After thinking we were going to leave Mars, we found ourselves stuck for another sol due to a fault during one of our arm activities. This caused us to lose two sols of plans, including driving to the next waypoint in the Vera Rubin Ridge science campaign. Today, we are in recovery mode and making our third attempt to complete our science activities at this stop.
The picture of the arm’s shadow on the ground was taken before the fault occurred. Our science activities today include ChemCam and Mastcam targets of nearby bedrock such as “Sherwood Forest,” “Tableland,” and “Troll Valley.” We also planned a Mastcam image of a target called “Elf Woods,” originally meant for the weekend but removed due to power considerations.
Once these science activities are completed, Curiosity will drive approximately 10 meters closer to our third stop on Vera Rubin Ridge.