Mars Rover Curiosity
Mission and goals: Curiosity was launched by NASA in 2011 and landed in Gale Crater on Mars in 2012. The main goal of the mission is to study the surface of Mars and determine whether the planet ever provided the conditions for microbial life.
Equipment: Curiosity is equipped with various scientific instruments, including cameras, a chemistry analyzer and a laser to analyze rocks and soil samples. One well-known instrument is the ChemCam, which fires laser beams at rocks and analyzes the vapors produced.
Results: Curiosity has made significant discoveries, including evidence of past water sources and organic molecules that confirm potentially life-friendly conditions in the past.
Mars Insight Lander
Mission and goals: The Insight Lander was landed on Mars in 2018. Unlike Curiosity, whose focus is on the geology of the Martian surface, Insignt is specifically designed to study the interior of Mars.
Sound recordings: Insight is equipped with a seismic sensor that can record Marsquakes. In addition, it has microphones that made it possible to record sounds of Martian winds and quakes. This was the first time that humans were able to hear the sounds of Mars.
Scientific significance: The data collected helps to learn more about the geological activity of Mars and its internal structure. The sounds recorded by Insight give scientists insights into the planet’s atmospheric conditions and seismic activity.
Interesting facts about Mars
Surface: The surface of Mars is characterized by large volcanoes, deep valleys and frozen water. Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system, and Valles Marineris, a huge canyon system, are prominent features.
Atmosphere: Mars has a thin atmosphere consisting mainly of carbon dioxide. The average temperature on Mars is about -63 degrees Celsius.
Earth and Mars: Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and is often referred to as the “red planet” due to its rusty red surface caused by iron oxide (rust).
