On Sol 1284, the rover Curiosity completed a drive of approximately 27 meters on the Naukluft Plateau, bringing the total traverse distance to about 12,549 meters. Today’s plan is to continue characterizing the bedrock in the area, and Curiosity will use its instruments to study targets named “Mulden” and “Koigab.” A Mastcam mosaic will also be taken to analyze the local stratigraphy. After this, Curiosity will resume driving towards the northwest and take post-drive images to prepare for contact science activities over the weekend.
Tomorrow morning, several observations will be conducted by Navcam, Mastcam, and ChemCam scans to monitor atmospheric composition and opacity and search for any clouds. The team is looking forward to planning some contact science activities during the weekend as well as contributing to the planning process as Geology Science Theme Lead (GSTL) on duty tomorrow. The GSTL will have an opportunity to further explore the area with Curiosity’s instruments.
