Mars is one of Earth’s closest neighbors. The release of “The Martian” in 2015 revived human curiosity about the Red Planet. How much is it like Earth? Did the canals once carry water? Earth’s populace stares up at the night sky and wonders if lifeforms ever inhabited the planet. Could humanity survive if it relocated to the fourth planet from the sun?
NASA’s car-size rover Curiosity searches for and provides answers to these questions and more. The findings of its ongoing exploration of Mars’ 96-mile wide Gale Crater since August 2012 are intriguing. Tests show that billions of years ago the area possibly held lakes, streams, and microbial life.
Mission scientists on Earth select targets for Curiosity to blast with its powerful ChemCam laser. An analysis of the vapor identifies the composition of destroyed soil and rock from the crater. Interrupted communication between Earth and Mars for any reason interferes with the mission’s progress. The rover steadily builds independence so data can be sent to Earth in spite of disturbances.
Curiosity now has the ability to fire its onboard laser without human assistance. Over 350,000 independently fired laser blasts are due to the AEGIS (Autonomous Exploration for Gathering Increased Science) software program.
Scientists currently review images and choose the greater portion of ChemCam targets. The rover’s ability to use AEGIS to analyze, select, and pull the trigger on its surroundings allows the mission to continue even when there is no directive from Earth.
For more info see this article at livescience.com, or at the original source NASA Mars Rover
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