Suggested Searches

Curiosity Rover Updates 

These updates are provided by self-selected Mars Science Laboratory mission team members who love to share what Curiosity is doing with the public. Dates of planned rover activities described in these reports are subject to change due to a variety of factors related to the Martian environment, communication relays and rover status.

Sols 4486-4487: Ankle-Breaking Kind of Terrain!
3 min read

Written by Catherine O’Connell-Cooper, Planetary Geologist at University of New Brunswick Earth planning date: Wednesday, March 19, 2025  This terrain is a tricky drive, with rocks angled chaotically all around. One of our geologists remarked that they wouldn’t like to…

Article
Sols 4484-4485: Remote Sensing on a Monday
4 min read

Written by Conor Hayes, Graduate Student at York University Earth planning date: Monday, March 17, 2025 Last week I was in Houston, Texas, at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. The mid-March weather in Houston is often more like mid-summer…

Article
Sols 4481-4483: Humber Pie
2 min read

Written by Michelle Minitti, Planetary Geologist at Framework Earth planning date: Friday, March 14, 2025 The rover successfully arrived at the “Humber Park” outcrop which, on this fine “Pi Day” on Earth, we could convince ourselves looked like a pie…

Article
Sols 4479-4480: What IS That Lumpy, Bumpy Rock?
3 min read

Written by Ashley Stroupe, Mission Operations Engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Earth planning date: Wednesday, March 12, 2025 The days are getting shorter and colder for Curiosity as we head into winter. So our rover is sleeping in a…

Article
Sols 4477-4478:  Bumping Back to Business
2 min read

Written by Sharon Wilson Purdy, Planetary Geologist at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Earth planning date: Monday, March 10, 2025 The Curiosity rover is winding between the spectacular Gould mesa and Texoli butte through beautifully layered terrain. The…

Article
Sols 4475-4476: Even the Best-Laid Plans
3 min read

Written by Deborah Padgett, OPGS Task Lead at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Earth planning date: Friday, March 7, 2025 In Curiosity’s last plan, the team decided to drive toward a very interesting nodular rock. The rover team hoped to do…

Article
Sols 4473-4474: So Many Rocks, So Many Textures!
5 min read

Written by Susanne Schwenzer, Planetary Geologist at The Open University Earth planning date: Wednesday, March 5, 2025 The Martian landscape never ceases to amaze me, there is so much variation in texture and color! As a mineralogist, I marvel at…

Article
Sols 4471-4472: Marching Through the Canyon
2 min read

Written by Scott VanBommel, Planetary Scientist at Washington University Earth planning date: Monday, March 3, 2025 Curiosity continued steady progress through the upper sulfate unit and toward its next major science waypoint: the boxwork structures. Our rover is currently driving…

Article
Sols 4468-4470: A Wintry Mix of Mars Science
2 min read

Written by Lucy Lim, Planetary Scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Earth planning date: Friday, Feb. 28, 2025 Curiosity continues to climb roughly southward through the layered sulfate strata toward the “boxwork” features. Although the previous plan’s drive successfully…

Article
Sols 4466-4468: Heading Into the Small Canyon
4 min read

Written by Susanne Schwenzer, Planetary Geologist at The Open University Earth planning date: Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025 The fine detail of the image above reminds us once again that geoscience — on Mars and on Earth — is an observational…

Article