Today, the plan for Sol 685 on Mars includes a pre-drive science block followed by 2.5 hours of driving, and post-drive imaging for targeting. During the pre-drive science block, the rover will perform environmental monitoring tasks such as ChemCam passive spectroscopy of atmospheric composition and a Mastcam measurement of atmospheric dust opacity. Due to the loose sand in the area, it is expected that the drive will cover a distance of approximately 60 meters.
After navigating through the ripples, the rover will ascend Zabriskie Plateau, which is named after a sandstone formation near Shoshone, California. Tomorrow will be a restricted sol as the team waits for data to be transmitted back to Earth. Following this, they are anticipating engaging in possible contact science activities and more driving over the weekend.
It’s important to note that these dates of planned rover activities may change due to various factors such as the Martian environment, communication relays, and the status of the rover itself.