby sand have detected other bright particles (image) (close-up 1). These newly discovered objects are presently thought to be native Martian material.[2][5][6]

On October 17, 2012 at Rocknest, the first X-ray diffraction analysis of Martian soil was performed. The results from the rover's CheMin analyzer revealed the presence of several minerals, including feldspar, pyroxenes and olivine, and suggested that the Martian soil in the sample was similar to the weathered basaltic soils of Hawaiian volcanoes.[7]

On September 26, 2013, NASA scientists reported the Mars Curiosity rover detected "abundant, easily accessible" water (1.5 to 3 weight percent) in soil samples at the Rocknest region of Aeolis Palus in Gale Crater.[8][9][10][11][12][13] In addition, NASA reported the rover found two principal soil types: a fine-grained mafic type and a locally derived, coarse-grained felsic type.[10][12][14] The mafic type, similar to other martian soils and martian dust, was associated with hydration of the amorphous phases of the soil.[14] Also, perchlorates, the presence of which may make detection of life-related organic molecules difficult, were found at the Curiosity rover landing site (and earlier at the more polar site of the Phoenix lander) suggesting a "global distribution of these salts".[13] NASA also reported that Jake M rock, a rock encountered by Curiosity on the way to Glenelg, was a mugearite and very similar to terrestrial mugearite rocks.[15]

## Images

[edit]

* Curiosity rover self-portrait on the planet Mars at Rocknest (October 31, 2012).

* Curiosity rover wheel marks in the sand patch at the "Rocknest" site (October 3, 2012).

* Sand on Mars – scoffmark made by Curiosity (MAHLI, October 4, 2012).

* First use of the Curiosity rover scooper as it sifts a load of sand at "Rocknest" (October 7, 2012).

* Curiosity finds a "bright object" in the sand at Rocknest (October 7, 2012)[4] (close-up).

* First use of the Curiosity rover scooper as it sifts a load of sand at Rocknest (October 7, 2012).

* Curiosity's scoop "bite marks" in the sand patch at the Rocknest site (October 15, 2012).

* Curiosity rover scoops soil sample onto an observation tray at the Rocknest site (October 16, 2012).

* Sand at Rocknest used for the first X-ray analysis of Martian soil (Curiosity rover, October 30, 2012)[7]

* First X-ray view of Martian soil (Curiosity at Rocknest, October 17, 2012).[7]

* "Rocknest 3" rock - ChemCam and APSX target (Curiosity, October 5, 2012) (white-balanced image).

* "Rocknest 3" rock – ChemCam and APSX target (Curiosity rover, October 3, 2012).

"Bright Particles" found by the Curiosity rover
at Rocknest (October, 2012)[2][3]

"Bright Object"

BO Close-up 1

BO Close-up 2

"Bright Particles"

BP Close-up 1

Curiosity's view of the Rocknest area – South is center/North at both ends; Mount Sharp at SE horizon (somewhat left-of-center); Glenelg at East (left-of-center); rover tracks at West (right-of-center) (November 16, 2012, white balanced) (raw color) (interactives).

Curiosity's view from Rocknest looking eastward toward Point Lake (center) on the way to Glenelg Intrigue (November 26, 2012, white balanced) (raw color).

## See also

[edit]

* Astronomy portal
* Biology portal
* Solar System portal

* Aeolis quadrangle
* Bedrock
* Composition of Mars
* Geology of Mars
* List of rocks on Mars
* Martian soil
* Rock outcrop
* Timeline of Mars Science Laboratory
* Water on Mars

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Wall, Mike (October 4, 2012). "Curiosity Rover to Scoop Up 1st Mars Samples This Weekend". Space.com. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
2. ^ a b c Wall, Mike (October 18, 2012). "Yum! Curiosity Rover Swallows 1st Mars Sample, Finds Odd Bright Stuff". Space.com. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
3. ^ a b Staff (October 15, 2012). "Small Debris on the Ground Beside Curiosity". NASA. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
4. ^ a b Major, Jason (October 9, 2012). "Curiosity Finds…SOMETHING…on Martian Surface". UniverseToday. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
5. ^ Staff (October 18, 2012). "Bright Particle in Hole Dug by Scooping of Martian Soil". NASA. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
6. ^ Staff (October 15, 2012). "Bright Particle of Martian Origin in Scoop Hole". NASA. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
7. ^ a b c Brown, Dwayne (October 30, 2012). "NASA Rover's First Soil Studies Help Fingerprint Martian Minerals". NASA. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
8. ^ Lieberman, Josh (September 26, 2013). "Mars Water Found: Curiosity Rover Uncovers 'Abundant, Easily Accessible' Water In Martian Soil". iSciencetimes. Retrieved September 26, 2013.
9. ^ Leshin, L. A.; et al. (September 27, 2013). "Volatile, Isotope, and Organic Analysis of Martian Fines with the Mars Curiosity Rover". Science. 341 (6153): 1238937. Bibcode:2013Sci...341E...3L. doi:10.1126/science.1238937. PMID 24072926. S2CID 206549244.
10. ^ a b Grotzinger, John (September 26, 2013). "Introduction To Special Issue: Analysis of Surface Materials by the Curiosity Mars Rover". Science. 341 (6153): 1475. Bibcode:2013Sci...341.1475G. doi:10.1126/science.1244258. PMID 24072916.
11. ^ Neal-Jones, Nancy; Zubritsky, Elizabeth; Webster, Guy; Martialay, Mary (September 26, 2013). "Curiosity's SAM Instrument Finds Water and More in Surface Sample". NASA. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
12. ^ a b Webster, Guy; Brown, Dwayne (September 26, 2013). "Science Gains From Diverse Landing Area of Curiosity". NASA. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
13. ^ a b Chang, Kenneth (October 1, 2013). "Hitting Pay Dirt on Mars". New York Times. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
14. ^ a b Meslin, P.-Y.; et al. (September 26, 2013). "Soil Diversity and Hydration as Observed by ChemCam at Gale Crater, Mars". Science. 341 (6153): 1238670. Bibcode:2013Sci...341E...1M. doi:10.1126/science.1238670. PMID 24072924. S2CID 7418294. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
15. ^ Stolper, E.M.; Baker, M.B.; Newcombe, M.E.; Schmidt, M.E.; Treiman, A.H.; Cousin, A.; Dyar, M.D.; Fisk, M.R.; Gellert, R.; King, P.L.; Leshin, L.; Maurice, S.; McLennan, S.M.; Minitti, M.E.; Perrett, G.; Rowland, S.; Sautter, V.; Wiens, R.C.; MSL ScienceTeam (2013). "The Petrochemistry of Jake_M: A Martian Mugearite" (PDF). Science. 341 (6153). AAAS: 1239463. Bibcode:2013Sci...341E...4S. doi:10.1126/science.1239463. PMID 24072927. S2CID 16515295. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-08-11. Retrieved 2020-09-01.

