Exciting Discovery: Investigating Potassium Levels on Martian Terrain at Broad Cairn

Sol 2415: Cairn today, drilling tomorrow?

The science team was excited to investigate a new potential drill target at “Broad Cairn,” which was identified as a flat area on a bright block within the clay-bearing unit of the Martian terrain. To determine if this location contained high levels of potassium (K), the team commanded the rover to use the dust removal tool (DRT) to clean off the spot. Following this, close-up pictures were taken using the MAHLI camera, with plans for an Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) integration at the optimal time of day to ensure high-quality data collection.

The primary focus was on retrieving the data quickly, so other science observations were delayed to the next planning sol. As the team eagerly awaits the results of their analysis, anticipation builds as they hope to gain valuable insights from the information gathered at “Broad Cairn.”

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