Mars Report: August 20 2018
Mars remains bright in the sky after its closest approach to Earth since 2003.
Through a telescope, surface features remain obscured by a dust storm that continues to envelop the planet.
Curiosity Rover
The Curiosity Rover celebrated six years on the surface of Mars!
Curiosity obtained a new drill sample in an area called Vera Rubin Ridge.
The rocks in this area have proven surprisingly hard.
New science results are on the way!
InSight
The InSight spacecraft is more than halfway to Mars.
It recently conducted its second successful trajectory correction maneuver to steer toward the planet.
The team also tested its onboard instruments and cameras.
This is a selfie taken from inside the spacecraft backshell.
Glimpsing these spacecraft components is a reassuring sight for mission engineers.
The next image this camera takes will be on the surface of Mars.
