13 years ago this week, Curiosity landed on Mars and began an incredible journey of exploration that is still going strong. NASA put together a collage of 13 of Curiosity’s most memorable images so far.
The Slopes of Mt. Sharp
Incredible new image from Curiosity this week, taken from the slopes of Mt Sharp, looking over her shoulder at the floor, and distant rim, of Gale Crater.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/S Atkinson. Source
Two Worlds, One Sun
This stunning visual was created by NASA, the Curiosity rover, and photographer Damia Bouic.
The Sun appears slightly smaller from Mars than from Earth, since Mars is 50% further from the Sun than Earth. More striking, perhaps, is that the Martian sunset is noticeably bluer near the Sun than the typically orange colors near the setting Sun from Earth. The reason for the blue hues from Mars is not fully understood, but thought to be related to forward scattering properties of Martian dust.
The terrestrial sunset was taken in 2012 March from Marseille, France, while the Martian sunset was captured in 2015 by NASA's robotic Curiosity rover from Gale crater on Mars.
Destination Mars
On Thursday, Elon Musk shared SpaceX's plans for Mars over the next 8 years (and a permanent moon base, since it's on the way ) - and beyond, to make humanity a multiplanetary species.
It is ambitious, perhaps even audacious. But the suite of technologies Elon has built are, it turns out, all positioned to make this a reality. Rockets, robots, autonomous and hardy vehicles, tunnel diggers, a space-based communications system, battery packs, cutting-edge astronaut suits...it's almost like he had a plan all along.
There will be challenges and setbacks along the way, but I am so here for this.
- First Starship to Mars planned for 2026
- Enlarging future generations of Starship
- Mars settlement in 2030s
- Robotic + human labor used
- Moon Base in planning
- 100s of Mars landings
Here’s the link to the entire presentation, if you'd like to watch it: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1928185351933239641
A Mars Mood
I am obsessed with this grainy image snapped by Percy on Mars. It’s quiet and contemplative, haunting and lonely, yet stirring to life the string that tugs at your soul and whispers of your connection to a vast cosmos.
From the Perseverance X account: “That bright "star" is actually Mars' moon Deimos. In the hours before dawn, I snapped this long-exposure image with my left Navcam and caught Deimos as well as two stars from the constellation Leo in the sky. It's definitely a mood, as they say.”
Original post here.
Ice Clouds Over a Red Planet
From NASA / Astronomy Picture of the Day:
“If you could stand on Mars -- what might you see? You might look out over a vast orange landscape covered with rocks under a dusty orange sky, with a blue-tinted Sun over the horizon, and odd-shaped water clouds hovering high overhead. This was just the view captured last March by NASA's rolling explorer, Perseverance. The orange coloring is caused by rusted iron in the Martian dirt, some of which is small enough to be swept up by winds into the atmosphere. The blue tint near the rising Sun is caused by blue light being preferentially scattered out from the Sun by the floating dust. The light-colored clouds on the right are likely composed of water-ice and appear high in the Martian atmosphere. The shapes of some of these clouds are unusual for Earth and remain a topic of research.”
More on Ingenuity
This is a terrific piece by Ars Technica on the innovation that created Ingenuity and what it means for the future of space exploration: "It turns out NASA’s Mars helicopter was much more revolutionary than we knew": https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/01/now-that-weve-flown-on-mars-what-comes-next-in-aerial-planetary-exploration/
That'll do, Ingenuity. That'll do.
Who's ready to cry over another anthropomorphized space robot? * raises hand *
Ingenuity's incredible Martian mission has come to an end. It was intended as a technology "proof of concept," with a mission span of 30 days and a max of 5 test flights. Many believed the little helicopter wouldn't fly at all in the thin Martian atmosphere.
Instead, it flew 72 missions in 3 years, traversing over 11 miles and reaching as high as 79 feet in the air. It flew in treacherous terrain, dealt with a dead sensor, cleaned itself off after dust storms, operated from 48 different airfields, performed three emergency landings, and survived a frigid Martian winter. Through all that, it wormed its way into our hearts and inspired our imagination.
On January 18th, it sustained rotor damage during landing and lost contact with Perseverance and NASA. Communications were re-established the next day, and imagery revealed damage to one of its blades severe enough to render it unable to take off again.
With such an amazing performance that silenced every doubter, Ingenuity is only the first craft to fly on Mars; it will not be the last.
That'll do, Ingenuity. That'll do.
Learn more here: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/after-three-years-on-mars-nasas-ingenuity-helicopter-mission-ends
Starship
Just look at these photos!
From SpaceX on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1702774532174733387:
“Starship represents a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond.”
Sunrise on Mars
Stunning morning clouds over Jezero Crater, captured by the Perseverance rover’s NavCams on March 18 (Sol 738). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Kevin M. Gill
As Professor of Physics Brian Cox so eloquently said: “A beautiful photograph of clouds in the Martian sky, 200 years after the first photograph was taken and just over a century after the first powered flight. We can do wonderful things when we put our minds to it.”
High-res version: https://flic.kr/p/2onS6xJ
Originally posted on Twitter.
Happy 10th, Curiosity!
Who's the bestest little rover?
