For the past two weeks, a massive dust storm has churned on Mars, forcing NASA to put its Opportunity rover into hibernation mode. But Curiosity, a rover on the other side of the planet, is now feeling the effects of the storm as well, revealing the dramatic, planet-size scale of this dusty weather system.
No, NASA hasn’t discovered life on Mars yet—but a new result makes it seem like maybe, at some point in the planet’s history, the conditions were ripe for some extraterrestrial beings. Maybe.
That’s one small hole for a probe, but one giant leap for NASA. This past weekend, the space agency jerry-rigged Curiosity’s malfunctioning drill, allowing the rover to bore into Martian rock for the first time in over a year.
In late 2016, the drill used by NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity began to malfunction due to an apparent mechanical failure. This Saturday, NASA will test a new method that could restore the drill’s critical jackhammering capability, and by consequence, the rover’s ability to analyze Martian rock samples.
After months of steady progress, NASA’s Curiosity rover has reached the top of Vera Rubin Ridge. And like the good mountain climber that it is, the rover took the opportunity to look around and bask in the view from up high. The resulting panorama—stitched together from 16 individual photos—is one of the most…
Over the past few days, NASA’s Curiosity rover has been making a steady climb towards a strange Martian ridge that’s captivated scientists since before the mission even started. Known as Vera Ridge after the pioneering astrophysicist Vera Rubin, the durable outcrop could shed new light on the environment and potential…
Last month, NASA’s Curiosity rover captured some of the most remarkable images of Martian clouds we’ve ever seen. Now rare, these Earth-like cirrus clouds are a glimpse into the Red Planet’s distant past.
See that faint, blue dot in the middle of this NASA image? That’s the Curiosity rover making its way up the rocky slopes of Mount Sharp. The robotic lander, now approaching its fifth year of operation, has never looked so lonely.
A routine check performed by NASA has uncovered two tears on the treads of the Mars Curiosity Rover’s left middle wheel. The damage isn’t unexpected, nor is it catastrophic, but it’s a reminder that this intrepid little explorer won’t last forever.
NASA is working to resolve an increasingly frustrating problem with the Curiosity Rover’s drill, which has stalled, leaving the Martian explorer out of action on the slopes of Mount Sharp for more than two weeks.
NASA’s Curiosity rover is currently climbing the slopes of Mount Sharp as it ventures to its next exploration site. Earlier this week, the rover stumbled upon a tiny metallic meteorite, which features some rather peculiar features.
NASA’s Curiosity rover has completed its survey of “Murray Buttes,” and is now set to venture even higher along the slopes of Mount Sharp. The intrepid rover took the opportunity to snap a selfie as it proudly stood in front of some rather dramatic Martian features.
Citing films like Pan’s Labyrinth and District 9 as inspiration, screenwriter-turned-director Travis Beacham—best known as the writer behind Pacific Rim—just released the first teaser of his directorial debut, The Curiosity.
Admit it: In your heart, you’re a space robot, laughing at death on Mars, while you pop a wheelie over an underground water cavern. Now there’s a game that lets you take your true form.
NASA just announced that it’s given the Curiosity rover the power to fire its laser at targets of its choice. You fools, you’ve killed us all.
NASA is racing to finish a new Mars rover, and the mission just got a launch and land date. The new rover will leave Earth by August 2020, and in February of 2021, it will hit the surface of the Red Planet to search for signs of life.
The Curiosity rover was sent up to Mars with the important job of hunting for microbes on the red planet’s surface. Now, that job is done, and Curiosity is getting a new mission—and that mission is all about the past, and future, of life on Mars.
Mars InSight lander was set to blast its way towards the red planet just three short months from now. Today, NASA announced that leaks that had sprung up in the lander wouldn’t be fixed in time. The next window to send it back won’t be for two years—and whether it will make it then isn’t yet certain.
NASA’s Curiosity rover has boldly gone where no robotic probe has gone before: a Martian sand dune.
