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Galileo signal updated for internet-of-things use
In April, Galileo marked a step forward with the deployment of a new signal component, known as E5a Quasi Pilot, on 12 satellites of Europe’s satellite navigation constellation. This upgrade makes Galileo signals easier to access, particularly on emerging mass-market, low-power devices used for Internet of Things and smart city applications.
Gas from Uranus reveals it has an icy centre
Gas from Uranus reveals it has an icy centre
Week in images: 15-19 June 2026
Week in images: 15-19 June 2026
Discover our week through the lens
Scientists discover remnants of Jellyfish Nebula’s ‘sibling’ supernova
Astronomers may have found the remains of two long-dead stellar siblings
In world first, a man living with HIV received a lung transplant from an HIV-positive donor
This operation opens the door to treating more people living with HIV who have end-stage organ disease
Ancient human ancestors may have first used fire 1.79 million years ago
A new method that detects whether bones have been burned reveals Homo erectus brought fires into caves far earlier than previous evidence had suggested
JWST catches cosmic imposters spoofing faraway galaxies
The James Webb Space Telescope has found nearby brown dwarfs masquerading as far-distant galaxies. The discovery reinforces how, in astronomy, what you see isn’t always what you get
Why some irrational numbers are more irrational than others
The quest to approximate irrational numbers with fractions reveals hidden patterns, surprising hierarchies and enduring mathematical mysteries
Scientists are uncovering how common viruses may quietly increase cancer risk
Everyday viral infections may be quietly reshaping the body’s network of molecules that support cells and tissues in ways that can raise cancer risk over time
Can prebiotics, probiotics or postbiotics help your ageing microbiome?
Can prebiotics, probiotics or postbiotics help your ageing microbiome?
This Week's Sky at a Glance, June 19 – 28
The Moon as it will appear in an amateur telescope at 10 p.m. EDT Friday the 19th. This week Venus and Jupiter continue moving apart low in the western twilight. Vega and Arcturus shine equally high after dark. And watch Beta Lyrae self-eclipse.
The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, June 19 – 28 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Earth from Space celebrates 1000 images
Tropical Storm Arthur
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Tropical Storm Arthur
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Curiosity Blog, Sols 4920-4926: Surveying the Bands
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3 min read
Curiosity Blog, Sols 4920-4926: Surveying the Bands NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image of small butte, “Miraflores,” using its Mast Camera (Mastcam) on June 11, 2026 — Sol 4922, or Martian day 4,922 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 09:12:13 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Written by William Farrand, Senior Research Scientist, Space Science Institute
Earth planning date: Friday, June 12, 2026
Rather than going from stage to stage at a music festival to hear different bands playing different varieties of music, Curiosity has been ascending up Mount Sharp through physical bands of exposed rocks with textural and tonal differences.
Planning for sols 4920 and 4921 were done with the rover in the middle of a unit with a rougher texture and dark-toned bedrock. With the rougher-textured bedrock, brushing wasn’t possible, but APXS chemistry and MAHLI micro-imaging were planned on “as is” bedrock targets “Salto La Cascada” and “Puerto de Rosas.” ChemCam was targeted to perform LIBS spectroscopy on a bedrock target “Kishuara” and a small, layered float rock “La Rosita.” ChemCam’s Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) collected views of the “Mishe Mokwa” butte and another looking at dunes with tonal differences. Mastcam mosaics were collected on the “Valle Grande” channel, “Kimsa Chata” butte, nearby troughs, and the aircraft carrier shaped rock “El Matir.”
Another drive brought Curiosity closer to the upper border of the dark-toned band. Again, brushing of the rocks was not possible, but APXS and MAHLI were collected on dark-toned bedrock targets “Santa Gracia” and “Laguna San Rafael” with ChemCam LIBS also targeting the bedrock. Mastcam mosaics were collected of a layered rock and nearby troughs and a mosaic of the nearby smaller butte, “Miraflores” which displays an interesting layered structure with ragged dark-toned rocks on one side and a stack of dust piled on top (see accompanying image). Other activities included a long-distance RMI mosaic of a bright unit on “Mishe Mokwa”, and Navcam dust-devil surveys in both sols.
