Curiosity – Page 2 – Astronomy Now

Mountain-climbing Mars rover sends back low-angle selfie

23 August 2015 Stephen Clark

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has recorded itself in another of its famous self-portraits as the mobile robot analyzes bore samples recently collected from a rock slab, the first use of the drill since a short circuit halted use of the device in February.

Curiosity rover eyes prominent mineral veins on Mars

2 April 2015 Astronomy Now

Two-tone mineral veins at a site NASA’s Curiosity rover has reached by climbing a layered Martian mountain offer clues about multiple episodes of fluid movement. These episodes occurred later than the wet environmental conditions that formed lake-bed deposits the rover examined at the mountain’s base.

Curiosity’s Martian nitrogen find raises possibility of ancient life

31 March 2015 Kerry Hebden

Nitrogen, in the form of nitric oxide (one nitrogen atom and one oxygen atom), has been detected for the first time on the surface of Mars by a team of researchers using the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite aboard NASA’s Curiosity rover, adding to the growing speculation that life could have once flourished on ancient Mars.

Engineers assess short circuit on Mars rover

5 March 2015 Stephen Clark

A short circuit that halted movement of NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is not expected to keep the mobile robot stationary for long, but engineers want to know whether the problem will restrict some future science operations.

Curiosity rover drills rock sample at Mount Sharp

28 February 2015 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has used its drill to collect sample powder from inside a rock target called “Telegraph Peak.” Examining rock samples like these will help scientists understand how the ancient wet environment of Mars dried up.

Curiosity rover takes ‘selfie’ at Mojave Site on Mount Sharp

25 February 2015 Astronomy Now

A new ‘selfie’ from Curiosity shows the NASA Mars rover at work at the “Mojave” site, where its drill collected the mission’s second taste of Mount Sharp.

Mars rover detects methane spike, organic molecules

17 December 2014 William Harwood

Carefully analyzing data collected by NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover, scientists discovered a sudden, unexpected spike in methane levels in the martian atmosphere over a two-month period one year ago.

NASA’s Curiosity rover finds clues to how water helped shape Martian landscape

9 December 2014 Astronomy Now

Observations by NASA’s Curiosity Rover indicate Mars’ Mount Sharp was built by sediments deposited in a large lake bed over tens of millions of years, challenging the notion that warm and wet conditions were transient, local, or only underground on the Red Planet.

Curiosity Mars rover sees Comet Siding Spring pass by

6 November 2014 Astronomy Now

An animation of comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring captured by NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover as the comet passed near the red planet.

Curiosity Mars rover finds mineral match with orbiter

5 November 2014 Astronomy Now

Reddish rock powder from the first hole drilled into a Martian mountain by the Curiosity rover has yielded the mission’s first confirmation of a mineral mapped from orbit.