JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Solar System
.

Curiosity Mars Rover Passes Kilometer of Driving

July 17, 2013
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover captured this image with its left front Hazard-Avoidance Camera (Hazcam) just after completing a drive that took the mission's total driving distance past the 1 kilometer (0.62 mile) mark. The image was taken on July 16, 2013, during the afternoon of 335th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars. The view is in the direction of the next planned drive, toward the southwest. Portions of the rover's left and right front wheels are visible at the sides of the scene.› Full image and caption
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The latest drive by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover brought the total distance that the rover has driven on Mars to more than 1 kilometer.

PASADENA, Calif. - The latest drive by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover brought the total distance that the rover has driven on Mars to more than 1 kilometer. One kilometer is about 0.62 mile.

The drive covered about 38 meters (125 feet) and brought the mission's odometry to about 1.029 kilometers (3,376 feet). The drive was completed in the early afternoon of the rover's 335th Martian day, or sol, of work on Mars (July 17). It continued progress in a multi-month trek begun this month toward a mountain destination.

"When I saw that the drive had gone well and passed the kilometer mark, I was really pleased and proud," said rover driver Frank Hartman of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "Hopefully, this is just the first of many kilometers to come."

Yesterday was is halfway through the mission's prime mission of one Martian year. Two weeks ago, Curiosity finished investigating science targets in the Glenelg area, about half a kilometer (500 yards) east of where the one-ton rover landed on Aug. 5, 2012, PDT (Aug. 6, Universal Time). The mission's next major destination is at the lower layers of Mount Sharp, about 8 kilometers (5 miles) southwest of Glenelg.

Mount Sharp, in the middle of Gale Crater, exposes many layers where scientists anticipate finding evidence about how the ancient Martian environment changed and evolved. At targets in the Glenelg area, the rover already accomplished the mission's main science objective by finding evidence for an ancient wet environment that had conditions favorable for microbial life.

JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover.

More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl , http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/ . You can follow the mission on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/marscuriosity and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/marscuriosity .

News Media Contact

Guy Webster

818-354-6278

guy.webster@jpl.nasa.gov

2013-222

Related News

Solar System .

NASA’s Juno Team Assessing Camera After 48th Flyby of Jupiter

Solar System .

NASA’s Psyche Mission Continues Preparation for Launch in 2023

Solar System .

NASA’s Lunar Flashlight Team Assessing Spacecraft’s Propulsion System

Mars .

NASA Explores a Winter Wonderland on Mars

Solar System .

Juno Spacecraft Recovering Memory After 47th Flyby of Jupiter

Mars .

NASA Retires InSight Mars Lander Mission After Years of Science

Mars .

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Deposits First Sample on Mars Surface

Solar System .

40-Year Study Finds Mysterious Patterns in Temperatures at Jupiter

Mars .

NASA’s Perseverance Rover to Begin Building Martian Sample Depot

Solar System .

NASA’s Juno Exploring Jovian Moons During Extended Mission

Explore More

Image .

Windstreak

Image .

Sirenum Fossae

Image .

NASA's Psyche: Picking up Launch Prep for 2023

Image .

Claritas Fossae

Image .

Perseverance's Three Forks Sample Depot Selfie

Event Feb. 16, 2023 .

Perseverance: Two Years on Mars

Event Feb. 16, 2023 .

Perseverance: Two Years on Mars

Image .

Gale Crater

Mission .

Ranger 1

Image .

South Polar Layers

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors
Careers
Internships
The JPL Story
JPL Achievements
Documentary Series
Annual Reports
Missions
Current
Past
Future
All
News
All
Earth
Solar System
Stars and Galaxies
Subscribe to JPL News
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Apps
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Robotics at JPL
Events
Lecture Series
Team Competitions
Speakers Bureau
Calendar
Visit
Public Tours
Virtual Tour
Directions and Maps
Topics
JPL Life
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Exoplanets
Stars and Galaxies
Robotics
More
Asteroid Watch
NASA's Eyes Visualizations
Universe - Internal Newsletter
Social Media
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisitions
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Managers: Veronica McGregor, Randal Jackson
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Naomi Hartono
CL#: 21-0018