Curiosity Leaves Campo Marte Site After Successful 47th Drill

By Susanne P. Schwenzer, Professor of Planetary Mineralogy, The Open University, UK

Earth planning date: Friday, May 29, 2026

When Curiosity drills, the rover must remain in place for several minutes. The 47th drill, dubbed “Campo Marte,” was no different. During the drill’s brief pause, the team conducted a battery of observations that deepened the scientific return from the site.

Campo Marte was a success, as colleague Abigail Fraeman confirmed last week. In the days that followed, we focused on evaluating the drill’s impact, running the CheMin instrument for mineralogical data and the SAM instrument to monitor volatile releases. ChemCam, APXS, MAHLI and Mastcam documented the drill hole, the drill fines, and the overall sample yield.

Beyond the drill, Curiosity explored several intriguing targets. ChemCam performed a detailed targeting exercise, aiming at millimeter-sized layers in finely laminated sediments. Two such layers, “Corcovado” and “Junakas,” sit about three meters apart. Examining whether their chemistries differ will shed light on the conditions that produced each layer. Other ChemCam targets include “Palcaya,” a bedrock layer of interest, and “Alcamachi,” a dark float rock that may reveal a distinct composition. ChemCam also gathered spectral data from “Magallanas,” a slightly distant, dark feature, and conducted three long‑range RMI sweeps to capture sedimentary structures across the surrounding landscape.

During this period, Mastcam captured high‑resolution mosaics of the area, particularly focusing on sites where residual sample remained and on the workspace to verify whether any material was left in the drill stem after shake‑out procedures. MAHLI photographed sample inlets to ensure they were clean and ready for the next collection, including an image of the CheMin inlet—now affectionately known as the “pet rock” by the CheMin team.

APXS intensified its focus on the Campo Marte drill fines, extending measurement times to improve counting statistics. The instrument worked through the entire week, and on the final night, MAHLI’s LED lights were employed to conduct a nighttime imaging experiment, completing the suite of observations.

The environmental team continued monitoring atmospheric opacity, dust activity—including dust devils—and general environmental conditions. With the Campo Marte operations concluded, Curiosity will proceed up Mount Sharp toward the next scientifically rich area.

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