Assess long-timescale (i.e., 4-billion-year) Martian atmospheric evolution processes.Interpret the processes that have formed and modified rocks and soils.Investigate the chemical, isotopic, and mineralogical composition of the Martian surface and near-surface geological materials.
Identify features that may represent the effects of biological processes ( biosignatures and biomolecules).Investigate the chemical building blocks of life (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur).Determine the nature and inventory of organic carbon compounds.To contribute to these goals, MSL has eight main scientific objectives: Biological The mission results will also help prepare for human exploration. Collier Trophy by the National Aeronautic Association "In recognition of the extraordinary achievements of successfully landing Curiosity on Mars, advancing the nation's technological and engineering capabilities, and significantly improving humanity's understanding of ancient Martian habitable environments." Curiosity 's rover design serves as the basis for NASA's 2021 Perseverance mission, which carries different scientific instruments.įurther information: Timeline of Mars Science Laboratory Goals and objectives Animation of the Curiosity rover, showing its capabilitiesĪs established by the Mars Exploration Program, the main scientific goals of the MSL mission are to help determine whether Mars could ever have supported life, as well as determining the role of water, and to study the climate and geology of Mars. The NASA/JPL Mars Science Laboratory/ Curiosity Project Team was awarded the 2012 Robert J. The rover is still operational, and as of 31 July 2023, Curiosity has been active on Mars for 3904 sols (4011 total days 10 years, 359 days) since its landing (see current status). On August 6, 2022, a detailed overview of accomplishments by the Curiosity rover for the last ten years was reported. In December 2012, Curiosity 's two-year mission was extended indefinitely, and on August 5, 2017, NASA celebrated the fifth anniversary of the Curiosity rover landing. Mission goals include an investigation of the Martian climate and geology, assessment of whether the selected field site inside Gale has ever offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life (including investigation of the role of water), and planetary habitability studies in preparation for human exploration. The Bradbury Landing site was less than 2.4 km (1.5 mi) from the center of the rover's touchdown target after a 560 million km (350 million mi) journey. Curiosity was launched from Cape Canaveral (CCAFS) on November 26, 2011, at 15:02:00 UTC and landed on Aeolis Palus inside Gale crater on Mars on August 6, 2012, 05:17:57 UTC. We need to rule out all abiotic mechanisms before we jump to the conclusion that any organic molecule is a sign of life.Curiosity is a car-sized Mars rover exploring Gale crater and Mount Sharp on Mars as part of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission. "On the other hand, ancient life could produce these organics as well, but this is generally a last resort hypothesis. Interplanetary dust, infall from meteorites or water-rock interactions can produce organics abiotically," Roppel said. "There are both biotic and abiotic mechanisms that can form organic molecules. The researchers remain cautious about the findings. With Perseverance now detecting possible signatures of organic molecules, the evidence is accumulating that organic molecules may be relatively common on Mars, though at low levels. Signs of organic molecules were first detected on Mars in 2015 by a different rover called Curiosity, followed by more evidence in subsequent years. Roppel said the researchers cannot rule out that inorganic - metal - sources could be responsible for the some of the signals that suggest organic molecules. "The concentrations we've detected are generally low, but we've observed signals associated with organics on nearly every rock we've sampled," Roppel added. "On Earth, these are quite common in crude oil, which has a biotic origin, but we can also form these synthetically through various chemical reactions," Roppel said. Study co-author Ryan Roppel, a University of Pittsburgh graduate student in chemistry, said the chemical signatures could come from compounds like benzene or naphthalene.
The researchers do not know the specific organic compounds that SHERLOC detected, but have some clues.
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