The Changing Winds of Mars
A recent study has shown that the ancient dunes preserved in the rock record of Gale crater migrated across the surface of Mars in the opposite direction to the dunes […]
Tag Archives: Curiosity
The Curiosity Rover Examines Clay and Clouds on Mars
NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory rover, better known as Curiosity, has recently found a location in Gale crater with the most abundant clay observed so far on the mission. Two recent […]
Mineralogy and Paleo-Environment of Gale Crater, Mars
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS Mars Science Lab, better known as the Curiosity rover, is packed with instruments intended to help study the geology of Gale crater. One of these instruments, the […]
Drilling Success: Curiosity is Collecting Mars Rocks
NASA’s Curiosity rover successfully drilled a hole 2 inches (5.1 centimeters) deep in a target called “Duluth” on May 20, 2018. The hole is about 0.6 inches (1.6 centimeters) across. […]
Mars Missions to Pause Commanding in June, Due to Sun
In June 2015, Mars will swing almost directly behind the sun from Earth’s perspective, and this celestial geometry will lead to diminished communications with spacecraft at Mars. The arrangement of […]
Curiosity Rover Finds Biologically Useful Nitrogen on Mars
A team using the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite aboard NASA’s Curiosity rover has made the first detection of nitrogen on the surface of Mars from release during […]
NASA Rover Finds Active and Ancient Organic Chemistry on Mars
NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover has measured a tenfold spike in methane, an organic chemical, in the atmosphere around it and detected other organic molecules in a rock-powder sample collected by […]
NASA Rover Drill Pulls First Taste From Mars Mountain
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has collected its first taste of the layered mountain whose scientific allure drew the mission to choose this part of Mars as a landing site. Late […]
NASA’s Mars Curiosity Rover Arrives at Martian Mountain
NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover has reached the Red Planet’s Mount Sharp, a Mount-Rainier-size mountain at the center of the vast Gale Crater and the rover mission’s long-term prime destination. “Curiosity […]
Curiosity Celebrates Two Years and Counting on Red Planet
NASA’s most advanced roving laboratory on Mars celebrates its second anniversary since landing inside the Red Planet’s Gale Crater on Aug. 5, 2012, PDT (Aug. 6, 2012, EDT). During its […]
Target on Mars Looks Good for NASA Rover Drilling
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover used several tools to examine the candidate site over the weekend, including a wire-bristle brush — the Dust Removal Tool — to clear away dust from […]
Asteroids as Seen From Mars; A Curiosity Rover First
A new image from NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is the first ever from the surface of Mars to show an asteroid, and it shows two: Ceres and Vesta. These two […]
NASA Mars Orbiter Spies Rover Near Martian Butte
Scientists using NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover are eyeing a rock layer surrounding the base of a small butte, called “Mount Remarkable,” as a target for investigating with tools on the […]
Images From NASA Mars Rover Include Bright Spots
Images taken by NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover on April 2 and April 3 include bright spots, which might be due to the Sun glinting off a rock or cosmic rays […]
NASA Mars Rover Curiosity Scoping Out Next Study Area
On Wednesday, NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover drove the last 98 feet feet (30 meters) needed to arrive at a site planned since early 2013 as a destination for studying rock […]
NASA Mars Rover’s Next Stop Has Sandstone Variations
Variations in the stuff that cements grains together in sandstone have shaped the landscape surrounding NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover and could be a study topic at the mission’s next science […]
Curiosity Adds Reverse Driving for Wheel Protection
Terrain that NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is now crossing is as smooth as team members had anticipated based on earlier images from orbit. On Tuesday, Feb. 18, the rover covered […]
NASA Mars Rover Curiosity Sees ‘Evening Star’ Earth
New images from NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover show Earth shining brighter than any star in the Martian night sky. The rover’s view of its original home planet even includes our […]
Curiosity Mars Rover Checking Possible Smoother Route
The team operating NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity is considering a path across a small sand dune to reach a favorable route to science destinations. A favorable route would skirt some […]
Mars Orbiter Images Rover and Tracks in Gale Crater
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover and its recent tracks from driving in Gale Crater appear in an image taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA’s Mars […]