The Mars rover Curiosity was due to wrap up an exhaustive, weeks-long instrument check yesterday, clearing the way for its first lengthy drive to determine whether the Red Planet has ever been hospitable to life, NASA officials said.
The six-wheeled, nuclear-powered rover landed five weeks ago inside a giant impact basin called Gale Crater, near the Martian equator, to conduct NASA’s first astrobiology mission since the 1970s-era Viking probes.
For its final equipment check, Curiosity will maneuver its robot arm so its close-up camera touches the tray where processed rock and soil samples will be analyzed.
Photo: Reuters
The rover, equipped with an array of the most elaborate laboratory instruments ever sent to a distant world, also has a bit of sightseeing on its agenda. Scientists want to obtain video footage of the Martian moon Phobos passing by the sun.
Starting this evening, the plan is to “drive, drive, drive” until scientists find a suitable rock for the rover’s first robotic “hands-on” analysis, mission manager Jennifer Trosper told reporters during a conference call on Wednesday.
It will stop when scientists find suitable soil to scoop up and run through Curiosity’s onboard chemistry lab.
All the while, the rover will be heading toward a site scientists have labeled “Glenelg,” where three different types of rock intersect. Glenelg, which lies about 400m away from Curiosity’s current position, was named by mission geologists after a rock formation in northern Canada.
The overall purpose of the US$2.5 billion Mars Science Lab mission is to search for places where microbial organisms could have evolved and been preserved. In addition to ferreting out the chemical and geologic footprints of water, Curiosity will hunt for organic compounds and other ingredients believed to be necessary for life.
Curiosity, which is designed to last two years, will venture about 7km from its landing site to climb a 4.8km high mound of layered rock rising from the floor of Gale Crater. Dubbed Mount Sharp, it is believed to be the remains of sediment that once filled the 154m basin.
The rover has racked up 109m on its odometer during test drives. Before setting out for Mount Sharp, scientists expect to drive Curiosity about 40m a day during its planned trek to Glenelg, with several stops for science observations.
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