On Sol 1249, the rover successfully completed a drive that placed it in an area with numerous bright bedrock outcrops. After careful examination of the images, one large outcrop, partially visible in the image above, has been selected as the target for dumping a sand sample and conducting examinations this weekend.
Ken Herkenhoff is currently planning the activities for this weekend, which are subject to change based on various factors related to the Martian environment, communication connections, and the status of the rover. The rover will use its ChemCam and Mastcam to observe the bedrock target named “Kuiseb” in order to select the optimal location for dumping the sample and conducting examinations.
To reach the target, the rover will reverse its direction slightly and then move forward to place the large outcrop within reach of its robotic arm. Once this is done, a series of images will be taken of the workspace to aid in selecting dump and contact science targets for tomorrow. The team is excited about this opportunity to gather valuable data from Mars that will help us better understand our neighboring planet.