1473 - A new abrasion patch on Mars

A new 5cm diameter abrasion patch imaged with the SHERLOC WATSON camera from different distances. We can see some chipping of the target in the second image. Hopefully the fragile rock won't cause issues if they decide to attempt to core here. The images were acquired earlier today (April 12, 2025, Sol 1473 at site 72.0). I've stretched the contrast a little to highlight the textures. Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

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9 comments

What is it? Looks like an imprint of something
- It is an imprint of the abrasion tool that grinds away the weathered surface of rocks so the chemistry of the rock can be measured with the rovers instruments
  
  What is up with the colour
  
  The colour of the tool?
  
  What is up with the colour
  I'm assuming you're referring to the overall image quality?
  If so it's a raw image (calibrated) Here's an earlier image of an abrasion bit inspection that has been calibrated by the MastCam-Z team (Sol 1447)
  
  That is much better, thanks
  I figured the colour balance would be applied when exporting the raw to consumable formats
  
  Pity that it's not an automatic process, but it seems that it's a rather complex process that has to be adjusted for each batch of images. However the MastCam-Z team at MSSS do a great job of keeping up with the huge numbers of images gathered
  
  That is unfortunate though I do feel the pain too. Spent the weekend processing raws I took on a photography trip but only got through about a quarter of them

9 comments