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Today’s two-sol plan commenced with APXS and MAHLI completing a thorough sounding of the target \u201cFlat Note Lake,\u201d the seemingly brighter rock in the left-middle of the image just below a darker cobble and on the margin of swell-like sand ripples. Curiosity also focused ChemCam\u2019s telescope on several key beacons in the landscape. The first target, \u201cCactus Point,\u201d received a number of laser shots from ChemCam, akin to signaling with a lighthouse to assess its elemental message back to the ship. ChemCam\u2019s RMI captured high-definition mosaics of key formations including rugged yardangs, formations that would not take too kindly to contact with a vessel’s hull. Mastcam complemented these observations with its own survey of the local area, capturing targets that included \u201cTombstone Ridge,\u201d \u201cBalloon Dome,\u201d \u201cPinnacle Ridge,\u201d \u201cClyde Spires,\u201d \u201cConfusion Lake\u201d and \u201cPilot Peak\u201d in addition to Cactus Point. A lengthy DAN passive measurement was completed in parallel, akin to a depth sounder probing the terrain beneath our hull.\u00a0 With the scientific reconnaissance of the first sol complete, Curiosity tested its metaphorical rigging in the form of trying out some Feed-Extended Sample Transfer arm activities in parallel with a telecommunications window before setting course out of the channel. This is similar to the test we did sols 4311-4313, and will hopefully help us become more efficient in the future.<\/p>\n
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