After half a kilometre of driving over the last few sols, Percy has finally reached a new investigation site. The Vernodden slope (see the map above), on the outer rim of Jezero Crater, was the rover’s home for over 70 sols, and proved interesting and rewarding from the standpoint of geology, though we were unsuccessful in acquiring a sample there.

The current area - flatter, but studded with small ridges - appears to have a rather different geology than Vernodden, and represents a step away from Jezero Crater proper. Considering the long missions of Spirit (2004-2010) and Curiosity (2012-present), which landed within immense craters and were never intended to exit them, four-and-a-half-year old Percy is getting a real tour of this region of Mars!