Curiosity to begin its search for ‘life’ on Mars

The Mars rover Curiosity was due to wrap up an exhaustive instrument check last night, clearing the way for its first lengthy drive later today to determine whether the Red Planet has ever been hospitable to life.

The nuclear-powered rover landed five weeks ago inside the Gale Crater, near the Martian equator, to conduct Nasa’s first astrobiology mission since the 1970s-era Viking probes.

For its final equipment check, Curiosity will manoeuvre its robot arm so its close-up camera touches the tray where processed rock and soil samples will be analysed.

The rover also has a bit of sightseeing on its agenda. Scientists want to obtain video footage of the Martian moon Phobos passing by the sun.

The plan is to “drive, drive, drive” until scientists find a suitable rock for the first robotic “hands-on” analysis, mission manager Jennifer Trosper said.

It will stop when scientists find suitable soil to scoop up and run through Curiosity’s onboard chemistry lab.

All the while, the rover will be heading toward a site scientists have labelled “Glenelg”, where three different types of rock intersect. Glenelg lies about 1,312 ft away from Curiosity’s current position.

The overall purpose of the $2.5bn (€1.9bn) Mars Science Lab mission is to search for places where microbial organisms could have evolved and been preserved. In addition to ferreting out the chemical and geologic footprints of water, Curiosity will hunt for organic compounds and other ingredients believed to be necessary for life.

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