Exploring Mars with Science: A Weekend Adventure in Rover Field Operations

This weekend, we decided to continue our exploration at the same location we’ve been studying all week. Although we were excited about discovering new terrain, we still had plenty of interesting science targets to keep us busy. On Sol 1961, our first day of the weekend plan, we had a packed science block that included a series of ChemCam observations. We conducted LIBS measurements on bedrock targets “Glenfinnan” and “Skara Brae,” captured a long-distance RMI image of the lower slopes of Mount Sharp, and took a passive measurement of “Bloodstone Hill.” Additionally, we scheduled a Mastcam image to document the LIBS targets and another Mastcam image for change detection. We also planned to take repeat Mastcam images of the same target area over multiple sols in order to monitor any changes or movements. Lastly, we aimed to capture a Navcam movie to observe dust devils in the area.

In the evening, after our LIBS observations cleared up any dust in the region, we scheduled MAHLI nighttime images of Glenfinnan and Skara Brae to examine the small-scale features within the rocks in greater detail. The MAHLI image above shows Skara Brae rock target perfectly captured by our nighttime imaging session. On Sol 1962, our second day of the weekend plan, we planned to drive to our next VRR location and take post-drive images before diving into an exciting week ahead with contact and remote science activities.