More then five years ago Curiosity landed on Mars, the best photos of his "road trip"

in #spacex7 years ago


The Curiosity rover weighs 899 kg and rolls on six wheels.

The robot has confirmed the presence of a lake on the red planet several million years ago.

The Curiosity rover landed on Mars on August 6, 2012 in the crater of Gale. Its main mission: to trace the history of the red planet.


Mount Sharp photographed August 23, 2012. - / AFP

Since his arrival, the robot has traveled 17 kilometers. Curiosity is the size of a small 4x4 with six wheels weighing 899 kg.

It is equipped with a laboratory to search organic molecules, but also other devices measure radiation, for example. The images and information collected are transmitted from Mars to Earth, about 240 million kilometers, in just fourteen minutes.

The upper part of a deposit, nicknamed "Rocknest", photographed on October 30, 2012. HO / AFP


In the lower part of Mount Sharp, finely stratified rocks

The rover has identified favorable conditions for life. In 2012, Curiosity confirmed the presence of an ancient lake in the crater of Gale, where it landed. In particular, he discovered traces of perchlorates, salts found in water.


Sediments in the crater of Gale. HO / AFP

At the end of 2016, the robot had some small difficulties . When Curiosity was ordered to drill, his arm was deployed but the drill did not work. To avoid damaging it, the operators preferred to immobilize it on 1 December in order to carry out checks.

First color sunset observed by Curiosity on the Red Planet, April 15, 2015. - / AFP

This image is a 360 ° panorama taken on Mount Sharp. In the center is the south of the planet Mars and at both ends, the north HO / AFP

Curiosity is since 2014 on Mount Sharp, its last step. The robot continues to take samples of the red planet to know the extent of its history. A new craft is expected to arrive on Mars in 2021, Curiosity 2. In the footsteps of his predecessor, he will have to discover the past of the planet.

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