NASA's Curiosity rover has reached its seventh full year on Mars, with over 3,000 cloud movies and countless more observations of atmospheric conditions taken since its arrival in 2012. The rover is now in its fifth Extended Mission and continues to expand our knowledge of the Martian climate.
As part of its ongoing mission, the team has set up for the first of two planned drills in the boxwork region, with a target hollow named "Monte Grande." This will be followed by another drill campaign at one of the raised ridges that give the boxwork region its distinctive appearance. By comparing the results of these two campaigns, scientists hope to gain a better understanding of the processes that led to the formation of this unique feature.
In addition to drilling, the team has been conducting routine environmental science experiments, including monitoring weather conditions and measuring surface radiation conditions using the Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) instrument. The rover's REMS experiment has been recording weather conditions almost every hour since 2012, providing valuable data on the Martian climate.
The team is also continuing to analyze the composition of the atmosphere using various instruments, including the Atmospheric Observations and Chemistry Suite (APXS), the Curiosity Sample Analysis at Mars (ChemCam), and the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument. These experiments will help scientists better understand the sources and destruction mechanisms of Martian methane.
With its continued exploration of the Martian surface, NASA's Curiosity rover is providing a wealth of information about the Red Planet and expanding our knowledge of its geology, climate, and potential habitability.
As part of its ongoing mission, the team has set up for the first of two planned drills in the boxwork region, with a target hollow named "Monte Grande." This will be followed by another drill campaign at one of the raised ridges that give the boxwork region its distinctive appearance. By comparing the results of these two campaigns, scientists hope to gain a better understanding of the processes that led to the formation of this unique feature.
In addition to drilling, the team has been conducting routine environmental science experiments, including monitoring weather conditions and measuring surface radiation conditions using the Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) instrument. The rover's REMS experiment has been recording weather conditions almost every hour since 2012, providing valuable data on the Martian climate.
The team is also continuing to analyze the composition of the atmosphere using various instruments, including the Atmospheric Observations and Chemistry Suite (APXS), the Curiosity Sample Analysis at Mars (ChemCam), and the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument. These experiments will help scientists better understand the sources and destruction mechanisms of Martian methane.
With its continued exploration of the Martian surface, NASA's Curiosity rover is providing a wealth of information about the Red Planet and expanding our knowledge of its geology, climate, and potential habitability.
! I mean, 3,000 cloud movies? That's like, insane 
! And to think that the Curiosity rover has been sending back data nonstop since 2012 
. It's crazy how much more we know now compared to when it first landed.
. The fact that they're comparing the results of two different drill campaigns is gonna give us a lot more insight into how boxwork region was formed 
. And with all these environmental science experiments, we're getting a better understanding of Martian climate, weather, and even methane levels 
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), but also about expanding our knowledge of the planet's geology, climate, and potential habitability. It's like we're finally getting a better understanding of our next-door neighbor on the Red Planet 
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That Curiosity rover has been busy as hell! I'm loving all the updates they're sharing, especially with those cloud movies 
They're like little art pieces showing us what's really going down on the Martian surface. And can't wait to see what the upcoming drill campaigns reveal about that boxwork region - it's like a whole new world down there! 
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The fact that scientists are still learnin' new things about the Martian climate and geology is just mind-blowin'. I'm all about this space exploration life, it's so cool to see humans makin' progress in our understanding of the universe 
7 yrs on Mars already & still going strong! 
NASA's Curiosity rover is literally the most epic space exploration thing ever! 
It's crazy to think all those cloud movies (I love that term btw) have helped us learn so much about the Martian atmosphere! 
! I wish we could see some of that footage for ourselves... would be epic to explore Mars one day 
️! Can't wait for the next set of discoveries 
! 7 years on Mars and still going strong 
. those cloud movies are insane 
it's like, what's going on on Mars?! 
But seriously it's amazing that scientists are trying to figure out the climate and stuff on Mars. Maybe one day we'll have a human settlement there! 
Wouldn't that be something?! I'm totally living vicariously through NASA right now, can you tell my kids about Curiosity? 
I cant even believe how much info we get from one little rover! Its amazing to think that it has been sending us pics & data for over 7 years now 
! The team is doing such awesome work, and I'm hyped to see what they'll find next 
. And all those weather observations since 2012 are like, super valuable for scientists trying to understand Martian climate patterns 
. Methane detection is also huge - can't wait to see what else it tells us about the Red Planet 
. Also, can someone explain me why methane on Mars is a thing again?
and analyze the atmosphere gas... still not sure if there's methane down there 
, who knew space could be so cinematic?
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. Guess you could say I'm both amazed by Curiosity's accomplishments and pretty darn disappointed that we're not pushing ourselves harder as humans .