Mars rover Sol 685 will see a pre-drive science block followed by 2.5 hours of driving and post-drive imaging for targeting. The pre-drive science block will involve 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.
The rover will then navigate through the ripples before ascending the Zabriskie Plateau, 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. After this, they are anticipating engaging in possible contact science activities and more driving over the weekend.
It is important to note that the dates of planned rover activities outlined in these reports may change due to various factors such as the Martian environment, communication relays, and the status of the rover itself.