Planetary Society logo
  • “Exploration is in our nature.” - Carl Sagan

Bruce Murray Space Image Library

What's left of Cumberland (sol 486)

What's left of Cumberland (sol 486)
What's left of Cumberland (sol 486) On sol 486, Curiosity dumped out the rest of the Cumberland drill powder, which had been stored inside the CHIMRA sample handling mechanism since sol 279. The rover delivered many sieved portions of the Cumberland sample to the SAM and Chemin instruments during the intervening 207 sols, but had to dump it to prepare to use the drill elsewhere. The Cumberland sample's gray color is markedly different from the oxidized-red color of Mars' surface. NASA / JPL / MSSS

Here is a MAHLI view of the dump pile, taken one sol later.

MAHLI image of Cumberland dump pile, sol 487
MAHLI image of Cumberland dump pile, sol 487 NASA / JPL / MSSS / Emily Lakdawalla

"We're changing the world. Are you in?"
- CEO Bill Nye

Sign up for email updates