## External links

[edit]

* Curiosity Rover - Official Site
* NASA - Mars Exploration Program
* Volcanic rock classification

* v
* t
* e

Mars Science Laboratory

General|

* Curiosity rover
* Timeline of Mars Science Laboratory

Instruments|

* APXS
* ChemCam
* CheMin
* DAN
* DRT
* Hazcam
* MARDI
* MAHLI
* MastCam
* Navcam
* RAD
* REMS
* Robotic arm
* Rover embedded computers
* SAM

Features|

* MarsDial
* MMRTG
* Rocker-bogie
* Sky crane

Sites|

* Mount Sharp (Aeolis Mons)
* Aeolis Palus
* Bradbury Landing
* Gale Crater
* Glenelg
* Peace Vallis
* Rocknest
* Yellowknife Bay

Rocks|

* Bathurst Inlet
* Coronation
* Goulburn
* Hottah
* Jake Matijevic
* Link
* Rocknest
* Rocknest 3
* Tintina

Related|

* Experience Curiosity
* Exploration of Mars

* Category
* Solar System portal

* v
* t
* e

Mars

Outline of Mars

Geography|

| Atmosphere|

* Circulation
* Climate
* Dust devil tracks
* Methane

|

Regions|

* Arabia Terra
* Cerberus (Mars)
* Cydonia
* Eridania Lake
* Iani Chaos
* Olympia Undae
* Planum Australe
* Planum Boreum
* Quadrangles
* Sinus Meridiani
* Tempe Terra
* Terra Cimmeria
* Terra Sabaea
* Tharsis
* Undae
* Ultimi Scopuli
* Vastitas Borealis

Physical
features|

* "Canals" (list)
* Canyons
* Catenae
* Chaos terrain
* Craters
* Fossae
* Gullies
* Mensae
* Labyrinthi
* Mountains
* by height
* Observed rocks
* Outflow channels
* Plains
* Valley network
* Valleys
* Gravity

Geology|

* Brain terrain
* Carbonates
* Chaos terrain
* Color
* Composition
* Concentric crater fill
* Dark slope streak
* Dichotomy
* Fretted terrain
* Geysers
* Glaciers
* Groundwater
* Gullies
* Lakes
* Lava tubes
* Lobate debris apron
* Marsquake
* Meteorites
* on Earth
* on Mars
* Mud cracks
* North Polar Basin
* Ocean theory
* Ore resources
* Polar caps
* polar wander
* Recurring slope lineae (RSL)
* Ring mold craters
* Rootless cones
* Seasonal flows
* Soil
* Spherules
* Surface
* "Swiss cheese" feature
* Terrain softening
* Tharsis bulge
* Volcanism
* Water
* Yardangs

History|

* Amazonian
* Hesperian
* Noachian
* Observation history
* Classical albedo features

Astronomy|

| Moons|

* Phobos
* Stickney crater
* Limtoc crater
* Monolith
* Deimos
* Swift crater
* Voltaire crater

|

Transits|

* Solar eclipses on Mars
* Satellite transits
* Phobos
* Deimos
* Planetary transits
* Earth
* Mercury

Asteroids|

* Impacts
* Mars-crossers
* 2007 WD5
* Trojans
* 5261 Eureka
* 1998 VF31
* 1999 UJ7
* 2007 NS2

Comets|

* C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring)

General|

* Orbit

Exploration|

| Concepts|

* Flyby
* Orbiter
* Landing
* Rover
* Sample return
* Human mission
* Permanent settlement
* Colonization
* Terraforming

|

Missions|

* List of missions to Mars

Advocacy|

* The Mars Project
* The Case for Mars
* Inspiration Mars Foundation
* Mars Institute
* Mars Society
* Mars race

Related|

* Artificial objects on Mars
* Memorials on Mars
* Fiction
* List of films set on Mars
* Martian scientist
* Mythology
* Flag of Mars
* Life on Mars
* Sub-Earth
* Timekeeping on Mars
* Sol (day on Mars)
* Darian calendar

*   Category
*   Solar System portal

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template