English: PIA24936: SuperCam Views Cine

This enhanced-color close-up of a rock target called "Cine" was captured by the SuperCam instrument aboard NASA's Perseverance Mars rover on Sept. 17, 2021, the 206th Martian day, or sol, of rover's mission. SuperCam’s Remote Microscopic Imager took two images that were later combined to form this close-up. The target is 92 inches (2 meters) away, seen from the rover's mast.

A more zoomed-in image is available in Figure 1.

The image shows a rock layer made up of tightly packed millimeter-size gray, angular grains, or crystals. The image on the right shows a detail of the grain/crystal texture. The composition of this rock target was investigated with SuperCam's laser and spectrometer, along with the Mastcam-Z camera. Using these instruments, scientists can study the chemical composition of rocks from a distance. Analysis of "Cine" showed that it is rich in the mineral olivine. After the image was taken, the mission’s science team debated whether the rock is igneous (volcanic) or consists of fine sedimentary grains of igneous material that were cemented together in a watery environment.

SuperCam is led by Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, where the instrument's body unit was developed. That part of the instrument includes several spectrometers as well as control electronics and software. The mast unit, including the Remote Microscopic Imager used for these images, was developed and built by several laboratories of the CNRS (the French research center) and French universities under the contracting authority of Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), the French space agency.