Findings and news
Curiosity lands at the Bradbury Landing site on Mars at 10:32 PM (local time Jet Propulsion Laboratory) on August 5, 2012.
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/news/whatsnew/index.cfm?FuseAction=ShowNews&NewsID=1287 It sends its first image to Earth two hours later. The picture shows a gravel field inside Gale Crater. http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/news/whatsnew/index.cfm?FuseAction=ShowNews&NewsID=1289 On August 19, Curiosity fires the laser on its Chemistry and Camera instrument(ChemCam) for the first time at a rock, called Coronation, and this is the first time that such a test is conducted on a planet other than on Earth. The high-energy pulses causes the atoms in the rock to release plasma. The ChemCam uses its three spectrometers to detect which elements are found in the rock. http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/images/?ImageID=4493 On August 22, Curiosity moves for the first time since landing. Total distance is about twenty feet. http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/news/whatsnew/index.cfm?FuseAction=ShowNews&NewsID=1323 On October 30, NASA releases the results of the first soil sample analysis: the soil is similar to weathered soil found in Hawaii. It is volcanic basaltic soil with feldspar, pyroxene and olivine.
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/news/whatsnew/index.cfm?FuseAction=ShowNews&NewsID=1385 On November 2, NASA offers an explanation for Mars’ loss of atmosphere. Following Curiosity’s measurements from the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) device, evidence suggests that the planet has heavier isotopes of carbon in carbon dioxide and that the lighter isotopes have escaped through the upper atmosphere, leaving a thin atmosphere on Mars. http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/news/whatsnew/index.cfm?FuseAction=ShowNews&NewsID=1388 As of November 29, 2012, NASA says that Curiosity has not detected any organic compounds. Rumors have spread that NASA has a major announcement concerning Curiosity and Mars. http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/news/whatsnew/index.cfm?FuseAction=ShowNews&NewsID=1398 On December 4, NASA announces that it would like to design and launch another Mars rover by 2020 to build on research that Curiosity is performing. http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/news/whatsnew/index.cfm?FuseAction=ShowNews&NewsID=1401 |
On September 2 and 3, Curiosity takes a sample of Martian atmosphere and analyzes it with the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument.
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/news/whatsnew/index.cfm?FuseAction=ShowNews&NewsID=1333 Curiosity finds evidence of a streambed at a formation called Hottah, named for a similar site in Canada. It sends photographs of conglomerate rock formations that have lines cut in them as seen on Earth where water digs channels in rock. http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/news/whatsnew/index.cfm?FuseAction=ShowNews&NewsID=1360 On October 7, Curiosity collects a sand sample with its scoop for the first time at the "Rocknest" site. The Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) and Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instruments are to look for favorable conditions that might support microbial life. http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/news/whatsnew/index.cfm?FuseAction=ShowNews&NewsID=1370 On October 11, NASA releases findings on the football-size rock called "Jake Matijevic" which is the first rock that the rover touches on September 22. The rock has a similar chemical composition to igneous rock found near volcanoes on Earth. These rocks are usually formed beneath the Earth’s crust when magma is cooled in the presence of water and at high pressure. http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/news/whatsnew/index.cfm?FuseAction=ShowNews&NewsID=1375 |