Rocknest

Rocknestsand patch on Mars (September 28, 2012).
Feature type	Sand patch
Coordinates	4°35′S137°26′E / 4.59°S 137.44°E /-4.59; 137.44

Rocknest is asand patch on the surface ofAeolis Palus, betweenPeace Vallis andAeolis Mons (Mount Sharp), inGale crater on the planetMars. The patch was encountered by theCuriosity rover on the way fromBradbury Landing toGlenelg Intrigue on September 28, 2012. The approximate site coordinates are:4°35′S137°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 thescoop on the arm of the MarsCuriosity rover.^[1] The Rocknest patch is about 1.5 m (4.9 ft) by 5 m (16 ft).

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 firstX-ray diffraction analysis ofMartian soil was performed. The results from the rover'sCheMin analyzer revealed the presence of several minerals, includingfeldspar,pyroxenes andolivine, and suggested that the Martian soil in the sample was similar to the weatheredbasaltic soils ofHawaiian volcanoes.^[7]

On September 26, 2013, NASA scientists reported theMarsCuriosity rover detected "abundant, easily accessible"water (1.5 to 3 weight percent) insoil samples at the Rocknest region ofAeolis Palus inGale Crater.^{[8][9][10][11][12][13]} In addition, NASA reported the rover found two principal soil types: a fine-grainedmafic type and a locally derived, coarse-grainedfelsic type.^[10][12][14] The mafic type, similar to othermartian soils andmartian dust, was associated with hydration of the amorphous phases of the soil.^[14] Also,perchlorates, the presence of which may make detection of life-relatedorganic molecules difficult, were found at theCuriosity rover landing site (and earlier at the more polar site of thePhoenix lander) suggesting a "global distribution of these salts".^[13] NASA also reported thatJake M rock, a rock encountered byCuriosity on the way toGlenelg, was amugearite and very similar to terrestrial mugearite rocks.^[15]

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  Curiosity rover self-portrait on the planet Mars at Rocknest (October 31, 2012).
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  Curiosity rover wheel marks in the sand patch at the"Rocknest" site (October 3, 2012).
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  Sand on Mars – scoffmark made byCuriosity (MAHLI, October 4, 2012).
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  First use of theCuriosity roverscooper as it sifts a load of sand at"Rocknest" (October 7, 2012).
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  Curiosity finds a "bright object" in the sand at Rocknest (October 7, 2012)^[4] (close-up).
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  First use of theCuriosity roverscooper as it sifts a load of sand at Rocknest (October 7, 2012).
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  Curiosity's scoop "bite marks" in the sand patch at the Rocknest site (October 15, 2012).
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  Curiosity rover scoops soil sample onto an observation tray at the Rocknest site (October 16, 2012).
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  Sand at Rocknest used for the firstX-ray analysis of Martian soil (Curiosity rover, October 30, 2012)^[7]
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  FirstX-ray view of Martian soil (Curiosity at Rocknest, October 17, 2012).^[7]
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  "Rocknest 3" rock -ChemCam andAPSX target (Curiosity, October 5, 2012) (white-balanced image).
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  "Rocknest 3" rock – ChemCam and APSX target (Curiosity rover, October 3, 2012).

"Bright Particles" found by theCuriosity 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 toGlenelg Intrigue (November 26, 2012,white balanced) (raw color).

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

• Aeolis quadrangle
• Mars Science Laboratory
• Rocks on Mars

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