The study of Mars is currently being conducted in the most thorough manner. The so-called Red Planet is the most accessible for study. Unlike Venus, Mars has a more friendly climate and environment. His study using the Curiosity rover is the third attempt by Americans to uncover the mystery of the fourth planet.
The Curiosity rover is a rover developed at NASA's US Space Research Center. It is a whole robotic complex. The rover is capable of traveling long distances, equipped with a “hand” for selecting soil or other items for analysis. He also has a laser system for spectrographic analysis of the rocks of the Red Planet.
In the arsenal of the rover there are ten research devices for various chemical analyzes. Its weight is 900 kg, its length is 3 m. The rover is capable of speeds up to 12.5 km / h. However, for this technique, it is more practical to measure speed in centimeters per second: then the Curiosity rover develops a speed of 3.5 cm / s. Each of its six wheels is equipped with its own engine. Independent steering is equipped with not only the front drive wheels, but also the rear pair, which allows the rover to easily overcome the Martian open spaces. The main difference between the rover and previous models, such as the Spirit rover and its twin brother, Opportunity, is in the power source. If the early Mars rovers were “powered” by solar panels, the Curiosity rover has a nuclear energy source, which will allow it to fulfill its tasks within one Martian year.
During its work, the rover conducted a lot of research. Their results prove that in ancient times, Mars was suitable for life. In the soil and rocks of the planet were discovered such substances as sulfur, oxygen, nitrogen and other chemical elements necessary for life.
The Curiosity rover conducts research along a possible channel of an ancient river, or it was a periodically filling lake. Its main difference from other places is that it was not subject to sharp oxidation, and also was not too salty. That is, in this area there were all the necessary conditions for the emergence of simple microorganisms that could give the development of life on the planet. The fact that the selected samples are more than 20% clay, indicates that there was an interaction of water and rocks. Also , calcium sulfate is present in the soil , which indicates its neutrality.
The rover found that chemicals were only partially oxidized. On Earth, this would lead to the rapid development of bacteria. The fact that the study area has low oxidized areas became known after the start of work on drilling the surface of the rover. The soil here, unlike the rest of the planet, had a gray tint, not red.
The main goal of the rover is Mount Sharpe in the central embankment of Gale Crater, but the path there will begin after a thorough study of Yellowknife Bay, where the Curiosity rover is currently conducting research, after which it will move towards the crater.
Mars rover control is carried out from the Earth. This is very difficult: a single mistake can lead to the destruction of the rover or to the fact that it simply gets stuck on a dune, like its predecessor, Spirit.