Navigating the Martian "Bermuda Triangle": NASA's Journey to the Ridgetop on Sols 3923-3925
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity is approaching the Gediz Vallis Ridge, a long-term goal of the mission. The team refers to it as the "Bermuda Triangle" of Mt. Sharp. Due to uncertain footing, the rover's arm cannot be deployed for contact science, so remote sensing will be used instead. Mastcam will capture a 360-degree panorama and perform large mosaics of the transition between rock materials. ChemCam will study possible surface coatings and compositional variations, while Navcam will capture dust devil movies and measure dust in the air. A short drive will bring Curiosity within arm's reach of the boulder collection, allowing for contact science in the future.