Mars rover Curiosity marks 3,000 days on planet, shares new panorama

Joseph Wilkinson

It may have got to the cat, but curiosity can’t kill this rover.

NASA’s Curiosity rover celebrated its 3,000th day on Mars on Tuesday, marking the occasion with a panoramic image of the Martian region it has been exploring since 2012.

Curiosity landed on Mars on Aug. 6, 2012, but NASA counts the rover’s time on the planet in Martian days, called sols, which last 24 hours and 39 minutes.

Among the countless discoveries Curiosity has made in those 3,000 sols, it found evidence for both life and water on the planet.

This self-portrait of Curiosity shows the vehicle at the "Mojave" site, where its drill collected the mission's second taste of Mount Sharp.
This self-portrait of Curiosity shows the vehicle at the "Mojave" site, where its drill collected the mission's second taste of Mount Sharp.


This self-portrait of Curiosity shows the vehicle at the "Mojave" site, where its drill collected the mission's second taste of Mount Sharp. (NASA/)

Curiosity, which is about the size of a car, has spent its time on Mars exploring the Gale Crater and a mountain within the crater, the 18,000-foot tall Mount Sharp, also known as Aeolis Mons.

For much of its time on Mars, Curiosity shared the planet with another rover, Opportunity. Opportunity went offline in June 2018 amid a dust storm, and NASA scientists couldn’t reboot the rover, instead receiving a sad message before its demise.

Curiosity is supposed to get a new exploring pal in February 2021, named Perseverance.

Advertisement