NASA Mars Curiosity Rover Report -- February 14, 2014

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.

[matsta]

start building that mars base already.

[naominekomimi]

The rover was so excited to finally reach 5k and then everyone decided to run 5k just to show it that it isn't so fucking special. ._.

[dannyjarvis]

Thanks these updates are getting few and far between ! More regular updates please ! 

[LadySilverWolfe]

I was hoping to see what rover can report. Not simply ' it's still there, doing its thing" can u tell us what rover has been seeing?

[rkpetry]

Why aren't the wheel-tires made of something sturdy like lightweight vest bulletproofing?

[kalviskalnins]

when will curiosity start to analise the rock layers of mount sharp?

[davejones]

I am really disappointed with these reports. They rarely talk about the discoveries of the mission which is the reason you spent all that money. Instead we get videos about issues with wheels or that fact it travelled a few miles. well big deal, wasting money folks..

[andrewslough]

Why haven't you returns to the moon