{"id":1915271,"date":"2026-05-03T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1915271"},"modified":"2026-05-03T09:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T06:00:00","slug":"timelapse-from-nasas-curiosity-rover-has-a-clever-scientific-purpose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1915271","title":{"rendered":"Timelapse from NASA’s Curiosity rover has a clever scientific purpose"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/helios-i.mashable.com\/imagery\/articles\/02fVj3LyWni14PVoheITJyS\/hero-image.fill.size_1200x675.v1777666191.jpg”]<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Home<\/a>><\/span>Science<\/a>><\/span>Space<\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

NASA video shows how much ground a Mars rover has covered, literally<\/h1>\n
Dust in the wind.<\/div>\n
\n
\n \u00a0By\u00a0<\/p>\n
Elisha Sauers<\/a><\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\"Mashable<\/p>\n
\n
Elisha Sauers<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n Elisha Sauers writes about space for Mashable, taking deep dives into NASA’s moon and Mars missions<\/a>, chatting up astronauts<\/a> and history-making discoverers<\/a>, and jetting above the clouds<\/a>. Through 17 years of reporting, she’s covered a variety of topics, including health, business, and government, with a penchant for public records requests. She previously worked for The Virginian-Pilot<\/em> in Norfolk, Virginia, and The Capital<\/em> in Annapolis, Maryland. Her work has earned numerous state awards, including the Virginia Press Association’s top honor, Best in Show<\/u><\/a>,\u00a0and national recognition<\/u><\/a> for narrative storytelling. For each year she has covered space, Sauers has won National Headliner Awards<\/u><\/a>, including first place for her Sex in Space<\/a> series. Send space tips and story ideas to [email\u00a0protected]<\/span><\/u><\/a> or text 443-684-2489. Follow her on X at @elishasauers<\/u><\/a>.\n <\/div>\n

Read Full Bio<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0on\u00a0

Share on Facebook<\/span><\/a>Share on Twitter<\/span><\/a>Share on Flipboard<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\"Curiosity<\/p>\n
NASA’s Curiosity rover leaves tracks at Gale Crater on Mars on April 20, 2023. <\/span>Credit: NASA \/ JPL-Caltech \/ MSSS<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

When NASA<\/u><\/a> makes a new timelapse video, it’s not for reminiscence or clout chasing on the Internet.<\/p>\n

The U.S. space<\/u><\/a> agency recently pulled together images from Curiosity<\/u><\/a>, one of its two robotic rovers on Mars<\/u><\/a>, for a scientific purpose. The two-minute video provides a quick succession of clips spanning six years of exploration at Gale Crater. Each image shows the rover ambling over crumbling lithic landscapes as it slowly climbs Mount Sharp, which rises three miles above the basin floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The montage isn’t just an intriguing look back on the mission, but a tool for the rover’s science team. Using views from Curiosity’s right navigation camera, mounted on its head, the researchers analyze the sand grains<\/u><\/a> shifting on the rover’s deck.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
\n
You May Also Like<\/strong><\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

You can watch the Martian dust churn in the rover’s treads in the Instagram post below. (The Lenny Kravitz soundtrack, though not for science, certainly adds to the appeal.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Distinguishing between sand jostled by each drive and wind gusts can provide new information about seasonal changes in the atmosphere,” the agency said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

SEE ALSO:<\/span>You can now own your own little Artemis II ‘Rise’ plushie<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

Curiosity took these images between Jan. 2, 2020, and March 8, but the rover’s journey began long before that. After eight months and 352 million miles<\/u><\/a> flying through space, the rover landed on Mars on Aug. 5, 2012. Its mission: Find out if this smaller neighboring world ever had conditions to support living creatures.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
Mashable Light Speed<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
\n
Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories?<\/div>\n
Sign up for Mashable’s weekly Light Speed newsletter.<\/div>\n
\n By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use<\/a> and Privacy Policy<\/a>.\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Thanks for signing up!<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

NASA’s question was answered rather quickly. Within a year, the rover had drilled a rock sample from a long-gone lakebed and confirmed the region had the right chemistry for habitation in its ancient past, as well as potential nutrients for microorganisms.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\n
View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

A post shared by NASA (@nasa)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n