Science targets table

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The Mission summaries include a table of science targets taken from the mission planning endeavors. Names have been assigned to areographic features by the MSL Curiosity and MER Spirit and Opportunity rover teams for planning and operations purposes. The names are not formally recognized by the International Astronomical Union.

What's in the table

mission specific

msl

The science targets table for Curiosity rover includes these columns:

  • Sol - the sol on which the target was defined within the science team planning tool. Clicking on a sol will open the Sol summary table to that sol.
  • A thumbnail image centered on the target. The image used is the one on which the target was defined by the mission science team.
  • Target - the target name. Clicking on the target name will open a window with target details. Because names were not formally sanctioned by the science team, alternative names may be used in science publications.
  • Location - given as easting, northing, and elevation, and in local X, Y, Z coordinates. All values are in meters.
MER

The contact science targets table for Opportunity and Spirit rovers includes these columns:

  • Sol - the first sol during which data about the target were obtained by one of the APXS, Mössbauer, Rock Abrasion Tool, or Microscopic Imager instruments. Clicking on a sol will open the Sol summary table to that sol.
  • A thumbnail image centered on the target.
  • Target - the target name, including broader feature names as well. Clicking on the target name will open a window with target details. Because names were not formally sanctioned by the science team, alternative names may be used in science publications.
  • Type - a classification of the type of target, one of rock, scuff, soil, trench, or heat shield.
  • Data - an indication of the presence of observational data related to the target. Only these instruments are represented in this column: APXS, Mössbauer, Rock Abrasion Tool, and Microscopic Image.
  • Site - the site location of the rover when the target was defined.
  • Notes - any additional information about a target noted by the science team.

 

Filtering and sorting the table

Some table columns can be filtered and sorted by clicking on the symbol in the column header and selecting from the available options. For example, you can sort a column in ascending or descending order. You might be interested in viewing rows after sol 1000, in which case you would select "Greater Than" and enter "1000" as the value before clicking the Filter button at the bottom (see the figure below).

To return the table to its original state, you can undo your sorting and filtering options, or simply click the "Reset table" button in the toolbar at the top of the window.

see also