[NASA JPL] Earth planning date: Friday, July 24, 2026
ChemCam
Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report
Curiosity Astrobiology Rover Gets Stuck And Unstuck In ‘Atacama’
Earth planning date: Friday, May 1, 2026 Chile’s Atacama desert is the driest mid-latitude desert in the world, receiving only 15 millimeters (0.59 inches) of precipitation per year. Only the […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report
Mars Curiosity Blog, Sols 4852–4858: When Data Take Their Time…
Earth planning date: Friday, April 3, 2026 Written by Susanne P. Schwenzer, Professor of Planetary Mineralogy at The Open University, UK
Posted inAstrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report
Mars Curiosity Seeks Evidence Of Organics
Curiosity Blog, Sols 4788-4797: Welcome Back from ConjunctionEarth planning date: Friday, Jan. 30, 2026
Posted inAstrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report
Carbonates Identified By The Curiosity Rover Indicate A Carbon Cycle Operated On Ancient Mars
Ancient Mars had surface liquid water and a dense carbon dioxide (CO2)–rich atmosphere. Such an atmosphere would interact with crustal rocks, potentially leaving a mineralogical record of its presence.
Posted inMars, Missions & Hardware, Status Report
Mars Science Laboratory Sols 4468-4470: A Wintry Mix of Mars Science
Earth planning date: Friday, Feb. 28, 2025
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Mars Astrobiology Rover Curiosity Update: Sols 4300-4301: Rippled Pages
Earth planning date: Monday, Sept. 9, 2024 With today’s plan, Curiosity completes its most southerly planned exploration of the Gediz Vallis channel. From here, our rover will head north and […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Mars, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Tricorders & Sensors
Mars Curiosity Astrobiology Rover ChemCam Instrument Has Fired 1 Million Times
The ChemCam instrument, developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory, recently zapped its laser for the 1 millionth time on Mars. Sitting on top of NASA’s Curiosity rover, ChemCam has been […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report
New Findings Point To An Earth-like Environment On Ancient Mars
A research team using the ChemCam instrument onboard NASA’s Curiosity rover discovered higher-than-usual amounts of manganese in lakebed rocks within Gale Crater on Mars, which indicates that the sediments were […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs
Mars: New Evidence Of An Environment Conducive To The Emergence Of Life
The surface of Mars, unlike the Earth’s, is not constantly renewed by plate tectonics. This has resulted in the preservation of huge areas of terrain remarkable for their abundance in […]