Mars curiosity where is it now

The HiRISE image covers a region called Greenheugh pediment, part of the lower slopes of Mount Sharp which we will be slowly driving up over the next three years of an extended mission. It's in this next part of the mission that we expect to find a different sort of ancient environment to the earlier parts of the mission, with lots of sulphate minerals.

With no rain in the current climate, dust accumulates on the surface of Mars. Winds energized by the Sun's heating of the ground can form large and well-formed whirlwinds known as vortices. They mostly are invisible, but when a strong vortex drifts over a dusty surface, dust is lifted into it and reveals its shape.

This animation was shot over four minutes on Sol and captured a "dust devil" vortex at a distance of one-half to one km from the rover. The dust devil is about 5m wide and at least 50m tall. Curiosity took its latest "selfie" on Sol to celebrate the successful drilling of three holes on the rock slab in front of it.

The first two holes were named after Mary Anning, the 19th Century palaeontologist whose findings in the seaside cliffs of southwest England contributed to the understanding of prehistoric marine life on Earth. Material from these holes was used for two "wet chemistry" experiments, in which it was mixed with liquid chemicals to extract organic molecules that may be preserved in the rock. Rocks at this site formed from sediment carried in ancient streams and lakes. The wet environment and the presence of organic molecules in several rocks studied by Curiosity suggest that ancient Mars was habitable, capable of supporting life, if it ever took hold.

The third hole was drilled to study dark nodules visible in the corner of the slab. A Martian day, or Sol, lasts 24 hours and 39 minutes. The nuclear-powered rover's destination is Gale crater, where it will climb a mound in the hope of teasing apart the planet's complicated environmental history.

Nature presents a collection of our coverage of the mission and Mars science. NASA scientists talk about what we've seen so far, and what we might encounter when Curiosity drives towards Mount Sharp. As the Curiosity rover prepares to take its first trip across the surface, the lead scientist shares his hopes for the mission. Your chance to question the experts.

Planetary researchers rush to gather surface data before an ageing satellite stops working. Curiosity rover will explore Gale Crater, which may hold clues to past habitability. Ever-growing cost of the planned Mars Science Laboratory threatens other space missions. Dating features on the Moon and Mars is guesswork. Scott Anderson is building a tool to change that. The surprising discovery of methane in Mars's atmosphere could be a sign of life there.

Researchers are now working out how to find its source, reports Katharine Sanderson. As will the latitude and longitude to note your location on the lower right corner. The plus and minus symbols on the top right corner will also allow you to zoom in and out. Along the top edge of the map, you can see the driving Sols on Mars. Sometimes there are several days Sols' worth of interesting science to do in one spot before moving on.

The total distance is recorded in kilometers and in miles and is updated every time the rover drives. Use the layers tool on the left side-bar to select or deselect the color base map, location labels, path or waypoints. Perseverance, which is modeled heavily on Curiosity, is hunting for signs of ancient Mars life and collecting samples for future return to Earth. Perseverance traveled to Mars with the 4-pound 1.

Then there's the Zhurong rover, which is part of Tianwen-1, China's first fully homegrown Mars mission. Zhurong landed on May 14, kicking off a surface mission designed to last at least three months.

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