Happy 10th landiversary! Despite signs of wear, NASA's Curiosity Mars rover still has drive

NASA is celebrating the Curiosity Mars rover's 10th anniversary on the Red Planet. From studying the Red Planet's skies to analysing rock and soil samples, it has been a busy decade for the spacecraft since its landing on the Martian surface on August 5, 2012.

Since its launch in 2012, the Curiosity rover has driven nearly 18 miles (29 kilometers) and ascended 2,050 feet (625 meters), exploring the Gale Crater and the foothills of Mount Sharp within it.

The mission has determined that liquid water as well as the chemical building blocks and nutrients needed for supporting life were present for at least tens of millions of years in Gale Crater.

Recently, a set of braking mechanisms that allow the rover's robotic arm to move or stay in place stopped working. However, the spacecraft is operating as usual since each of the arm's joints had redundant parts.

Despite signs of wear, the SUV-size Martian explorer is now driving through a canyon that marks the transition to a new region. The rover will spend the next few years exploring the critical sulfate-bearing layers that give unique insights into the history of water on Mars. The team has targets in mind including the Gediz Vallis channel, which may have formed during a flood late in Mount Sharp's history, and large cemented fractures that show the effects of groundwater higher up the mountain.

Curiosity relies on a long-lived nuclear-powered battery rather than solar panels to explore the Red Planet. To manage the rover's slowly diminishing power, the team has figured out which activities can be done in parallel.

Through careful planning and engineering hacks, the team has every expectation the plucky rover still has years of exploring to ahead of it. NASA says.

Happy landiversary @MarsCuriosity!Since 2012, the rover has driven 18 miles, (29km) & climbed 2,050 ft (625m) as it explores Gale Crater & Mount Sharp. It's also analyzed 41 rock & soil samples, giving us clues into Mars' habitability in its ancient past. https://t.co/nWgsu1JqXQ pic.twitter.com/xjNo3CAfuz

— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) August 5, 2022