mars curiosity Archives - Universe Today

Pictures: Punishing Mars Plateau For Curiosity Rover And Damaged Wheels

11 Aug , 2014 by Elizabeth Howell

This picture alone illustrates the challenge NASA has as it slowly moves the Curiosity rover across Mars to its mountainous destination. You can see rocks surrounding the rover on Sol 713 (on Aug. 8), which is a challenge because of the ongoing wear and tear on Curiosity’s aluminum wheels. In mid-July, Curiosity crossed one of […]

Where Will ExoMars Land? Proposals Invited For Future Mars Rover And Lander

18 Dec , 2013 by Elizabeth Howell

Scientists, start your engines. The next few weeks will see a flurry of proposals come for the European Space Agency’s first rover mission on the Red Planet in 2018. The ExoMars mission will see a lander and rover touch Mars, and what’s neat about this particular mission is the rover has a drill on board […]

Go Mars-Digging Beside Curiosity In New Interactive Panorama

12 Nov , 2013 by Elizabeth Howell

Here’s a nice distraction to start off the day: pretend you’re playing in the sandbox of Mars alongside Curiosity. This new panorama shows the NASA Rover hanging out somewhat nearby Mount Sharp (Aeolis Mons), its ultimate destination for the two-year prime mission it’s currently on. “The images for panorama [were] obtained by the rover’s 34-millimeter […]

How Much Science Data Has The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Sent To Earth?

11 Nov , 2013 by Elizabeth Howell

Imagine being able to watch three months’ worth of high-definition space video sequentially — maybe real-time coverage on the International Space Station, or getting to watch the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter zoom across the Red Planet over and over again. Well, that’s how much science data MRO itself has sent back in 10 years of operations, […]

U.S. To Restart Plutonium Production for Deep Space Exploration

20 Mar , 2013 by David Dickinson

The end of NASA’s plutonium shortage may be in sight. On Monday March 18th, NASA’s planetary science division head Jim Green announced that production of Plutonium-238 (Pu-238) by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) is currently in the test phases leading up to a restart of full scale production. “By the end of the […]

How Mars Failures Helped the Curiosity Rover Land

12 Mar , 2013 by Elizabeth Howell

Mars is a graveyard; a spot where many a spacecraft slammed into the surface or perhaps, burned up in the atmosphere. This added drama to the Mars Curiosity rover landing last August. Roger Gibbs, deputy manager for NASA’s Mars Exploration Program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, shared how NASA implemented “lessons learned” from Mars 6 (which […]

Memorable Space Tweeps of 2012

10 Dec , 2012 by Elizabeth Howell

To space Tweeps, Twitter is so much more than just a news service. It’s a community, a spot where everyone can showcase their interests and form professional bonds with each other. The most prominent space-themed Twitter accounts of 2012 somehow transcended their original purpose, too. A NASA Mars Curiosity account ended up hobnobbing with comedian […]

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