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Course: NASA > Unit 3
Lesson 4: Curiosity rover: discoveries- Curiosity has landed
- Curiosity descent
- Systems check
- Curiosity's first drive
- Navigation update
- Observations
- Discovery: Streambed
- First CheMin results
- Preparation for holidays
- Calcium-rich deposits found
- Results of first drilling
- Mars' bygone atmosphere
- 'Spring Break' over: commanding resumes
- Rover ready to switch gears
- Trek to Mt. Sharp begins
- Dating younger rocks
- Curiosity completes its first martian year
- A softer trek to mount sharp
- A taste of mount sharp
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Observations
While driving to the next destination we will be keeping a close eye on the nearby rocks and features:
This image was taken by Mastcam onboard NASA's Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 3
This image was taken by Mastcam onboard NASA's Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 30:
It may look like a broken sidewalk, but this geological feature on Mars is actually exposed bedrock made up of smaller fragments cemented together, or what geologists call a sedimentary conglomerate. This image mosaic was taken by Curiosity's Mastcam telephoto lens on Sol 39, of the mission
Here is a closer look, notice anything familiar?
What does this photo provide evidence of?
Want to join the conversation?
- What type of rocks are they finding(7 votes)
- It should indicated to there's water sign for there's pebble and the rocks looks like riverbank(4 votes)
- First of all it looks like the rock here on Earth. Secondly are those pebbles or are they minerals or is it dried salty water. third How long has curiosity been on Mars.(3 votes)
- Curiosity has been working for the past 4 years and 8 months(is still working as of 8th of april 2017)(2 votes)
- Is the Curiosity still functioning now in 2018(3 votes)
- yes and it is still functioning right now
November 1, 2023 curiosity is as of today
it is 11 years and 87 days
crazy right?(1 vote)
- does the photo provide evidence that this was the bed of a lake or river?(1 vote)
- Kind of, it is actually a stream bed.(1 vote)
- It looks like it is made up of sand and small pebbles that could have been eroded and cemented by water. Is the faint reflection on some rock evidence of salts and minerals?(1 vote)
- Exactly, it is a stream bed!(1 vote)
- Why did it take us so much time to realise that this could mean that there was water on Mars?(1 vote)
- they already knew but they were looking for evidence(1 vote)
- what does this picture show evidence to?(1 vote)
- The average annual temperature on the red planet is cold, about -81 degrees F (-62 degrees C).(1 vote)
- water and that it was eroded?(1 vote)
- yes water that has slowly eroded away. but still no proof of water.(0 votes)
- It looks like gravel with pebbles in it... Wait does that mean there could be water?!(0 votes)
- Yes it is believed to be a stream bed!(1 vote)