Curiosity rover spots colourful clouds on Mars
Curiosity Rover, developed by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), has captured images of “shining clouds” on Mars. This will help the scientists know more about MARS (or the Red Planet).
Highlights
- Researchers are now studying clouds which arrived earlier and formed higher than expected.
- According to NASA, “cloudy days are rare” in thin and dry atmosphere of Red Planet.
- Clouds are formed usually at equator of planet, at coldest time of any year on it. That means, clouds are formed when planet is farthest from Sun in its oval-shaped orbit.
Curiosity
Curiosity is a car-sized Mars rover, developed to explore Gale crater on Mars, is a part of NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission. This rover was launched from Cape Canaveral (CCAFS) in November 2011 and it landed on Aeolis Palus in Gale crater on Mars in August 2012.
Purpose of Curiosity
Curiosity rover was launched into Mars’s crater to study the climate and geology of the red plant. It is also doing assessment on whether selected field site inside Gale crater has ever supported environmental conditions and favourable conditions for microbial life. Its primary task is to investigate role of water and conduct habitability studies.
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Month: Current Affairs - May, 2021