10 years ago today, a jetpack lowered NASA’s Curiosity rover onto the Red Planet, beginning the SUV-size explorer’s pursuit of evidence that, billions of years ago, Mars had the conditions needed to support microscopic life.
Since then, Curiosity has driven nearly 18 miles and ascended 2,050 feet as it explores Gale Crater and the foothills of Mount Sharp within it. The rover has analyzed 41 rock and soil samples, relying on a suite of science instruments to learn what they reveal about Earth’s rocky sibling. Curiosity’s mission was recently extended for another three years, allowing it to continue among NASA’s fleet of important astrobiological missions.
This gorgeous poster is courtesy of Justin Van Genderen, and you can download it here: https://mars.nasa.gov/.../curiosity-10-years-of-martian.../
Learn more about Curiosity's 10 years of exploration here: https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/home/
Originally posted on Facebook.
Keep Exploring
NASA has extended the planetary science missions of eight of its spacecraft due to their scientific productivity and potential to deepen our knowledge and understanding of the solar system and beyond.
The missions – Mars Odyssey, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MAVEN, Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity rover), InSight lander, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, OSIRIS-REx, and New Horizons – have been selected for continuation
Check that out! Curiosity is such a champ, showing no signs of slowing down on Mars after a decade of exploring the Red Planet. OSIRIS-REx is going to visit * another * asteroid, and New Horizons - can you believe it made its extraordinary visit to Pluto SEVEN years ago - will continue to probe the far outer reaches of our solar system.
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-extends-exploration-for-8-planetary-science-missions
Originally posted on Twitter.
Parachute
Perseverance has found the parachute that brought it safely to the Mars surface!
“Looks like @NASAPersevere has spotted the EDL supersonic parachute lying on the ground! This is an image taken with its right Mastcam-Z on April 6, 2022 (sol 401) with a zoom of 110mm. AI-upscaled and adjusted to approximate natural color.” Link
Originally posted on Twitter.
Good News From Space
NASA is bursting with great news for us this week!
(1) Following the completion of the final critical mirror alignment steps, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope team now expects that Webb’s optical performance will be able to meet or exceed the science goals the observatory was built to achieve. Every optical parameter that has been checked and tested is performing at, or above, expectations. The team also found no critical issues and no measurable contamination or blockages to Webb’s optical path. The observatory is able to successfully gather light from distant objects and deliver it to its instruments without issue.
The image was taken to "prove" alignment had been successfully completed - and, yes, all those smudges are galaxies. Expect the science images to start arriving this summer!
(2) After 21 flights, NASA has extended Ingenuity’s flight operations through September as it continues with scouting efforts for Perseverance. The helicopter that so many insisted would never be able to fly at all, will now fly on Mars for a second year. Go, Ginny! #thelittlehelicopterthatcould
Originally posted on Facebook.
Percy's Gold Medal
Perseverance took the gold medal on February 4 for the longest drive made by a Mars rover in a single Martian day, after it traveled more than 245 meters (806 feet), beating the record held by NASA's Opportunity rover since 2015.
And just look at that image it captured when it did…. <3
Originally posted on Twitter.
Picture Postcard From Mars
NASA’s Curiosity rover captured a remarkable image from its most recent perch on the side of Mars’ Mount Sharp. The mission team was so inspired by the beauty of the landscape, they combined two versions of the black-and-white images from different times of the day and added colors to create a rare postcard from the Red Planet.
More about how the image was created here: https://mars.nasa.gov/news/9080/nasas-curiosity-rover-sends-a-picture-postcard-from-mars/
Originally posted on Twitter.
Martian Sunset
Perseverance has captured its first Mars sunset in a compelling panoramic image. Such serene, yet lonely, beauty.
https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere/status/1461486482573512704
Originally posted on Twitter.
Percy & Ingenuity
Perseverance recently captured this adorable selfie with its little buddy, Ingenuity. Is it any wonder we anthropomorphize these wonderful robots?
By the way, Ingenuity is scheduled to fly for the NINTH time in the next week. Pushing ever farther, faster and higher.
See the high-res version here.
Originally posted on Twitter.
Ingenuity's Many Successes
Ginny has done such an incredible job in 5 flights (each one more daring than the last), that NASA is extending its mission! The little helicopter that could is no longer a simple technology demonstration - now it's going to be Percy's assistant for a while.
https://www.npr.org/2021/05/01/992739491/nasa-makes-new-plans-for-ingenuity-helicopter-on-mars
Originally posted on Facebook.
Oxygen Created on Mars
Oxygen on Mars. And I'm not even kidding. https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8926/nasas-perseverance-mars-rover-extracts-first-oxygen-from-red-planet/
Granted, not a lot of oxygen just yet - about 5 grams produced in an hour - but Percy's MOXIE module just MADE oxygen out of the carbon dioxide in the Mars atmosphere.
MOXIE, like Ingenuity, is another technology demonstration project included in the Perseverance mission. And like Ingenuity, it worked!
Honestly, this might be the biggest breakthrough to come from the entire Perseverance mission. There are a thousand challenges to overcome for humans to live and work on Mars, but oxygen generation has got to be one of the biggest (note: oxygen is also enormously helpful to get people back home to Earth).
What a month for our future in space!
Originally posted on Facebook.