Free Astronomy Magazine March-April 2021

and modified the crust and surface over time. In par- ticular, it looks for traces of rocks that have formed in the presence of water. The fourth ob- jective was to demonstrate the ability to land heavy and large loads on Mars, which it fulfilled upon landing. In this regard, Curiosity has paved the way for the dispatch of equipment and large infrastructures necessary for future human explorations of the planet. Experience in precision landing techniques also provides the first steps in developing the ability to send astronauts to a specific location safely and reli- ably. A better un- derstanding and characterization of the radiation levels on the sur- face of Mars will help mission planners under- stand the poten- 33 MARS ROVERS C louds over Gale Crater seen by Curiosity on May 7, 2019, using its black-and-white Navi- gation Cameras (Navcams). These are likely water-ice clouds about 19 miles (31 kilometers) above the surface. [NASA/JPL-Caltech] C uriosity spotted this dust devil with one of its Navigation Cam- eras on Aug. 9, 2020. The frames in this GIF were shot over 4 minutes and 15 seconds. [NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI] face radiation, including cosmic rays, solar protons and neutrons that bombard the planet from space. The third objective is the character- ization of the geology of Mars, whose history is recorded in the sur- face layers. Curiosity studies the chemical-physical characteristics of rocks and soil to understand the ge- ological processes that have created tial risks faced by any future astro- naut crews and design methods to protect their health. Curiosity has been working on these targets for over 3,000 sols, a milestone passed on January 12 th . Over this long period, the rover’s in- struments have made significant contributions to achieving the four main scientific objectives of the Mars Exploration Program. In par- ticular, it confirmed that, in a re- mote time, there were rather im- petuous streams on the Martian surface. Scientists didn’t have to wait long to get this confirmation - just over a month after landing. In fact, Curiosity only needed to travel a short stretch of the Martian sur- face to make this fundamental dis- covery. After completing the ins- trumental tests at the Goulburn site