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🚀 On Sols 4595-4596, Curiosity carried out a packed plan of science and exploration in Gale Crater! With winter still underway, the rover took advantage of warmer afternoon hours to maximize power for imaging, contact science, and a southwestward drive. 🪐

Mastcam imaged nearby troughs for sand activity, captured color views of the block “Ouro” near a circular depression, and studied sedimentary structures at “Volcán Peña Blanca.” ChemCam and Mastcam teamed up to analyze the dark bedrock face “Los Andes” and checked distant outcrops for layering. Environmental monitoring included dust and solar Tau measurements.

Curiosity also brushed and analyzed two flat bedrock targets, “Cataratas del Jardín” and “Rio Ivirizu,” using MAHLI and APXS to study local geologic variability. On the second sol, ChemCam targeted “Torotoro” and imaged “Paniri,” a rock incision filled with intriguing material. After additional sky surveys and dust devil monitoring, Curiosity drove ~50 meters (164 feet) southwest, navigating between sandy pits toward new terrain, before capturing post-drive imaging and MARDI views under the rover. 🌄

@OurGalaxy83

📅 Earth Planning Date: July 9, 2025
📸 Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
🎶 Audio Editing: O.G. 83
🎬 Video Editing: O.G. 83
🖊 Written by Ashley Stroupe, Mission Operations Engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

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