5th December 2013 Sol 474

We have paused to do some contact science, using the robotic arm to use APXS on the local rocks.  The traverse map shows our path since landing, into and then out of Yellowknife Bay, and then across the cratered plain towards the sand dunes which mark the boundary of Mt. Sharp.  On some sols we can go further than others depending on the terrain.

Maps like this also show how sedimentary layers have been eroded back by the effect of the wind over millions of years and impact craters have formed.