Curiosity приземлился на Марсе 6 августа 2012 года. Предполагаемый срок службы на Марсе — один марсианский год,
After landing, the rover discoveredevidence that Gale Crater contained a habitable system of lakes and streams billions of years ago. Since then, the rover has roamed the foothills of Mount Sharp, examining multiple layers of rock for clues about how and when Gale Lake and the rest of Mars' surface dried up .
The members of the mission team believe that in the near future there will be more information about the past climate of Mars.
We've spent the last few years exploringclay-rich rocks that formed in lakes. But now we are entering a region where the rocks are filled with salty minerals, sulfates. These minerals form in drier conditions, so we think this area could provide information about changes in ancient Martian climate.
Abigail Freiman, deputy project scientist for Curiosity
The project team notes that CuriosityIt works well despite the relatively old age of the rover. The radioactive power source should last at least 14 years, so Curiosity could theoretically be able to climb the mountain for some time.
Scientists hope to find out how long the planet has maintained conditions that are theoretically favorable for life.
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