MADRID, June 12 (EUROPA PRESS) –
NASA’s veteran Mars rover Curiosity has reached an area of sandy terrain in its exploration of Mars which has made him slow down his way on the slope of Mount Sharp on the red planet.
An image posted on the mission’s Twitter account shows several track marks in different directions that the six-wheeled vehicle has left on the ground, while it covered its marked scientific route.
“I’m on the move and heading to a new area to do some science, but all these big rocks and sand make it slippery, so i take my time. Of course, with any displacement, I will look for fascinating stops along the way,” is read in the tweet. In another comment, the rover team predicts that the maneuver at this point may last for a sol (Martian day) or two.
Just can’t wait to get on that road again??
I’m on the move and heading towards a new area to do some science – but all of these large rocks and sand make it slippery, so I’m taking my time. Of course, with any road trip, I’ll look for fascinating stops along the way. pic.twitter.com/sFxlFMiNts
— Curiosity Rover (@MarsCuriosity) June 9, 2023
curiosity reached recently the 30 kilometer mark traveled on Mars, second only to Opportunity, which passed 40 kilometers. Since the summer of 2012, Curiosity has traversed Gale Crater to reach the slopes of Mount Sharp at its center where it has made several groundbreaking discoveries and provided unprecedented scientific information, including evidence of the past habitability of Mars.
The main objective of the Curiosity mission is to assess whether Mars had the necessary conditions for microbial life in the past. By analyzing rock samples using its onboard science instruments, the rover has already provided compelling evidence for ancient lake environments that might have harbored microbial organisms.
Among other discoveries, the rover recently found undulating rock textures, the mission’s clearest evidence yet of ancient water ripples forming within lakes. According to the mission team, billions of years ago, waves on the surface of a shallow lake kicked up sediment at the bottom of the lake, leaving distinctive patterns that have been preserved in the rock layers.
