Space Exploration

Curiosity Blog, Sols 4975-4981: Happy 14th Landing Anniversary

Studying these geologic formations allows scientists to determine how wind and water shaped Mars billions of years ago.

• Curiosity landed on Mars on Aug. 6, 2012, after launching Nov. 26, 2011; the anniversary moment fell on Sol 4976 at 19:47 LMST, when the rover's arm was deployed for an APXS measurement of target 'Tunas Khasa.'
• The rover navigated a slope with tilts up to 24 degrees before making a 46-foot (14-meter) drive to a location where cross-bedded rock layers are truncated by other layers, evidence of ancient wind and water activity.
• APXS, MAHLI, ChemCam, and Mastcam investigated targets including 'Tunas Khasa,' 'Villarrica,' 'Salar de Gorbea,' 'Uriondo,' and 'Tres Morros' across two planning cycles at the site.
• The RAD instrument continued its uninterrupted radiation monitoring, active since shortly after Curiosity's 2011 launch during its cruise phase to Mars.

Curiosity Blog, Sols 4982–4987: Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

Analyzing these bedrock layers and atmospheric conditions helps scientists understand the geological history and weather patterns of Mars.

• Curiosity imaged target Los Toldos using Mastcam on Sol 4982 (Aug. 12, 2026).
• APXS and MAHLI performed contact science on bedrock targets El Motacusal, Alto de Carmen, Mamorecillo, and Aguas Claras.
• ChemCam conducted LIBS spectroscopy and Remote Micro-Imaging on geological targets.
• Curiosity drove 100 feet (30 meters) for the Sols 4985 to 4987 plan and planned a 150-foot drive southwest.
• Navcam and Mastcam conducted environmental monitoring and dust-devil surveys to measure atmospheric optical depth.

NASA’s LRO Images Falcon 9 Crater on Moon, Learns New Details

NASA used this event to test and validate tools for predicting impacts, which helps protect Earth from natural hazards via its Planetary Defense program.

• A Falcon 9 upper stage struck the Moon on Aug. 5, 2026, forming a new crater.
• NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter imaged the crater on Aug. 11-12 using its Narrow-Angle Camera, waiting six days for the right viewing geometry.
• The crater measures about 60 feet wide and less than 10 feet deep.
• NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies had predicted the impact site, which South Korea's Danuri orbiter confirmed to within 0.6 miles using its LUTI camera.
• The LRO team updated the crater's coordinates to 19.4759 degrees N, 266.7138 degrees E, 511 meters elevation.

I Am Artemis Tom Percy

Successful coordination between NASA and private companies is necessary to safely return humans to the Moon and eventually reach Mars.

• Tom Percy serves as manager of systems engineering and integration for NASA's Human Landing System Program.
• SpaceX and Blue Origin are developing crewed lunar landers for Artemis missions.
• The Artemis program aims to send astronauts for long-term lunar exploration and prepare for future crewed Mars missions.

Curiosity Blog, Sols 4968-4974: Rock Climbing Towards the Discontinuity

Understanding these gaps reveals how Martian environments shifted between building up and eroding materials. This helps scientists reconstruct the planet's ancient climate and geological history.

• Navigated a steep slope reaching an approximate 24-degree tilt to access the candidate supersurface exposure.
• Captured large stereo mosaics and a 360-degree panorama using Mastcam.
• Targeted bedrock blocks Puyehue, Lago Palena, Piedras Juntas, Cormudesi, Sierra de Sangre, and Laguna del Laja using MAHLI, APXS, and ChemCam.

Curiosity Blog, Sols 4954–4960: Celebrating Our Rover Engineers Past and Present - NASA Science

The technical precision of these engineers prevents the rover from getting stuck or damaged. This ensures that scientists can safely acquire high-quality geological data and images from Martian rock layers.

• Curiosity brushed and analyzed 5 rock targets using APXS and MAHLI instruments on its robotic arm.
• Rover engineers safely navigated the rover along a drive path crossing 23 miles (37 km) of cumulative distance and over 4,400 feet (1.35 km) of elevation gain.
• The team conducted observations with APXS, ChemCam, MAHLI, and Mastcam as Curiosity approaches the Yardang unit in Gale crater.

The James Webb Space Telescope captured a detailed image of the young, merging galaxy cluster MACS J0553.4-3342.

• Captured/Released on July 3, 2026
• Reveals galaxy cluster MACS J0553.4-3342 located 4.4 billion light-years away
• Shows two actively merging sub-clusters of roughly equal mass
• Image credited to ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, and S. Fujimoto

The near-Earth object 1998 SH2 passed within 2 million miles of Earth, triggering tracking attempts by the Deep Space Network.

• Passed within 2 million miles of Earth
• Completed 4.5-year orbit around the Sun
• Failed to appear at predicted path, indicating nongravitational perturbations