SCIENCE · VERIFIED DEVELOPMENT
Curiosity Rover Celebrates 5,000th Day on Mars
WHY IT MATTERS
This achievement marks a major milestone in the ongoing exploration of Mars, with Curiosity continuing to provide valuable insights into the planet's geology and environment.
What happened
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has reached a significant milestone, capturing its 5,000th day on the planet. While parked at a sand ridge nicknamed 'Chocolatal,' the rover used its black-and-white navigation cameras to take panoramas at two times of day.
The images, taken on August 30 and September 2, were merged together and color was added for an artistic interpretation. The resulting 'postcard' shows the rover's deck, including its can-shaped UHF antenna and nuclear power source, as well as its tracks trailing off in the distance.
Curiosity is situated in the lower foothills of Mount Sharp, a 3-mile-tall mountain within Gale Crater. The rover was built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and is part of the Mars Exploration Program portfolio.
PRIMARY SOURCES
Curiosity Postcard Celebrates Rover’s 5,000th Day on Mars
NASA · NASA media usage guidelines; third-party material excluded