Our short drive on Monday was successful as it brought two potential drill targets into clearer view. Among these targets, the prime candidate named “Aberlady” showed similar color, structure, and texture to the previous contact science target called “Longannet” from Sol 2365. The observations made by the MAHLI and APXS instruments on Longannet, along with the ChemCam observation of the Sol 2365 “Tartan” target (chosen for its resemblance to Longannet), indicated that Aberlady belonged to the range of lithologies observed in the clay-bearing unit. This gave the science team confidence in selecting Aberlady as the first drilling site in this unit.
However, due to the significance of this decision, the science team decided to spend the day triaging Aberlady’s structure, texture, and chemistry to ensure its suitability for drilling. They conducted various observations on Aberlady, including chemistry measurements from APXS and ChemCam, as well as capturing images of its texture and grain size using MAHLI. This data will be analyzed tomorrow morning to make the final decision on whether to proceed with drilling at Aberlady.
With all these preparations in place, the science team eagerly anticipates what secrets Aberlady may reveal. Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting discovery!