It’s an anniversary that means a lot to the space sphere. On August 6, the Curiosity rover will celebrate its 10th anniversary on Mars. Curiosity is a rover deployed on Mars in 2012 via the Mars Science Laboratory mission. What should we remember from Curiosity’s ten years on Mars? Scientists and engineers from CNES Toulouse take stock.
He traveled about 28 kilometers. He’s tired, but we can still get a lot out of him. It attacks a valley with rocky areas different from those already explored – Valérie Mousset, MSL/Curiosity project manager at CNES
– Louis Fontaine
“We know more today about the origins of the Earth thanks to Mars”
Thanks to Curiosity, we know more about the origins of our planet Earth. This is what Sylvestre Maurice, scientist and teacher-researcher at the University of Toulouse 3 retains after the 10 years of the rover up there: “Mars is a kind of absolutely extraordinary giant laboratory to learn more about the past and the birth of a planet. We are talking about a planet that froze about 3.5 billion years and which probably looked a lot like the Earth. They were both born, 4.5 billion years ago. The Earth which moreover had liquid water and which saw the birth of life. However, we have no memory of those ancient times that saw the birth of life. Except that on Mars, we found traces of water and traces of organic molecules.
Finally, the more we discover other planets, the more we discover many physical processes that are exciting. It could be the ozone layer, it could be the greenhouse effect, it could be precisely the birth of habitability, etc. All this reminds us of the Earth – Sylvestre Maurice, teacher-researcher
Recently, NASA and all the organizations working on the Mars Science Labotory/Curiosity mission decided to extend the life of the rover. He will continue to work and discover the planet Mars until 2025. Returns of samples from the planet Mars are also planned in the coming years.