Curiosity News & Features
Why is Methane Seeping on Mars? NASA Scientists Have New Ideas
The most surprising revelation from NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover — that methane is seeping from the surface of Gale Crater — has scientists scratching their heads. Living creatures produce most of the methane on Earth. But scientists haven’t found convincing…
NASA’s Curiosity Searches for New Clues About Mars’ Ancient Water
The rover has arrived at an area that may show evidence liquid water flowed on this part of Mars for much longer than previously thought. NASA’s Curiosity rover has begun exploring a new region of Mars, one that could reveal…
NASA’s Curiosity Rover Captures a Martian Day, From Dawn to Dusk
Videos from the rover show its shadow moving across the Martian surface during a 12-hour sequence while Curiosity remained parked. When NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover isn’t on the move, it works pretty well as a sundial, as seen in two…
NASA’s Curiosity Rover Clocks 4,000 Days on Mars
The mission team is making sure the robotic scientist, now in its fourth extended mission, is staying strong, despite wear and tear from its 11-year journey. Four thousand Martian days after setting its wheels in Gale Crater on Aug. 5, 2012, NASA’s…
NASA’s Curiosity Reaches Mars Ridge Where Water Left Debris Pileup
Believed to be a remnant of powerful ancient debris flows, Gediz Vallis Ridge is a destination long sought by the rover’s science team. Three billion years ago, amid one of the last wet periods on Mars, powerful debris flows carried…
Cracks in Ancient Martian Mud Surprise NASA’s Curiosity Rover Team
A new paper suggests the same conditions that created the cracks could have been favorable to the emergence of microscopic life.
NASA’s Curiosity Rover Faces Its Toughest Climb Yet on Mars
Shortly before the rover’s 11th anniversary on the Red Planet, its team helped guide it up a steep, slippery slope to examine meteor craters.
NASA’s Curiosity Captures Martian Morning, Afternoon in New ‘Postcard’
After completing a major software update in April, NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover took a last look at “Marker Band Valley” before leaving it behind, capturing a “postcard” of the scene. The postcard is an artistic interpretation of the landscape, with color added…
NASA’s Curiosity Captures Martian Morning, Afternoon in New ‘Postcard’
Lighting from two times of day was combined for a stunning view of terrain that the rover is leaving behind.
Why – and How – NASA Gives a Name to Every Spot It Studies on Mars
Martian maps are full of monikers recognizing places on Earth, explorers, and even cartoon characters.