In just a few weeks, the Perseverance rover and its helicopter partner could take off into space and head for Mars. However, that doesn’t mean that Curiosity will no longer be in the picture; in fact, the oldest rover has just started its mile-long summer journey to its next destination. The next stop for the Curiosity rover is the Mount Sharp “sulfate unit”. Since sulfates generally form around water here on Earth as it evaporates, the data the rover collects could give us a clue as to how the Martian climate has changed and its life prospects in the last 3,000 millions of years.
Curiosity has been investigating Mount Sharp’s clay-rich environment since early 2019, providing information to scientists investigating whether the ancient watery environment might have supported ancient microbes. The rover is leaving behind that clay rich environment. However, in order to reach your goal, you have to drive around a piece of sand to avoid getting stuck.
