In this second episode of Ten Years On Mars,
Curiosity sees a mysterious light on the horizon, spots Earth in the sky and crosses Dingo Gap
a perilous sand dune. Curiosity is now en-route towards the central
peak of Gale Crater. To make the journey easier, Curiosity has the ability to drive itself,
with no help from Earth. On Sol 376, the rover becomes the first vehicle
to autonomously drive on another planet. This enables faster progress, which means
Curiosity is already closing in on an area dubbed Darwin . The light-toned streaks in the lower left
centre of the image mark the position of the outcrop that scientists want to examine. Curiosity takes another look at the layering
making up the base of Mount Sharp from it s new vantage point. This area looks particularly
exciting and is named Pahrump Hills . The team hope to explore this area soon. On Sol 400, Curiosity examines the Darwin
outcrop with it s Mars Hand Lens Imager or MAHLI for short. This 4 image mosaic shows
a ridge; formed when a crack in the underlying sandstone filled with a material that then
eroded more slowly than the rock itself. Note the Lincoln penny at the bottom left,
MAHLI's own unique calibration target for scale. While studying this rock, named Ithaca , the
Rover's ChemCam laser is fired for the 100,000th time on the Martian surface. The arrows point to the dark spots left by
ten different laser shots. Analysis shows Ithaca to be a typical Martian volcanic rock
type. As Curiosity reaches nearly three miles of
driving: life on Mars begins to take its toll. Further computer glitches are followed by
a loss of power which temporarily strands the rover. This is tracked down to an intermittent
short in the RTG Curiosity's nuclear power source. At the same time an even more serious
issue arises. A routine scan of the rover's wheels on Sol
469 shows unexpectedly heavy damage. According to Jim Erickson, Curiosity project
manager - We always expected we would get some holes in the wheels as we drove. It's
just the magnitude of what we're seeing that was the surprise . Concerned, the team modify Curiosity's planned
route, trying to drive on smoother, sandier terrain. The trip to Mount Sharp will be longer
but, hopefully, safer for the rover. As part of the new route, Curiosity comes
across a target named Harrison , which contains light coloured elongated crystals - most likely
a mineral known as Feldspar. Analysis using ChemCam shows the darker matrix material to
be pyroxene: a mineral typically found in basaltic igneous rocks. On Sol 526, Curiosity faces another challenge. The modified route to Mount Sharp means crossing
this sand dune known as Dingo Gap . It will open the way to smoother terrain, which should
be easier on the rover's battered wheels. But there's a danger the rover could become
permanently trapped like Spirit, it's predecessor on Mars. While the engineers at NASA prepare to cross
Dingo Gap, Curiosity is stargazing. Just after sunset, the rover captures a Martian evening
star. Otherwise known as planet Earth. Look closely and it's possible to see our
moon too. On Sol 535, Curiosity begins to cross Dingo
Gap. As this view from the rear Hazard-Avoidance Camera shows; with six-by-six drive, a little
off-roading proves no problem. Curiosity looks back at it s tracks across
the perilous gap. To give an idea of scale, the distance between
the parallel tracks is about 9 feet, or 2.7 metres. After crossing the gap, Curiosity makes good
progress and is aiming for an area named Kimberley . On the approach to Kimberley, Curiosity spots
these sandstone beds, inclined down towards Mount Sharp from the rim of Gale crater. The team interpret these layers as deposits
from deltas flowing down from the rim into a small lake that once covered the centre
of the crater. It's a pattern that's repeated throughout
the area. On Sol 589, Curiosity captures something that
shocks scientists a glowing light in the distance. Before we investigate, here s a quick message
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if you are enjoying this series, please support them. See the link below. The bright light puzzles scientists. Possible
explanations could be a cosmic ray hit on the camera, or something as simple as sunlight
glinting off a rock. But unless Martians wear tinfoil hats it probably isn't our first sighting
of aliens. The most likely explanation is a cosmic ray
hitting the camera. Cosmic rays are high energy particles that fly through space. This is
the most likely explanation because another image was taken with a different camera at
the exact same time, which didn t capture the strange anomaly - or in other words, wasn
t hit by that same cosmic ray. Even astronauts working in space have reported
seeing strange flashes of light with their own eyes, which are also believed to be cosmic
ray hits. When a cosmic ray passes through the retina
it causes the eye s rods and cones to fire, and the owner of the eye perceives a flash
of light that is really not there. Thankfully, here on Earth we are protected
from cosmic rays by our magnetosphere. However, Mars has a much weaker magnetic field. Future Martian settlers may just have to accept
and deal with strange psuedo-lights caused by cosmic ray hits. With so much great science, investigations
at Kimberley continue for some time. This image taken on Sol 590 shows the same
build-out of ancient sediment towards the base of Mt Sharp with the mountain itself
towards the left of the scene. Also a small hill can be seen in the mid ground.
So clear are the different layers of rock that the team dub this site Mount Remarkable
. On Sol 597, NASA s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
is flying overhead, and manages to capture Curiosity near the Kimberley site. Can you spot the rover? On Sol 609 Curiosity arrives at a rock slab
that scientists call Windjana. The two-foot wide rock looks a perfect target for Curiosity's
drill. As this before and after shot shows, an area
of the rock around 6 centimetres across is scrubbed using the Dust Removal Tool... ...followed by test drilling to a depth of
around 2centimetres..... ...and a full sized test hole. The series
of dark dots visible inside the hole were created by Curiosity's ChemCam laser. The samples obtained are examined by several
of Curiosity's onboard science instruments. The results are analysed by researchers back
on Earth, and point to the likelihood that flowing water was once prevalent in the area. Pleased with it's work around Kimberley Curiosity
poses for a selfie. On Sol 648, Curiosity is looking at the Sun,
and manages to capture something remarkable an object crossing it s field of view. This object is actually the planet Mercury,
and it s the first time a planetary transit has been witnessed on a planet other than
Earth. As this map shows, by Sol 705 the rover is
well on it's way towards the Pahrump Hills at the bottom left. The new route designed
to make the journey easier on Curiosity s wheels will take the rover through a valley
aptly named Hidden Valley . However, this new soft-sanded route doesn t come without
problems. After driving only a short distance into the
valley, the rover s wheels seem to be slipping on the ground, and the team start to worry
that the rover may become stuck. Rover planners decide it s too risky to continue, and so
order Curiosity to leave the valley and head back to more stable ground. In the next episode, Curiosity starts the
escape from Hidden Valley, finally reaches the Pahrump Hills and witnesses a blue Martian
sunset. Click here to watch! Remember to like and subscribe to keep up
to date with the latest discoveries. Thanks for watching Elderfox.
