[Shaun]

Nasa has released the first full colour mosaic from its Curiosity rover on the surface of Mars.

Scientists have remarked that the rover's surroundings resembled parts of the southwestern US.

Curiosity's ultimate goal is to drive towards a peak - informally known as Mount Sharp - to study its rocks.

Shown in the mosaic is a section on the crater wall where a network of valleys are believed to have formed through water entering from the outside.

This is the first view scientists have had of a fluvial system - one relating to a river or stream - from the surface of Mars.

Team members are also studying a section looking south of the landing site that provides an overview of the eventual geological targets Curiosity will explore, including the rock-strewn, gravelly surface nearby, a dark dune field and the sedimentary rock of Mount Sharp.

The rover will also study a patch of ground where rocks have been uncovered by the blast of the rockets used on the "sky crane", which lowered Curiosity to the surface.

amazing <3

[Jayson]

How do they power this thing? strange nuclear batteries that never run out of power?

[InOne]

Looks like a movie set.

[Jords]

[LaLaLand]

Phenomenal. Love things like this!

[Omah]

Originally Posted by Jayson

How do they power this thing? strange nuclear batteries that never run out of power?

NASA's new rover Curiosity is equipped with a plutonium nuclear energy source to power the probe as it explores the surface of Mars.

The rover is powered by radioactive plutonium-238. As the plutonium undergoes decay, its heat is converted into electricity to power the rover’s electronic devices. According to the Idaho National Laboratory, which built the power source, NASA chose a nuclear generator for the rover because it had several advantages over the solar panels previously used to power Mars rovers. The plutonium core allows the probe’s instruments to run even before it is deployed on the surface, even during atmospheric descent and landing. The nuclear source is also less affected by weather and daylight conditions on Mars, factors that have hampered previous missions, as when the twin Mars Exploration Rovers encountered dust storms that covered their solar panels while operating on Mars from 2004 to 2011.

The nuclear core can provide power for up to fourteen years, although the rover is expected to operate for approximately two years.

Read more: http://digitaljournal.com/article/314887#ixzz23RkoKYq0

[billy123]

New picture.

[Firewire]

wow, this is really amazing!

[rayheartbliss]

its so empty

they should go on that thing they found that looked like a face

[rayheartbliss]

its so empty

they should go on that thing they found that looked like a face

[billy123]

Originally Posted by rayheartbliss

its so empty

they should go on that thing they found that looked like a face

That thing that looked like a face over 35 years ago has been looked at already its pretty dull.




The interesting thing up there is how much ice is up there how much water there was and are there any signs of microbes having existed there in the soil/rock (which i think there probably are)

I also find it cool that there is oxygen in the atmosphere of mars i find that pretty mindblowing. only 0.13% but its there.

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19296006

Explore the new Martian home of Nasa's Curiosity rover in this interactive impression of Gale Crater, a deep hole on the Red Planet's equator. The robot will spend at least the next two years looking for evidence that past environments on Mars could have supported simple lifeforms.

Interactive .....