Mars rover Curiosity - the first days on Mars

• The rover Curiosity - the first days on Mars

Mars rover Curiosity, landed successfully on August 6, 2012 Mars in Gale Crater, embarked on a journey across the surface of the Red Planet. The rover has already checked his equipment and scientific instruments, drove a few tens of meters, leaving traces on the surface of Mars, and even made a first analysis of the soil.

Photos of the first days in the rover Curiosity on the mysterious red planet.

Immediately start with the vertical Mars mega-panorama. She removed 6 days after the landing of the rover Curiosity on the surface of the Red Planet on August 6, 2012. The image was obtained from the orbit, the camera multifunctional automatic interplanetary station NASA. If you click on the panorama, you can see the landing site of the rover Curiosity and dark dunes in the lower part of the image that are between the rover and the main object of the mission - Mount Sharp (she got into pan and lies at the bottom of the screen).

Previous panorama made from orbit Mars multifunctional automatic interplanetary station NASA. It looks something like this:

Gale Crater - Impact Crater on Mars. Its geological age is approximately 3.5 to 3.8 billion years. An unusual feature is the huge Gale crater mound around the central peak. It is in the crater Geigy successfully landed the rover Curiosity (green dot). In the center of the crater is Mount Sharp, where and keeps its course "curious" rover.

Place of landing the rover was named "Bradbury Landing" (Bradbury Landing) in honor of the American science fiction writer - the author of "The Martian Chronicles" - Ray Bradbury, whom August 22, 2012 would have turned 92 years old.

Self rover made it August 7, 2012.

The rover found his first goal for the Red Planet - cobblestone, tentatively called N165. With the help of a laser gun rover smashed it into dust, and made spectral analysis to determine the chemical composition. The way for the search for water on Mars meets neutron detector Russian production - one of the many instruments of the rover.

Right in the corner can be seen one of the rover's wheels.

Panorama. Traces of the rover Curiosity on Mars. It works on nuclear fuel, which, according to the calculations of scientists, should ensure that it is functioning for two years.

After the testing of the rover Curiosity systems from the landing site (Landing Site) will go to the "crossroads" in 500 meters from him, received the name Glenelg (Glenelg). Here there are three types of surface topography. If all goes according to plan, the rover gets there in about 1.5 months.

But the main purpose of the entire Martian rover and programs worth $ 2.5 billion - the foothills of Mount Sharp in the center of Gale Crater. Path to 20 km will take about two years.

Here rover shows us its robotic arm on the ultimate goal - Mount Sharp.

The robotic arm near. She pulled on a 2.1 meter in length. At hand are a number of scientific instruments: a camera, a drill, a spectrometer and other instruments for the study of the soil of the Red Planet.

Color photo foot of Mount Sharp, where the rover will travel. Taken with a camera Curiosity August 23, 2012.

Panorama of Mars, Mount Sharp and part of the rover Curiosity, August 18, 2012.

Another self-portrait of the rover Curiosity. View from above. Who can see this Martian workaholic detail.

The wheels of the rover Curiosity, August 28, 2012.

Scientists have no doubt that Mars once had water, because Gale Crater, where the rover landed, - a dry bed of an ancient sea. On Mars, there is a dry river bed and its tributaries. Moreover, in the rover landing area Curiosity already "felt" in the ground or water or hydrated minerals - about 1% -1.5%. This is considerably less than expected ...

Traces rover on the surface of Mars.

Perhaps early Mars was very similar to our early Earth and had a similar atmosphere and climate. And consequently, all the prerequisites for the emergence of life.

The interesting geology of the Red Planet at the foot of Mount Sharp.

Long ago, Mars had no luck: after a collision with a large asteroid Red Planet lost its magnetic field, atmosphere and potential residents. So it is unlikely to meet the Curiosity rover will run today Martians.

This is the latest panorama received from Mars August 31, 2012. It can be seen all the way, who did Curiosity rover for 21 Martian days. As long as it is 21 meters. By the way, the average martian solar day is called Sol, and it is 39 minutes longer than Earth days.

We can say that the famous question - "Is there life on Mars?" - is not quite accurate. It will be correct to ask: "Did she?"