More than six months after the start of exploration of the Glenelg Intrigue region and Gale Crater on Mars, the Curiosity Martian rover set off on its longest journey. The task of the rover is to get to Mount Sharp, to which the rover began its movement on July 4. It will take at least almost a year to overcome the entire path at the Martian research station.
324 Martian days have passed since the landing of Curiosity on the Red Planet. During this time, he managed to visit several places, confirm some facts and make some very interesting discoveries, among which were dried river beds and the remains of minerals, which could indicate that once upon a time there was still water on the planet and perhaps life even existed. That is, in fact, "Curiosity" coped with its main scientific task.
Glenelg Area
Further travel of the rover to Mount Sharp may take from Curiosity from 9 months to a whole year. The starting point of the rover was a mountainous area called Schaler. From July 4 to 7, the Curiosity overcame a total of 18 meters of the Martian surface, followed by a second throw, which was already 40 meters. The ultimate goal is Mount Shapr with a height of 5500 meters, located 8 km from the current position of Curiosity. Scientists believe that the stony surface there may contain useful information that will tell them about ancient Mars and how it has changed over the entire time.
Location of Curiosity 327 days after landing
In addition, NASA reported that Curiosity captured Phobos, one of the two satellites of the Red Planet that passed over the rover on June 28.
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