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Latest News About Mars Science Laboratory, NASA's Newest Mars Rover
The Mars rover Curiosity, also known as the Science Laboratory, will launch in late 2011 and land on the Red Planet in August 2012.
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The six-wheeled robot is depicted in MAD's venerable fold-in feature.
On Sol 84 (Oct. 31, 2012), NASA's Curiosity rover used the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) to capture this set of 55 high-resolution images, which were stitched together to create this full-color self-portrait as seen in this space wallpaper.
Engineers installed a potential fix shortly before the rover launched last November.
NASA will keep running Curiosity and its other Mars assets as long as they're scientifically viable.
Some scientists want the 2020 rover mission to collect pieces of Mars for eventual return to Earth.
NASA will launch a new Mars science rover with new tools to study the Red Planet. Former astronaut and associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate John Grunsfeld outlines the next 8 years of Mars exploration.
Mars explorers could spend nearly two years on the Red Planet without receiving a worryingly high dose.
Soil analysis on Mars by the roving laboratory has delivered a detection of simple organic compounds. Further review will determine if it is actually from Mars or residuals from the rovers time on Earth and, critically, if it is the result of life.
NASA's Curiosity rover found Martian dirt containing chlorine, water and sulfur compounds.
The Mars Science Laboratory spent six weeks investigating an area on Mars that was dubbed 'Rocknest'. Next up - the rover will be moving on to 'Point Lake' where it will look for a good target to drill.
The annual fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union lasts all week.
Don't expect a historic announcement, agency officials say.
Curiosity hasn't yet found organic compounds in the Martian soil.
The scientists and engineers who operate Curiosity are finally adjusting back to Earth time after months of working according to Martian time. Because a day on Mars lasts about 40 minutes longer, work shifts for the MSL team were based on Mars days
Curiosity launched on Nov. 26, 2011, and landed on Mars Aug. 5 of this year.
Experts offer guesses about NASA's major Red Planet find.
The six-wheeled robot will scout out possible target rocks for its first drilling activity.
Mission scientist for the Mars Science Laboratory, Dr. John Grotzinger, talks to SPACE.com about how the instrumentation on the rover made the find that he calls "one for the history books". Results to be announced early December.
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