Curiosity stopped its investigation of Martian sand when it discovered a shiny object lying right next to it. The team had the rover investigate this mysterious object, on the 62nd sol (Martian day), which would be October 8.
Curiosity got close with the Remote Micro-Imager, part of the Chemistry and Camera instrument, the ChemCam.
The team now believes that the object in question is indeed a piece of the rover, as it was speculated, but it is most likely just a benign piece of plastic. This should mean that Curiosity is still in great shape and the incident should not endanger the mission.
However, the sand analysis process is still on hold, Curiosity is still holding a scoop-full of Martian sand. The team will continue to investigate to discover the source of the material and whether it poses any danger.
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