While 13-year-old cars have gained in Earthly popularity, a 14-year-old rover continues its esteemed journey across the rugged terrain of Mars. By Wed., Aug. 5, when Curiosity celebrates its birthday, the rover will have traversed over 23 miles on its investigation of Gale Crater and the foothills of Mount Sharp. Though not close to the celebrated 100,000 mile mark of Earth vehicles, it is nearing the 14.5 year mark achieved by the rover, Opportunity, which operated until 2018.

Curiosity’s mission is to search for environmental conditions that could have supported Martian microbial life. In October 2020, rock samples were drilled and collected from an area nicknamed, Mary Anning, in honor of the pioneering English fossil collector and paleontologist.
Recently, test results of those rocks revealed that the Mary Anning samples contained the highest diversity of organic materials yet found on the red planet. The clay-like composition of the Mount Sharp area, where Curiosity currently explores, is proving favorable to preservation of organic compounds. These new clues support an ancient Mars with a far different chemistry than today.

As Curiosity grows into its teenage years, it needs rest to stay healthy. NASA created systems to let Curiosity nap between commands rather than remaining on full alert. These adjustments will save power to preserve the rover. Track its trek with NASA’s Curiosity Rover Location map.