Rover – Astronomy Now

Mars rover steers toward active sand dunes

22 November 2015 Stephen Clark

The Curiosity rover’s next destination is a moving mound of wind-blown dark sand blanketing the base of Mount Sharp, the focal point of the Mars mission’s research, scientists said.

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’s Martian nitrogen find raises possibility of ancient life

31 March 2015 Astronomy Now

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.

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.

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.