The exploration of Mars is currently being carried out in the most thorough manner. The so-called Red Planet is the most accessible for study. Unlike Venus, Mars has a more friendly climate and environment. His study with the help of the Curiosity rover is the third attempt by the Americans to reveal the secret of the fourth planet.
The Curiosity rover is a rover developed by the US space research center NASA. It is a whole robotic complex. The rover is capable of traveling long distances, equipped with a "hand" for selecting soil or other items for analysis. He also has a laser facility for spectrographic analysis of the Red Planet's rock.
The rover has ten research instruments for various chemical analyzes. Its weight is 900 kg, length - 3 m. The rover is capable of speeds up to 12.5 km/h. However, for this technique it is more practical to measure the speed in centimeters per second: thenThe Curiosity rover has a speed of 3.5 cm/s. Each of its six wheels is equipped with its own engine. Not only the front drive wheels, but also the rear pair are equipped with independent steering, which allows the rover to easily overcome the Martian expanses. The main difference between the rover and previous models, such as the Spirit rover and its twin brother, Opportunity, is in the power source. While the early rovers were powered by solar panels, the Curiosity rover has a nuclear power source, which will allow it to perform its tasks for one Martian year.
During its work, the rover has conducted a lot of research. Their results prove that in ancient times Mars was habitable. Substances such as sulfur, oxygen, nitrogen and other chemical elements necessary for life were found in the soil and rocks of the planet.
The Curiosity rover is conducting research along the possible course of an ancient river, or it was a periodically filling lake. Its main difference from other places is that it was not subject to sharp oxidation, and also was not too s alty. That is, in this area there were all the necessary conditions for the emergence of the simplest microorganisms capable of giving the development of life on the planet. The fact that the selected samples consist of more than 20% clay indicates that there was an interaction between water and rocks. Also, calcium sulfate is present in the soil, which indicates its neutrality.
Mars rover found that chemicalsonly partially oxidized. On Earth, this would lead to the rapid development of bacteria. The fact that the study area has slightly oxidized areas became known after the start of work on drilling the surface with the rover. The patches of soil here, unlike the rest of the planet, had a gray tint, not red.
The rover's main target is Mount Sharp in the central mound of Gale crater, but the journey there will begin after a thorough exploration of Yellowknife Bay, where the Curiosity rover is currently conducting research, after which it will move towards the crater.
The rover is controlled from Earth. It's very tricky: a single mistake can result in the rover being destroyed or simply stuck on a dune like its Spirit predecessor.
