ASPX Cal Target

One of the tools that Curi uses to do science on Mars is a part of our earth.  This is a calibration target for Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument. This cal target is made from a piece of dark rock collected in Socorro, N.M. You can use anything as a cal target, provided its well known and characterized.

black rock cal target made from a rock slab from Socorro, New Mexico                                            photo credit: NASA/JPL