After we thought we were finally leaving our current spot on Mars, a mistake during one of our arm activities resulted in us staying one more sol. This setback caused us to lose our plans for the previous two solums, which included driving to our next point on the Vera Rubin Ridge science campaign. Today we find ourselves back in recovery mode, working to make up for lost time.
Before the crash, we captured an image of the shadow of the hand on the ground. Now, in our third attempt to complete our science activities at this site, we are focusing on ChemCam and Mastcam targets of nearby rock formations with names such as “Sherwood Forest”, “Tableland” and “Troll Valley”. In addition, we planned a Mastcam image of a target called “Elf Woods”, which was originally intended for the weekend plan, but was removed due to power reasons.
Once these science activities are complete, Curiosity will move approximately 10 meters closer to our third designated stop on Vera Rubin Ridge. Despite the unforeseen challenges we've faced, our team is determined to make the most of our time on Mars and continue our exploration of the Red Planet.