Sols 864-866: Revisiting the Pink Cliffs

The drive to “Pink Cliffs” went smoothly, following the planned route without any issues. For Sol 864, the plan includes a short drive, also known as a “bump”, towards the drilling target called “Mojave”. The goal is to position the rover closer to the desired location for drilling operations.

Before the drive, the ChemCam instrument will conduct analyses at five different locations along a potential mineral vein in the rock. This observation technique, known as a “raster”, involves scanning multiple points in a line to gather data on the composition of the rock. The target for this raster analysis is called “Harrisburg”.

Despite previous focus issues with the ChemCam instrument, the team is confident in its ability to collect accurate data. While the focusing laser may not be working, ChemCam is still able to capture images and spectra at multiple focus positions for each point of analysis. This meticulous approach ensures that the data obtained will be of high quality and useful for scientific analysis.