Happy Landings Anniversary, Mars Curiosity Rover

August 7, 2013, 6:00AMANS Nuclear Cafe

A quick note of congratulations to NASA's Mars Curiosity rover project team on the first anniversary of a daredevil landing on Mars on August 6, 2012.

NASA-curiosity-mars-rover

The project has been a scientific and engineering triumph of the first order. Also, it is a prime example of the application of nuclear technology in scientific research-Curiosity is one of a long line of historic space missions powered by a Plutonium-238 radioisotope thermoelectric generator. See the September/October 2012 issue of ANS ReActions for a discussion of the Curiosity rover and its plutonium heartbeat.

As part of its birthday celebration, NASA compiled a time-lapse video of Curiosity's first year of diggings, drillings, and travels on Mars. Now, the rover treks toward a rendezvous with Mount Sharp-possibly a site where the chemical ingredients needed for life have been best preserved.

Thanks to Space.com for that music soundtrack!

Other Curiosity-related stories on ANS Nuclear Cafe:

ANS Nuclear Matinee: Measuring Radiation on Mars

Converting heat into electricity without moving parts

Nuclear-powered Mars rover Curiosity lands safely

ANS Nuclear Matinee: Mars Rover Curiosity, A Nuclear Powered Mobile Laboratory

Plutonium in Space: Why and How?

Shannon Bragg-Sitton of INL discusses nuclear space applications

_______________________

Tags:
nasaplutoniumspace applications
Share:
LinkedInTwitterFacebookEmail

Related Articles

Looking up: The 2025 NETS conference

March 21, 2025, 12:00PMANS News

The American Nuclear Society’s Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space (NETS 2025) conference will take place May 4–8 in Huntsville, Ala. Registration for the meeting is now open, and...

Jay F. Kunze—ANS member since 1960

December 16, 2024, 7:01AMNuclear News

We welcome ANS members with long careers in the community to submit their own stories so that the personal history of nuclear power can be captured. For information on submitting your stories,...

Remembering William A. Anders

June 20, 2024, 7:01AMNuclear News

William A. Anders, former chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and a former member of the American Nuclear Society, died on June 7 at 90 years of age.In a June 18 statement, the NRC...