Communicating between Earth and Mars has come to seem routine, but at times can still be a challenging endeavor and this was demonstrated to the team on Friday when we did not get a timely downlink of data for the drive planned for Sol 4923. Without these images another drive, in situ examinations, or targeted remote sensing could not be planned. However, there are always interesting things to be done on Mars and the three-sol plan (4924 to 4926) included a 360-degree Mastcam mosaic, the automatic AEGIS targeting of LIBS measurements on each sol, a Navcam dust-devil survey, APXS atmospheric measurements, as well as several other environmental activities.
On Monday, the delayed downlink will be used to plan the first investigation of the next band of surface materials, this one being smooth-textured and light-toned, as well as another drive to continue the surveying of the bands.
-
Want to read more posts from the Curiosity team?
-
Want to learn more about Curiosity’s science instruments?
Article
1 week ago
5 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4908-4912: Goodbye Campo Marte, It’s Been Fun!
Article
2 weeks ago
3 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4900-4907: Pasadena, We Have a Drill Sample!
Article
3 weeks ago
Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited…
All Mars Resources
Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,…
Rover Basics
Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a…
Mars Exploration: Science Goals
The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four…
Curiosity Blog, Sols 4920-4926: Surveying the Bands
- Curiosity Home
- Science
- News and Features
- Multimedia
- Mars Missions
- Mars Home
3 min read
Curiosity Blog, Sols 4920-4926: Surveying the Bands NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image of small butte, “Miraflores,” using its Mast Camera (Mastcam) on June 11, 2026 — Sol 4922, or Martian day 4,922 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — at 09:12:13 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSSWritten by William Farrand, Senior Research Scientist, Space Science Institute
Earth planning date: Friday, June 12, 2026
Rather than going from stage to stage at a music festival to hear different bands playing different varieties of music, Curiosity has been ascending up Mount Sharp through physical bands of exposed rocks with textural and tonal differences.
Planning for sols 4920 and 4921 were done with the rover in the middle of a unit with a rougher texture and dark-toned bedrock. With the rougher-textured bedrock, brushing wasn’t possible, but APXS chemistry and MAHLI micro-imaging were planned on “as is” bedrock targets “Salto La Cascada” and “Puerto de Rosas.” ChemCam was targeted to perform LIBS spectroscopy on a bedrock target “Kishuara” and a small, layered float rock “La Rosita.” ChemCam’s Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) collected views of the “Mishe Mokwa” butte and another looking at dunes with tonal differences. Mastcam mosaics were collected on the “Valle Grande” channel, “Kimsa Chata” butte, nearby troughs, and the aircraft carrier shaped rock “El Matir.”
Another drive brought Curiosity closer to the upper border of the dark-toned band. Again, brushing of the rocks was not possible, but APXS and MAHLI were collected on dark-toned bedrock targets “Santa Gracia” and “Laguna San Rafael” with ChemCam LIBS also targeting the bedrock. Mastcam mosaics were collected of a layered rock and nearby troughs and a mosaic of the nearby smaller butte, “Miraflores” which displays an interesting layered structure with ragged dark-toned rocks on one side and a stack of dust piled on top (see accompanying image). Other activities included a long-distance RMI mosaic of a bright unit on “Mishe Mokwa”, and Navcam dust-devil surveys in both sols.
Communicating between Earth and Mars has come to seem routine, but at times can still be a challenging endeavor and this was demonstrated to the team on Friday when we did not get a timely downlink of data for the drive planned for Sol 4923. Without these images another drive, in situ examinations, or targeted remote sensing could not be planned. However, there are always interesting things to be done on Mars and the three-sol plan (4924 to 4926) included a 360-degree Mastcam mosaic, the automatic AEGIS targeting of LIBS measurements on each sol, a Navcam dust-devil survey, APXS atmospheric measurements, as well as several other environmental activities.
On Monday, the delayed downlink will be used to plan the first investigation of the next band of surface materials, this one being smooth-textured and light-toned, as well as another drive to continue the surveying of the bands.
-
Want to read more posts from the Curiosity team?
-
Want to learn more about Curiosity’s science instruments?
Article
1 week ago
5 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4908-4912: Goodbye Campo Marte, It’s Been Fun!
Article
2 weeks ago
3 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 4900-4907: Pasadena, We Have a Drill Sample!
Article
3 weeks ago
Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited…
All Mars Resources
Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,…
Rover Basics
Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a…
Mars Exploration: Science Goals
The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four…