Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Mars

NASA Uses Mineralogical Marker to Understand Ancient Martian Climate

Scientists analyzed 20 Martian samples collected by NASA’s Curiosity Rover and found that differences in hematite crystallite size at varying elevations could serve as a new mineralogical marker for understanding Mars’ ancient climate.

Posted May 28, 2026

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Photojournal

NASA’s Curiosity Takes Close Look at Rock That Got Stuck on Drill

Description NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover used its Mast Camera, or Mastcam, to capture this view of a rock nicknamed “Atacama” on May 6, 2026, the 4,877th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The rock had gotten stuck to the drill on the end of Curiosity’s robotic arm on April 25. Engineers spent several days […]

Posted May 12, 2026

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Photojournal

NASA’s Curiosity Rover Frees Its Drill From a Rock

Description This series of images shows NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover as it got a rock stuck to the drill on the end of its robotic arm and, after waving the arm and running the drill a few times, finally detached the rock. The imagery showing the entire process was captured by the black-and-white hazard cameras […]

Posted May 5, 2026

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Photojournal

Curiosity Captures a 360-Degree View at ‘Nevado Sajama’

Description NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover captured this 360-degree view of a region filled with low ridges called boxwork formations between Nov. 9 and Dec. 7, 2025 (the 4,714th to 4,741st Martian days, or sols, of the mission). At 1.5 billion pixels, this is one of the largest panoramas Curiosity has ever taken (the rover’s largest […]

Posted April 28, 2026

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Photojournal

Six Years of Curiosity’s Wheels on the Move

Description NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover used its right navigation camera — one of two on the rover’s mast, or head — to capture the images in this timelapse, which spans six years of driving. The images were snapped between Jan. 2, 2020, and March 8, 2026 (the 2,633rd and 4,830th Martian day, or sol, of […]

Posted April 28, 2026

Curiosity (Rover)

Astrobiology

Mars

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS)

The Solar System

NASA’s Curiosity Finds Organic Molecules Never Seen Before on Mars

After years of lab work, the results are in: A rock that NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover drilled and analyzed in 2020 includes the most diverse collection of organic molecules ever found on the Red Planet. Of the 21 carbon-containing molecules identified in the sample, seven of them were detected for the first time on Mars. […]

Posted April 21, 2026

Curiosity (Rover)

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Mars

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS)

NASA’s Curiosity Rover Sees Martian ‘Spiderwebs’ Up Close

For about six months, NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has been exploring a region full of geologic formations called boxwork, low ridges standing roughly 3 to 6 feet (1 to 2 meters) tall with sandy hollows in between. Crisscrossing the surface for miles, the formations suggest ancient groundwater flowed on this part of the Red Planet […]

Posted February 23, 2026

Curiosity (Rover)

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Mars

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Planets

The Solar System

NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover Starts Unpacking Boxwork Formations

The rover recently drilled a sample from a new region with features that could reveal whether Mars’ subsurface once provided an environment suitable for life. New images from NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover show the first close-up views of a region scientists had previously observed only from orbit. The images and data being collected are already […]

Posted June 23, 2025

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

Curiosity (Rover)

Mars

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)

NASA Orbiter Spots Curiosity Rover Making Tracks to Next Science Stop

The image marks what may be the first time one of the agency’s Mars orbiters has captured the rover driving. NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has never been camera shy, having been seen in selfies and images taken from space. But on Feb. 28 — the 4,466th Martian day, or sol, of the mission — Curiosity […]

Posted April 24, 2025

Ames Research Center

Astromaterials

Curiosity (Rover)

General

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)

NASA’s Curiosity Rover May Have Solved Mars’ Missing Carbonate Mystery

New findings from NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover could provide an answer to the mystery of what happened to the planet’s ancient atmosphere and how Mars has evolved over time. Researchers have long believed that Mars once had a thick, carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere and liquid water on the planet’s surface. That carbon dioxide and water should […]

Posted April 17, 2025