Curiosity: NASA reveals a wonderful panorama of Mars

Arguably the most popular NASA series lately is adventure determination. Since landing on the Red Planet last February, the adventures of the Mars rover and its friend Ingenity have been extensively documented by the space agency, which regularly gives us great news and photos.

So, it would be easy to forget that in the shadow of this prodigal son, another robot is currently roaming the soil of Mars: the rover curiousity. This one will also celebrate his ninth birthday immediately on August 6th; So he took the opportunity to present us with a wonderful panorama.

To catch it, Curiosity managed to take advantage of the Martian winter. During this period, the atmosphere is less charged with red dust, which makes it easier to take pictures. This makes it possible, in particular, to discern the edge of Gale crater, about 26 kilometers away.

This mild weather allowed him to take some souvenir photos from the pavilions of Aeolus Mons; It is a mountain located in the center of Gale Crater where the rover landed. We can take out dark gray dust. It is a volcanic rock sand. As in the desert on our planet, we can clearly distinguish even the characteristic ripples produced by the wind. This huge sandbox, Curiosity, had to get past it. No doubt taking the risk of stumbling upon such a prized machine; After nine years of good and loyal service, it would be a shame if the mission was thwarted by a stupid confusion!

Storming Aeolis Mons

The rover spent its early years studying the muddy rocks at the bottom of Gale Crater. A very rich area from a scientific point of view, because it was once the bottom of a huge lake. In the pictures we can also see very large, round boulders; The form often characterizes a long wear period. But as Aeolis Mons climbs, Curiosity reaches an area full of minerals typical of drier regions. So NASA astronomers hope to be able to glean information about the evolution of the Martian climate.

“The rocks in this region will begin to tell us how this wet planet evolved into a dry planet today, and how long these environments remained habitable after that.Curiosity team member Abigail Freeman explains on the NASA website.

Curiosity will now continue to climb Aeolis Mons; It will then pass through a high-altitude valley to reach its next destination, which is called “Greenheugh Grass”. With a little luck, we may receive new and more detailed photos of this briefly visited area last year!