Mars rovers give scientists a ground‑level view of the red planet—peek inside their NASA control room

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover used two cameras to create a selfie in front of Mont Mercou, a tall rock outcrop. The image was taken at 7:30 a.m. as the rover operations center at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, was activated. The rover had completed its day on Mars and sent back data to Earth. The rover’s team had just three hours to check its health, analyze the new science data, and agree on the next set of activities. The rover would then spend four hours translating those plans into commands for the next day. The mission’s project scientist, Ashwin Vasavada, guided the tour of the rover’s view of the Martian surface. The rover was sent to Mars' Gale Crater to explore Aeolis Mons, a mountain with sedimentary rock layers that record environmental conditions from 3.5 billion years ago. The rover found clay-rich mudstone layers and sandstones with salty minerals, indicating ancient wet environments and possible life. The rover’s science team determined that lakes persisted for millions of years before the climate became arid, although groundwater occasionally produced streams. The samples from the lake sediments contained small organic molecules, suggesting the possibility of life. The rover’s team was preparing a plan for the next shift, with the results arriving on Monday. The rover works weekends, and the team was in the homestretch for the day. The rover’s operations center was filled with images and data, and the team was debating how to best use the data to understand the formation of the polygons. The debate centered on what set of images and chemical measurements would best help distinguish how the polygons formed. The team was in the final stages of the day, with the rover’s next drive planned for the weekend. The rover’s five-jointed arm was being simulated in 3D, and the team was discussing how to steer around obstacles. The rover’s instruments were converting the day's scientific requests into hundreds of commands for the Deep Space Network. The rover’s operations were being monitored closely, with the team working to ensure the rover’s safety and efficiency. The mission’s success depended on the team’s ability to manage the rover’s complex operations and make timely decisions.

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