Curiosity: NASA has released an excellent Mars panorama

The most famous NASA soap opera was an adventure recently Diligence. Since they landed on the Red Planet last February, the adventures of the Mars rover and his friend Intelligence have been widely documented by the space agency, which brings us constant news and great photos.

So, in the shadow of this prodigal son, it is easy to forget that another robot is currently roaming the soil of Mars: Rover Curiosity. It will celebrate its ninth birthday on August 6; So he used the opportunity to give us a better panorama.

To catch him, Curiosity was able to reap the benefits of the Tuesday winter; During this period, red dust in the atmosphere is less charged, which makes it easier to take pictures. This makes it possible to differentiate the edge of the Gale Gorge at a distance of approximately 26 km.

This mild weather allowed him to take some memorable photos from the side of the Aeolis Mons; It is a mountain located in the center of the Gale Valley where the rover landed. We can create a dark gray dust; It is volcanic rock sand. Just like in a desert on our planet, we can clearly distinguish even the characteristic ripples produced by the wind. This gigantic sandbox, Curiosity, had to go through it. There is no risk of toppling such a precious machine; After nine years of good and faithful service it would be a shame if the work was stopped by a foolish mess!

Storm Aeolis Mons

Rover Gale spent his early years studying clay rocks at the bottom of the valley; The most scientifically rich area since it was once the bed of a large lake. In the pictures, we can also see very large round rocks; Characteristic form of a chronic erosion. But when he climbs on Aeolis Mons, Curiosity comes to an area rich in minerals common to arid regions. NASA astronomers therefore hope to be able to obtain information about the evolution of the Martian climate.

“The rocks in the area begin to tell us how this once humid planet evolved into today’s arid planet, and then how long these environments can survive.Abigail Freeman, a member of the Curiosity team, explains on the NASA website.

Curiosity will now continue to mount on Aeolis Mons; It will cross a high valley called the “Greenhouse Pedestrian” to reach its next destination. With a little luck we can get new and more detailed photos of this area that was briefly visited last year!