Curiosity Has Arrived At The Breathtaking Kimberley Waypoint

NASA ’s audacious Curiosity bird of passage has arrived at a scientifically enticing destination called “ The Kimberley Waypoint , ” where research worker go for to carry out the next boring operation into alien Martian terrain in hunt of further clue about ancient Red Planet environments that may have been favorable for life .

Top image : oddity maneuvers into ‘ Kimberley ’ and scan scientifically intriguing Martian rock outcrops in search of next drilling location exhibit several shallow mound in foreground and dramatic Gale crater lip background . Rover trail at right in this colorized Navcam photomosaic assembled from raw persona snapped on Sol 589 , April 3 , 2014 . Credit : NASA / JPL / Marco Di Lorenzo /Ken Kremer .

“ We are officially in ‘ The Kimberley ’ now , ” Curiosity Principal Investigator John Grotzinger , of the California Institute of Technology , Pasadena , told Universe Today .

Hostinger Coupon Code 15% Off

Since arriving in the Kimberley region , Curiosity’searth - bound handlershave been point the one gross ton robot to thoroughly survey the goal dubbed “ The Kimberley ” . Why was Kimberley opt as a science name and address ?

“ The Kimberley has interesting , complex stratigraphy , ” Grotzinger told me .

The team go the six - wheeled automaton further this week in search of a desirable location to lead the next drilling operation . The terrain is replete with various rock types and blanket outcrop . I require Grotzinger if today ’s ( April 5th ) location at The Kimberley is the stand for practice session site ?

Burning Blade Tavern Epic Universe

“ It ’s a possible exercise site , ” Grotzinger answer . “ Pending further rating . ”

Curiosity skim scientifically challenging John Rock outcrops of Martian terrain at ‘ The Kimberley ’ waypoint in hunting of next drilling emplacement , beside low hill at right . Mastcam color photomosaic assembled from raw figure tear on Sol 590 , April 4 , 2014 . credit rating : NASA / JPL / MSSS / Ken Kremer – kenkremer.com/MarcoDi Lorenzo .

Curiosity drove the final reach of some 98 feet ( 30 meters ) on Wednesday , April 2nd , required to arrive at a major stopping waypoint planned since early 2013 for up close study of the Red Planet ’s tilt .

Ideapad3i

Along the recentdune filled pathto “ The Kimberley , ” Curiosity snapped breathtaking landscapes around the resistless “ Junda ” outcrop , much like a tourist .

See our photomosaic showing the spectacularly inviting terrain around Kimberly andJunda , above and below , by Marco Di Lorenzo and Ken Kremer .

Martian landscape painting with rows of curved rock outcrops at ‘ Kimberly ’ in the foreground and spectacular Mount Sharp on the horizon . NASA ’s Curiosity Mars roamer pull into Kimberly waypoint overtop by layered tilt outcrops as potential drilling site . This colorized navcam camera photomosaic was gather from imagery taken on Sol 576 ( Mar. 20 , 2014 ) . cite : NASA / JPL - Caltech / Marco Di Lorenzo / Ken Kremer-kenkremer.com .

Last Of Us 7 Interview

The state - of - the - art robot now sits at a vantage point at The Kimberley enable a elaborated photographic study of the stone exposure and surroundings with the high resolve Mastcam cameras . The new imagination will be used to select the most scientifically fat drilling locations .

“ It is named after a remote region of western Australia , ” Grotzinger informed me .

The team pick out Kimberley because its lies at the convergence of four dissimilar types of rocks , include striated rocks overlain by others and fix in a decipherable geological family relationship to each other . investigator directed Curiosity on a speck drive to Kimberley after high resolving power imagery and mineral mapping spectrometry garner by NASA ’s knock-down telescopic cameras aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter(MRO ) encircle overheadpiqued their pastime .

Anker 6 In 1

Curiosity looks back at Martian sand dunes and roamer tracks after passing by Junda outcrop ( right wing ) on Sol 548 ( Feb. 19 , 2014 ) with Gale Crater rim and Mount Sharp on the distant horizon . Navcam colorized mosaic . deferred payment : NASA / JPL - Caltech / Ken Kremer-kenkremer.com/MarcoDi Lorenzo

“ This is the spot on the function we ’ve been head for , on a little rise that turn over us a great view for context imaging of the outcrops at the Kimberley , ” said Melissa Rice , Curiosity science planning leash , of Caltech .

The team await Curiosity to investigate Kimberley for several weeks of watching , include sample - boring and onboard science lab analysis of the area ’s rock with the CheMin and SAM miniaturized alchemy research laboratory . If boring is warranted , Kimberley would be the site of Curiosity ’s first drilling mental process since boring into the “ John Klein ” and “ Cumberland ” outcrop targets during the fountain of 2013 at Yellowknife Bay .

Lenovo Ideapad 1

The robot has conducted cleaning natural action of SAM , CheMin and the CHIMRA sample treatment mechanism in anticipation of tire into the Martian outcropping and delivering powdery , pulverized samples of core Martian rocks to SAM and CheMin – wait patiently inside the robots belly to eat up something exciting from the Red Planet .

wonder go the Yellowknife Bay area in July 2013 where she discovered a habitable zona and thereby accomplished the master goal of the mission . To particular date , Curiosity ’s odometer total 3.8 miles ( 6.1 kilometers ) since landing inside Gale Crater on Mars in August 2012 . She has taken over 137,000 images .

Map of Curiosity Mars Rover ’s Drives to ‘ the Kimberley ’ Waypoint . This map designate the route drive by NASA ’s Curiosity Mars roamer during March and April 2014 in its feeler to and reaching at a waypoint called “ the Kimberley , ” which rover team scientist choose in 2013 as the locating for the missionary station ’s next major investigations . reference : NASA / JPL - Caltech / Univ . of Arizona .

Galaxy S25

The sedimentary foothills of Mount Sharp , which reaches 3.4 mile ( 5.5 klick ) into the Martian sky , is the 1 - ton robots ultimate destination inside Gale Crater because it holds caches of water altered mineral . Such minerals could possibly indicate locations that sustained potential Martian life forms , past or present , if they ever live .

Curiosity has some four km to go to pass on the base of Mount Sharp .

She may get in at the humbled reaches of Mount Sharp sometime in the latter one-half of 2014 , but must first expire through a potentially unreliable dune field .

Dyson Hair Dryer Supersonic