It gathered samples of the atmosphere to be measured by its Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instruments, which allow sophisticated analysis of the Martian atmosphere from the rover.
FORBES: Curiosity Sniffs The Martian Atmosphere But Finds No Sign Of Life
But if a rover on the Martian surface wants to send a file back to earth, this is an inefficient way of doing it.
ECONOMIST: An interplanetary Internet: The wire of the worlds | The
L., using an actual rover on a faux Martian landscape called the Mars Yard.
Over in Gusev Crater, Spirit had been running low on energy as the martian dust began to cover the rover's solar panels.
The image was taken by the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) during the rover's 44th Martian day, or sol, on Mars (Sept. 19, 2012).
Earlier this month, the Mars Curiosity rover drilled into the Martian surface, in the hopes of collecting a sample from the interior of a rock.
FORBES: Curiosity Confirms Rock Sample Found From Beneath Mars
Jokingly dubbed "Grandma's house" by the crew, the rover spent over 11 Martian days there so that handlers could take some time off for the holidays.
ENGADGET: Curiosity spends holidays in Yellowknife Bay, immortalized on special Foursquare badge
The image at the top of this page was built from pictures acquired by the rover on the 85th Martian day of its mission (the middle of last week).
Using its robotic arm, the rover took three different scoopfuls of Martian soil.
ExoMars, as we call it on this side of the pond, envisages a satellite to study the Martian atmosphere, followed by a large robotic rover to drill beneath the surface and cache rocks for later return to Earth.
Recently, the Mars rover Curiosity took its first whiff of the Martian air, but found no sign of methane or other organic molecules.
Also, imagers on board both the lander and the rover have sent back panoramic views of the Martian surface, including three-dimensional images unveiled at a press conference Friday -- during which scientists and reporters donned cheap, decidedly low-tech plastic glasses to get the full effect.
The centerpiece of the Mars Science Laboratory mission, the Curiosity rover comes packed with a slew of instruments to study not only today's Martian surface, but also the surface of the past.
MSN: Curiosity aims to unlock Mars mysteries - Technology & science - Space - Space.com | NBC News
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