This August marks the 9th anniversary of Curiosity, the exploration robot of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), landing on the surface of Mars and continuing its exploration of the Red Planet to this day.
A 360-degree panoramic image taken by Curiosity. (Photo: NASA).
Curiosity landed near Gale Crater on the surface of Mars in early August 2012 and has completed an ascent of 8 kilometers up Mount Sharp, located within Gale Crater. The primary mission of Curiosity is to provide images that aid in the study of the Red Planet’s “past”. The data sent back to Earth by Curiosity, capturing hills and boulders on the crater’s surface, has become a significant source of encouragement for scientists.
To date, Curiosity has traveled a total of approximately 16 kilometers and has drilled 32 holes on the surface of Mars. Curiosity Project Manager Megan Richardson shared that the day Curiosity landed on Mars remains one of the happiest days of her career.
The latest panoramic image captured and sent back by Curiosity in early July consists of 129 individual images stitched together. The image quality is excellent as it was taken during the winter season at Gale Crater, when the sky was clear and not obscured by dust clouds. NASA also provided guidance to explain in detail the highlights in the panoramic image, such as the black sand patches and the distant rim of the crater.
The image also includes the area where a clay region meets a sulfate-contaminated area believed to contain many salt minerals. NASA believes that the geological layers at Mount Sharp will provide valuable insights into the ancient environment within Gale Crater.
So far, humanity has successfully launched 6 robotic explorers to Mars, including 5 NASA robots and 1 robot from China that landed on the planet this past May. In addition to Curiosity, NASA is currently operating the Perseverance rover, which successfully landed in February. With several improvements over Curiosity, Perseverance not only studies the ancient environment on Mars but is also equipped with advanced tools to test and detect factors that could support life on the planet, analyze soil samples, and collect crucial data for future Mars exploration missions.
