After Summer Trip, NASA Explorer Arrives at Mineral-rich Area of Mars
2022-10-24
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1The American space agency NASA says its Curiosity vehicle has reached its next exploration target on Mars.
2The explorer, or rover, reached an area that NASA scientists call Mount Sharp.
3The area sits within the planet's Gale Crater, which Curiosity has been exploring since landing on Mars in 2012.
4Mount Sharp contains a mix of rocky material and many large hills.
5In the past, researchers have found evidence that, billions of years ago, Mount Sharp contained many water systems.
6At some point, scientists believe the Martian climate grew more extreme and caused the water systems to dry up.
7NASA says the minerals still existing around Mount Sharp might provide additional evidence of the severe climate changes.
8Today, Mars is an extremely cold desert that cannot support any running water systems.
9Experiments carried out on the minerals could help researchers learn more about the kinds of life that may have existed on Mars when it had conditions more similar to Earth.
10NASA currently operates two rovers on Mars.
11The other vehicle, Perseverance, landed in February 2021.
12It is exploring areas around the planet's Jezero Crater.
13The space agency estimated the landing site for Perseverance was about 3,700 kilometers away from where Curiosity touched down.
14NASA also operates the InSight lander on Mars.
15NASA said in a statement that the minerals around Mount Sharp were first discovered by the agency's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, years before Curiosity landed.
16Scientists have been waiting a long time to get a closer look.
17Shortly after arriving in the area, Curiosity's instruments discovered a wide range of different rock kinds and sizes.
18Among the findings were several different salt materials that suggest past signs of water in the area, NASA says.
19To examine rocks, Curiosity uses a drill at the end of its robotic arm to dig into the Martian surface.
20The rover has already drilled many holes on Mars. The latest drilling happened on October 3.
21The Curiosity team chose a rock it named "Canaima" for the operation.
22The rover has recently experienced problems with a braking system that permits the robotic arm to mostly stay in place.
23NASA said this can cause difficulties during drilling.
24But it reported that Curiosity's 36th drill hole was a success.
25The team of scientists are now looking forward to examining the latest Martian dust collection.
26The space agency noted that Curiosity's path to Mount Sharp included areas containing "treacherous," or risky, areas.
27In August, the rover safely made its way through a sandy area situated between high hills.
28Sand presents a major risk for Curiosity because of the chance of getting stuck.
29Sharp rocks can also damage the rover's wheels.
30Ground-based rover drivers "need to carefully navigate these areas," NASA said.
31The agency noted that it took Curiosity more than a month to reach its target area.
32After reaching its goal, however, the team was treated with some of the best images ever taken by the rover.
33Curiosity's so-called Mastcam was able to capture extremely wide, or panoramic, views of the Martian surroundings.
34"We would get new images every morning and just be in awe," said Elena Amador-French.
35She oversees work by Curiosity's science and engineering teams at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.
36"The sand ridges were gorgeous," she added.
37"You see perfect little rover tracks on them.
38And the cliffs were beautiful - we really got close to the walls."
39Last month, NASA celebrated Curiosity's 10th anniversary in service.
40During that time, it said the rover has driven nearly 29 kilometers and climbed about 625 meters while exploring Gale Crater.
41I'm Bryan Lynn.
1The American space agency NASA says its Curiosity vehicle has reached its next exploration target on Mars. 2The explorer, or rover, reached an area that NASA scientists call Mount Sharp. The area sits within the planet's Gale Crater, which Curiosity has been exploring since landing on Mars in 2012. Mount Sharp contains a mix of rocky material and many large hills. 3In the past, researchers have found evidence that, billions of years ago, Mount Sharp contained many water systems. At some point, scientists believe the Martian climate grew more extreme and caused the water systems to dry up. 4NASA says the minerals still existing around Mount Sharp might provide additional evidence of the severe climate changes. 5Today, Mars is an extremely cold desert that cannot support any running water systems. Experiments carried out on the minerals could help researchers learn more about the kinds of life that may have existed on Mars when it had conditions more similar to Earth. 6NASA currently operates two rovers on Mars. The other vehicle, Perseverance, landed in February 2021. It is exploring areas around the planet's Jezero Crater. The space agency estimated the landing site for Perseverance was about 3,700 kilometers away from where Curiosity touched down. NASA also operates the InSight lander on Mars. 7NASA said in a statement that the minerals around Mount Sharp were first discovered by the agency's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, years before Curiosity landed. Scientists have been waiting a long time to get a closer look. 8Shortly after arriving in the area, Curiosity's instruments discovered a wide range of different rock kinds and sizes. Among the findings were several different salt materials that suggest past signs of water in the area, NASA says. 9To examine rocks, Curiosity uses a drill at the end of its robotic arm to dig into the Martian surface. The rover has already drilled many holes on Mars. The latest drilling happened on October 3. 10The Curiosity team chose a rock it named "Canaima" for the operation. The rover has recently experienced problems with a braking system that permits the robotic arm to mostly stay in place. NASA said this can cause difficulties during drilling. But it reported that Curiosity's 36th drill hole was a success. 11The team of scientists are now looking forward to examining the latest Martian dust collection. 12The space agency noted that Curiosity's path to Mount Sharp included areas containing "treacherous," or risky, areas. In August, the rover safely made its way through a sandy area situated between high hills. Sand presents a major risk for Curiosity because of the chance of getting stuck. 13Sharp rocks can also damage the rover's wheels. Ground-based rover drivers "need to carefully navigate these areas," NASA said. The agency noted that it took Curiosity more than a month to reach its target area. 14After reaching its goal, however, the team was treated with some of the best images ever taken by the rover. Curiosity's so-called Mastcam was able to capture extremely wide, or panoramic, views of the Martian surroundings. 15"We would get new images every morning and just be in awe," said Elena Amador-French. She oversees work by Curiosity's science and engineering teams at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. "The sand ridges were gorgeous," she added. "You see perfect little rover tracks on them. And the cliffs were beautiful - we really got close to the walls." 16Last month, NASA celebrated Curiosity's 10th anniversary in service. During that time, it said the rover has driven nearly 29 kilometers and climbed about 625 meters while exploring Gale Crater. 17I'm Bryan Lynn. 18Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from NASA. 19__________________________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21crater - n. a big hole in the ground created by the force of an object 22drill - v. to make a hole in a hard substance using a special took called a drill 23brake - n. a part of a machine that stops or slows the movement of something 24treacherous - adj. very dangerous 25navigate - v. to find the right direction to travel by using maps and other equipment 26awe - n. a feeling of great respect for someone or something 27ridge - n. a long, narrow piece of high land 28cliff - n. an area of high, steep rocks 29_______________________________________________________________________ 30What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 31Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.