On Monday, Curiosity made its way towards the Naukluft Plateau with a combination of driving and remote sensing tasks planned. The plan included acquiring ChemCam and Mastcam observations of the target “Swartpunt” before continuing the drive. However, there was a delay in posting the blog entry which was jokingly blamed on leap day.
On the first sol, Curiosity’s agenda included post-drive imaging to prepare for future targeting and to document the Murray formation along the route. After that, a series of ChemCam calibration activities were scheduled to ensure that the instrument was working properly. Additionally, a Navcam movie was planned to monitor the atmosphere above Mount Sharp.
On the second sol, Curiosity captured a large Mastcam mosaic to study the stratigraphy exposed on the east side of the Naukluft Plateau. This data will be crucial in understanding the geological history of this region and how it has shaped Mars’ environment over time.
