Today, I'm celebrating my 11th landiversary! 🥳In this last year, I’ve surpassed 30km, spotted another meteorite, entered a new quadrant, and encountered my toughest climb yet.I've got more science-ing to do - so here's to more exploring on the Red Planet!
1. Those wheels actually look pretty damned good for 11 years and 30km.
Quote from: ZuluLima on 08/06/2023 02:43 am1. Those wheels actually look pretty damned good for 11 years and 30km.I thought so myself until I saw the video that came with those pictures
It's not so bad when you remember that a large part of that damage happened in its second year on Mars. Once NASA figured out how to spot and avoid dangerous (to the wheels) terrain, the rate of damage accrual went way down. A few holes and broken grousers aside, the wheels are in decent shape all things considered.
4,000 glorious solsWhen I landed on Mars in 2012, I set off to find out if the planet was habitable to ancient microscopic life. After completing my prime mission in 2014, I’m still going strong at 4,000 sols on the Red Planet!And I’m not done yet:
Nice view of Jezero all the way from Gale crater!
Hey look – I’m a sundial!Ok, not exactly, but I did get a sol to enjoy my surroundings. During solar conjunction, I used my hazard cameras to study the Martian weather and dust. As this Earth year comes to an end, I hope you’ll take the time to soak in what’s around you.
What has @MarsCuriosity been up to lately?The rover is exploring Gediz Vallis channel, an area that may indicate liquid water flowed in this part of the Red Planet for much longer than previously thought.See it from Curiosity's perspective ⬇️
Sulphur ?? I thought it was remnants of Kirk’s shirt.
NASA’s Curiosity rover, currently exploring Gale crater on Mars, is providing new details about how the ancient Martian climate went from potentially suitable for life – with evidence for widespread liquid water on the surface – to a surface that is inhospitable to terrestrial life as we know it.
Although the surface of Mars is frigid and hostile to life today, NASA’s robotic explorers at Mars are searching for clues as to whether it could have supported life in the distant past. Researchers used instruments on board Curiosity to measure the isotopic composition of carbon-rich minerals (carbonates) found in Gale crater and discovered new insights into how the Red Planet’s ancient climate transformed.
The paper proposes two formation mechanisms for carbonates found at Gale. In the first scenario, carbonates are formed through a series of wet-dry cycles within Gale crater. In the second, carbonates are formed in very salty water under cold, ice-forming (cryogenic) conditions in Gale crater.
This discovery was made using the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) and Tunable Laser Spectrometer (TLS) instruments aboard the Curiosity rover. SAM heats samples up to nearly 1,652 degrees Fahrenheit (almost 900°C) and then the TLS is used to analyze the gases that are produced during that heating phase.