Today’s plan for Sol 685 involves a short pre-drive science block, 2.5 hours of driving, and post-drive imaging for targeting purposes. The pre-drive science block will focus on environmental monitoring, including ChemCam passive spectroscopy of atmospheric composition and a Mastcam measurement of atmospheric dust opacity. The drive is expected to cover a distance of approximately 60 meters as the rover navigates through loose sand. Once the rover passes through the ripples in the sand, it will ascend onto the Zabriskie Plateau, named after a sandstone formation near Shoshone, California. Tomorrow will be a restricted sol as the team waits for data to come down, with plans for possible contact science and more driving over the weekend.
Please note that the dates of planned rover activities described in these reports are subject to change due to various factors related to the Martian environment, communication relays, and rover status.