NASA Mars Curiosity Rover Report -- March 15, 2013

A NASA Mars Curiosity rover team member gives an update on developments and status of the planetary exploration mission. The Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft delivered Curiosity to its target area on Mars at 1:31:45 a.m. EDT on Aug. 6, 2012 which includes the 13.8 minutes needed for confirmation of the touchdown to be radioed to Earth at the speed of light. The rover will conduct a nearly two-year prime mission to investigate whether the Gale Crater region of Mars ever offered conditions favorable for microbial life.

Curiosity carries 10 science instruments with a total mass 15 times as large as the science payloads on NASA's Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity. Some of the tools, such as a laser-firing instrument for checking rocks' elemental composition from a distance, are the first of their kind on Mars. Curiosity will use a drill and scoop, which are located at the end of its robotic arm, to gather soil and powdered samples of rock interiors, then sieve and parcel out these samples into the rover's analytical laboratory instruments.

[thankthesnake]

Great news and a great delivery. Thanks Joel!

[foddiamondo]

This is the kind of information that should make the front page of the news. I hope this discovery gets trumped as Curiosity continues its mission.

[paultron]

ya this is exciting. i cant wait to hear more

[DarkSmith]

So awesome!!
It would be nice if you could make a visualisation how Mars could have looked like 3 billion years ago when there was water floating around.

[Kanderesraide]

I did see it on the front page of newspapers

[seedyf]

Joel Hurowitz should present more of these reports, he's way more comfortable in front of the camera and better at engaging the audience.

[Mutubeish]

Is it just me or wouldnt be awesome if Curiosity made a visit to any of the other rovers?!!

[maughan]

The RAW images on the curiosity website.

[mexjefferson]

porque não enviaram uma maquina como estufa com aguá e semente, para ver se o solo é fértil.E assim iniciar o que seria planeta verde.

[ThePreabus]

Mars is red due to iron oxide, i.e. rusted iron that is found all over the planet. But unlike on earth where iron is found in ore form, iron oxide on Mars is in its pure form and dust like. As iron comes from the nuclear fusion of stars and as the planets were formed in a molten mass, one would expect iron to mix in and meld with other material; hence it is found in an ore. So why is it in pure form (albeit in dust like state) on Mars? It must have come after the formation of the planet.

[ThePreabus]

The only explanation I can think of it was delivered by meteors, many meteors or maybe one very large one.

[maughan]

Look out for fossils in the raw images

[MrWhiskers]

7 months and they drilled their 1st hole? Its gonna be like 10 years until they even find anything? It's a damn good thing that thing is nuclear powered!!!

[motokx]

NASA should test those cupped areas on the bedrock.

[Jeff]

500* meters.. by i do admit they could speed it up

[allanz]

Hey NASA. If there was all this water there.. how did it get there in the first place? If it's not there now, where's it gone to?

[hwplugburz]

Due to Mars low gravety and lack of magnetosphere, , it has evaporated out into the vacume of space.

[Astrobrant]

Is it possible you know Venomfangx? There are similarities, (unfortunately for Joel.)

[levyrigor]

it took them 7 months to move 500 meters and get a dirt sample?

[Astrobrant]

Seven months, five meters, one hole? C'mon guys, I'm 63. Get that bad boy in a traverse and make a video of it.