http://cache.io9.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/io9.com.png http://io9.com/tag/curiosity http://io9.com/tag/curiosity

Back in November, NASA's next-generation Mars rover, Curiosity, set a course for the Red Planet. But it didn't actually chart a direct course; in order to keep Mars clean of microbes originating from here on Earth, NASA actually had to aim the spacecraft so that it would miss Mars. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5874888&view=rss&microfeed=true

From law-violating subatomic particles to entirely new, earth-like worlds, 2011 was an incredible year for scientific discovery. In the past 12 months, scientific breakthroughs in fields ranging from archaeology to structural biochemistry have allowed humanity to rewrite history, and enabled us to open to brand new chapters in our development as a species. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5871725&view=rss&microfeed=true

In August of 2012, NASA's biggest, baddest, and most scientifically capable rover ever, Curiosity, will touch down on the surface of Mars. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5867869&view=rss&microfeed=true

You hear us refer to it as the "Red Planet" all the time, and any amateur stargazer will tell you that it definitely appears red in the night sky — but is Mars actually red? As this one-minute video from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory explains, the answer is yes. Kind of. Sometimes. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5864620&view=rss&microfeed=true

For decades, humanity has been launching missions to Mars, in hopes of making sense of the enigma that is our solar system's most Earth-like planet. And as with all good mysteries, many of our investigations have simply led to more questions. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5862878&view=rss&microfeed=true

At 10:02 AM Eastern Standard Time, the one-ton Mars Science Laboratory began its eight-and-a-half month mission to the Red Planet. Here's the video in case you slept in this morning. And for your perusal, here's our backgrounder on this mission. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5862718&view=rss&microfeed=true

The Mars Science Laboratory — also known as MSL, or Curiosity — is the most sophisticated Martian vehicle that NASA has ever built. And it's set to launch for the Red Planet tomorrow. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5862652&view=rss&microfeed=true

This past weekend marked the opening of the American Museum of Natural History's brilliant new exhibition, Beyond Planet Earth: The Future of Space Exploration. As part of our ongoing Hardcore Science Interview series, io9 spoke with the show's curator, AMNH astrophysicist Michael Shara, about the exhibit. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5861591&view=rss&microfeed=true

The Martian rover Curiosity, also known as the Mars Science Lab, is set to launch in the next few weeks. While you're jumping up and down waiting for us to get a closer look at Mars, you can enjoy looking back through history at all the missions we've launched to the Red Planet — and where they are now. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5855793&view=rss&microfeed=true

NASA may be ramping up for the launch of its next Mars rover mission later this month, but the Agency's Opportunity rover — which has been chugging around the Martian landscape for close to eight years, now — refuses to recede into obsolescence. You're looking at a close-up of the Martian surface, recently shot by Opportunity's onboard cam, that reveals a line of light-colored rocks known to NASA astronomers as "Homestake" or "The Vein." And they say it's like nothing they've ever seen. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5857422&view=rss&microfeed=true

I'll come right out and say it: you need to watch this video. It's quite a bit longer than a lot of what we feature here on io9, but the weekend is almost here, and you owe it to yourself to set aside 53 minutes to watch a veritable scientific dream team talk about humanity's future in space. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5851956&view=rss&microfeed=true

If you've been keeping up with NASA's research efforts on Mars, you know that their Opportunity rover is nearing the end of its over seven-year stay on the red planet. But NASA's already gearing up for its next stage of Martian research with Curiosity, the six-wheel-drive, plutonium-powered science lab slated to depart on its nine-month trip to Mars the day after Thanksgiving. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5831193&view=rss&microfeed=true

NASA's next Mars rover, the Curiosity Mars Science Laboratory, will soon embark on a quantum leap in humankind's scientific exploration of the Martian surface. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5815547&view=rss&microfeed=true

James Cameron may have helped reinvent 3D film-making with Avatar, but he won't get to do the same for the space program. NASA has turned down his offer to put two 3D cameras on its next Mars rover. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5786915&view=rss&microfeed=true

Hoping to give Earthlings a little taste of outer space, Tokyo-based design studios Curiosity and Tonerico:Inc created an interactive exhibit in Milan that gave visitors a glimpse of environmental futures after we've evacuated Earth and moved to another planet. Pictured here is Water Drop, an installation of four giant water drops from outer space that double as hammocks you can lounge in. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=382343&view=rss&microfeed=true